Total Rewards Specialist - Temporary, Full-time

Requisition Details:

Employment Status: Temporary, Full-time (1.0 FTE)
Program Name: Human Resources
Number of Hours Bi-Weekly: 75
Work Schedule: Days

Anticipated End Date: March 2028
On Call: No
Existing Vacancy: Yes – we’re currently hiring candidates for an existing vacancy in this position.

Job Summary:

The Total Reward Specialist will be a member of the Total Rewards team and support both the pension, benefits and compensation teams by providing support on research, analysis, delivery, evaluation and effective administration of Compensation & Benefits programs and initiatives. This includes providing subject matter expertise in pension, benefit and compensation and best practices knowledge to support HR and the organization. The Total Rewards Specialist provides analytical support in the development, implementation and monitoring of all Total Rewards activities including analyzing and monitoring programs, upholding data integrity and providing timely responses to queries and escalations. The Total Rewards specialist will also support the Pension and Benefits team when required in the administration of our Pension and Benefits programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supports the design, maintenance and administration of compensation and benefits programs (benchmarking, pay structure design, annual merit pay program, incentive programs, policy, and pay equity).
• Participates in benchmark compensation, including gathering data, and benefit surveys and conduct data analysis to support recommendations.
• Completes quantitative and qualitative analyses on existing and proposed compensation programs, practices and procedures to ensure they are competitive and internally equitable and aligned with VON’s strategy and business objectives.
• Prepares communications and develops resources to educate staff on compensation, pension and benefits processes, procedures and guidelines.
• Researches, drafts and recommends updates to policies and procedures concerning compensation, pension and benefits.
• Supports VON compensation policy and structures through competitive market intelligence gathering and analysis to make summary recommendations to Director.
• Monitors developments and trends in Compensation, identifies best practices, statutory changes, gaps in statutory compliance.
• Conducts analysis of benefits processes and procedures with focus on process improvement and efficient use of resources.
• Monitors compensation data to maintain internal equity, pay equity and compliance to policies, procedures and any applicable legislation.
• Supports job description development process by ensuring templates/formats adhere to the Compensation guidelines and ensures completeness before distribution to Job Evaluations committee for evaluation.
• Responds to employee, manager and consultant inquiries in a timely and accurate manner to ensure understanding and compliance to Total Rewards guidelines, procedures and system issues.
• Performs audits on Total Rewards related processing to ensure compliance with internal and external standards including legislation changes and market movement. Identify and recommend opportunities for the improvement of processes and policies related to Total Rewards to enhance the performance and understanding of programs and to reduce administration.
• Keeps a pulse on market trends and ensure awareness of Total Rewards related legislation changes to make recommendations on improvements to the total rewards program or identify required changes to maintain legislative compliance.
• Establishes employee benefits eligibility, coverage, effective dates and payroll premium deduction set-up in accordance with union contracts and benefit policy agreements and ensures all necessary information is entered in SAP and the benefit administrator site.
• Ensures timely administration of benefit enrolment forms and coordinates all required documentation to be sent internally and to third party carriers.
• Completes monthly audits and analyzes results to ensure accuracy and integrity of the system (e.g. mandatory enrolments, benefit cost shares while on leaves etc.). If errors are identified, makes recommendations for resolution and future improvements to processes.
• Day-to-day administration of the Defined Benefit Pension plan, including processing enrollments, terminations and pension payment requests.
• Prepares reports and analysis for use by the team and the finance department for recommendation on write-offs and collections for benefit premium arrears.
• Monitors and reports on key performance indicators (KPI) to evaluate areas for improved efficiency and to provide to senior management on trending data, exceptions to policy etc.
• Participates in continuous decision-making to promote continuous quality improvement using LEAN principles.
• Actively participates in the development and ongoing improvement of processes within the Total Rewards team.
• Works towards fulfillment of program/department goals.
• Supports ad-hoc requests and project work for compensation, pension and benefits as requested from Manager Pension and Benefits and Director Total Rewards.

Common Responsibilities

• Promotes the goals and values of VON and their role as an integrated community care provider
• Promotes a safe and healthy workplace ensuring workplace conduct and activities are in accordance with the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations and compliant with the VON Safety Management System, including all Policies, Safe Work Practices and Procedures.
• Abides by all VON policies and work practices
• Abides by all confidentiality and protection of personal information policies, regulations and practices and ensures appropriate safeguards are in place within their role
• Works in collaboration with other staff in a team approach to service delivery

External and Internal Relationships:

• Build effective partnerships with internal contacts, i.e. executives and management across the organization.
• Communicates and interacts with external vendors, i.e. benefit carrier, pension administrators, consultants.
• Engages with cross functional team members and all levels of internal stakeholders on various Total Rewards issues to advise on processes and procedures.
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to emphasize and encourage use of total rewards programs for recruitment strategies.

Education, Designations and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree with experience in Human Resources and/or business-related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience with administering Group Benefits plans (health, dental, life insurance, LTD, AD&D, optional insurance) and Pension Administration (Defined Benefit Pension Plans preferred).
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the area of Compensation which includes working with salary data for reporting and forecasting or survey analysis.
• Prior experience completing/utilizing compensation surveys, quantitative data analysis and modeling for plan/program design and implementation.
• Knowledge of the provincial group benefits legislation.
• Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation and/or Certified Human Resources Professional/Leader (CHRP/CHRL) is an asset.
• Experience in a unionized environment/health care environment considered an asset.

Skill Requirements:

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Strong attention to detail, organization skills, and the ability to deal with multiple deadlines and timeline pressures.
• Demonstrated commitment to working in an environment with high confidentiality and discretion.
• Ability to problem solve to identify and troubleshoot issues and define recommendations for resolution.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills, including the ability to deal with situations where information is difficult to obtain.
• Ability to run reports, analyze and initiate changes and corrections.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain partnerships with colleagues and clients.
• Analytical and critical thinker with the ability to review and manage compensation analysis and transactions.
• Confident and effective communication (written & verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• SAP experience is an asset.

Other:

• A current and original copy of a satisfactory Criminal Records Check.
• A Vulnerable Sector Search and/or Child Abuse Registry Check may be required.
• Ability to speak French is an asset in French Designated areas.
• Willingness to travel regularly during the day as well as to support sites and attend meetings

Working conditions and physical demands: This role requires a detail-oriented approach in a dynamic environment, with physical activity including lifting, carrying (using proper techniques), bending, reaching, kneeling, and other movements that emphasize good body mechanics. Individuals in the role are required to walk, sit, stand, and climb stairs throughout the day, with some tasks requiring fine hand movements.