Director, Total Rewards

Role: Director of Total Rewards, Springdale Industries LLC

Location: Remote, NYC or Tampa, FL preferred

Reports to: VP, People Operations

About Springdale Industries

Springdale is a long-term holding company that builds category-leading platforms through partnership with small- and medium-size businesses. We acquire majority stakes in companies and work hand-in-hand with their existing management teams to accelerate growth while preserving local culture and leadership.

Recently valued at over $1.5 billion with hundreds of millions of dry powder to deploy, Springdale is cofounded by Frank Zhang and Jake Sloane, who together have built six companies over the past decade, including four valued at over $1 billion and two AI-enabled professional services platforms (Crete and Shield). The two companies valued at less than $1 billion are well on track to surpassing that valuation in the next 12 months.

Our track record has been built by a small, entrepreneurial team of investor operators, who embody our core values:

• Relentless, not reckless
• Optimize, don’t maximize
• Win together with purpose
• We stand on our partners’ shoulders
• On a mission
• Honesty, ethics, and equity

These aren’t words on a wall—they’re principles you’ll see lived and heard spoken daily across our offices and the companies we build.

Interested in learning more? Reach out to start a conversation.

Position Summary

The Director of Total Rewards oversees the design, implementation, and management of our compensation, benefits, incentive, and recognition programs across the portfolio. They will deliver future-forward, industry leading plans to attract, retain, and motivate employees while ensuring legal compliance and alignment with business goals.

The Director of Total Rewards plays a critical role in attracting and retaining top talent, ensuring competitive and equitable compensation, and supporting employee engagement and organizational performance. This role requires balancing strategic vision with operational execution, maintaining compliance, and continuously evaluating program effectiveness to adapt to changing and new business and market conditions. Innovative and flexible thinking and approach to plan architecture and company bespoke customization are non-negotiables.

Key Deliverables

• Develop and execute a forward-looking human capital total rewards strategy that integrates best in class design, financial outcomes, workflow automation, and AI-delivered analytics into benefit, compensation, and rewards operations.
• Manage the total rewards program road map through effective change management, playbook creation, deployment, and governance, as well as communicating, prioritizing, and managing all aspects of program projects.
• Align benefits, compensation and recognition programs with industry and company specific demographics; providing rewards packages that will enable attracting and retaining A talent throughout the organization and optimizing program KPI’s including, benefit cost per employee, retention, and business unit performance metrics.
• Provide high-quality and highly responsive support and guidance to platform leadership; effectively solving problems, identifying opportunities for improvement, and delivering workflow to optimize our compensation, benefit, and rewards platforms and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement total rewards strategies including compensation, benefits, incentives, paid leave, and recognition programs that align with organizational goals.
• Continually improve and enhance the total rewards platform, gathering requirements, benchmarks, and feedback, designing scalable best practice solutions, and enhancing employee engagement.
• Deliver best-in-class employee training and communications, as well as feedback and engagement strategies that result in highly effective employee participation and best-in-class approval ratings.
• Create and manage compensation, rewards, and benefits programs, including base salary, variable pay, executive compensation, health and welfare benefits, retirement plans and employee recognition and rewards programs.
• Lead structure design and configuration of the HCM benefit admin platforms at the company and platform levels with minimal disruption to business operations.
• Identify key performance indicators for the organization’s total rewards function; assess the organization’s success and market competitiveness based on these metrics.
• Develop and oversee budgets for total rewards programs, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with financial objectives.
• Ensure full compliance across the platform with federal, state, local regulations, and company policies.
• Monitor trends, analyze market data, and recommend improvements to maintain highly competitive total rewards packages.
• Collaborate cross-functionally throughout the organization and deliver total rewards resources to meet operational needs and talent retention, creating a suite of services to deliver platform and business unit requirements.
• Work closely with senior leadership, platform people operations leaders, and other stakeholders to integrate total rewards programs into broader People Operations and business strategies.
• Provide guidance and leadership to the platform team; assist with resolution of compensation, rewards, and benefits questions, concerns, and problems.
• Vendor management: Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with external partners and benefits providers.
• Function as Benefit & Compensation subject matter expert on an interim basis for newly launched platforms. Analyze benefit and compensation information delivered during due diligence and collaborate with executive team to resolve non-compliance issues pre- and post-acquisition. Lead benefit and compensation workstreams to successfully integrate new acquisitions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and inclusivity.

Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience: 10 years in compensation and benefits, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated success in both strategic HR initiatives and benefit transformation projects, proven track record of leading change and fostering innovation, vendor management.
• Industry Experience: M&A Integrations, rapid growth, and scale.
• Knowledge: Deep understanding of compensation, benefit, and employee recognition best practices, trends, and regulations; experience with executive compensation.
• Skills: Strong leadership, benefit & compensation program design and delivery, analytical, and communication skills; ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Certifications: Relevant HR or compensation certifications (e.g., CCP, CEBS) are advantageous.

Core Competencies

• Strategic People Operations leadership,
• Data-driven decision-making,
• Change management expertise,
• Employee Experience Design and delivery,
• Cross-functional collaboration,
• Compliance controls, audit, and process documentation processes,
• Vendor management,
• Program design and implementation,
• Analytical and critical thinking skills, and
• Maintain confidentiality.

Springdale Industries is an equal opportunity employer, considering all applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state of federal law.