What are the responsibilities and job description for the Compensation & Total Rewards Lead position at Russell Tobin?
Job Title: Research Lead Specialist (Compensation & Total Rewards Lead)
Location: Boston, MA 02110 (HYBRID)
Pay Range: $55 – 60/Hr. On W2 (Depending on Experience/Interview)
Duration: Contract Role (Possible Extension or Temp to Hire for Right Candidate)
Work Schedule: Mon – Fri 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM flexible
Job Description:
Seeking an experienced Compensation & Total Rewards Lead on a contract basis to lead a comprehensive market benchmarking and internal compensation review, focused primarily on the US and Canada.
This role will play a critical part in ensuring our salary structures and total rewards offerings are competitive, equitable, and aligned with our business strategy.
This role will conduct external benchmarking, evaluate internal compensation data, and develop structured salary guidelines across practices, levels, and actuarial credential progression.
This role requires strong attention to detail, excellent analytical and interpersonal capabilities, and experience translating data into actionable compensation recommendations.
Key Responsibilities:
Market Benchmarking & Research
Conduct a comprehensive benchmarking analysis of salary, bonus, and total rewards across relevant markets (Life, P&C, and Health actuarial consulting)
Identify appropriate peer groups and data sources, including both internal data and industry benchmarks/surveys
Analyze trends in compensation tied to actuarial credentials, exams, years of experience, and specialization areas
Salary Framework Development
Develop structured salary ranges/guidelines by:
Practice area
Role / job family
Level of experience
Actuarial exam progression / credential (e.g., ASA, FSA)
Propose frameworks for base salary and total compensation positioning
Internal Compensation Analysis
Review current employee compensation data across practices, roles, and geographies
Assess alignment with market benchmarks, internal equity, and pay progression expectations
Identify outliers, compression issues, and inconsistencies
Partner with HR leadership to prioritize potential adjustments based on impact, risk, and budget considerations
Total Rewards Review
Evaluate broader rewards package (benefits, incentives, exam support, etc.)
Recommend enhancements to improve competitiveness and retention
Stakeholder Engagement & Deliverables
Present findings and recommendations to HR leadership and senior business stakeholders
Develop clear, actionable reports and tools (e.g., compensation bands, guidelines, dashboards)
Provide documentation to support ongoing compensation management
Experience Required:
5 years of experience working in compensation, human resources, finance, or HR analytics roles
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint; must be comfortable working with and manipulating large amounts of data in Excel (pivot tables, modeling, etc.)
Ideal candidate would have experience working with compensation survey data, preferably in actuarial, insurance, consulting, or professional services environments
Familiarity with actuarial career paths and credential structures (ASA, FSA, exams)
Additional Details:
Experience in Compensation
Experience in Actuarial
Strong understanding of the market when it comes to comp and total rewards
Evaluate any outliers (who is out of salary that may need an increase)
Benchmarking experience
Soft Skill requirements (team fit/personality requirements)
Work Independently - Self Starter
Collaborative culture
Sensitivity to confidentiality
Primary expertise:
Compensation / Total Rewards (must-have)
Actuarial experience (strongly preferred)
Key Skills & Competencies
Strong analytical & quantitative mindset
Excel (extremely important – advanced level expected)
PowerPoint (very comfortable presenting data)
Benchmarking experience
Ability to assess market trends and compare compensation structures
Data sensitivity & discretion
Understands confidentiality and appropriate information sharing
Self-starter (can work independently with minimal oversight)
Collaborative (works well across teams)
Organized and accountable
Business-minded thinker with attention to detail
Location & Work Model
Hybrid: 60% onsite (~3 days/week)
Open to multiple locations - They have multiple offices.
Strong talent markets:
Boston
New York
Nice-to-Have
Workday experience
“Russell Tobin offers eligible employees comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans), supplemental coverage (accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity), a 401(k)-retirement savings, life & disability insurance, an employee assistance program, identity theft protection, legal support, auto and home insurance, pet insurance, and employee discounts with some preferred vendors.”
Salary : $55 - $60