Head of Total Rewards

Job Details

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus  ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

• You thrive on digging into complex challenges and creating innovative solutions to drive positive results for people at all stages of their career and all levels of the organization.
• You excel at using data to provide insights, guide decision making, design strategy and steer effective action.
• You’re passionately curious, eager to collaborate with a unique and dynamic team and want to strive side‑by‑side with some of the greatest minds in the world to build the future.

The compensation, benefits, and leaves and accommodations teams are critical to making JPL’s audacious vision a reality, and you will be a key part of the overall strategy as we build and enable the best workforce to deliver JPL’s and NASA’s mission.

The Head of Total Rewards role is an opportunity to be part of JPL’s evolving strategy and objective to design, develop and implement an innovative, flexible compensation program that works within an FFRDC environment. At JPL, Total Rewards programs are core to our dynamic, data oriented, and intellectual, workforce. You will consult with executives to understand the wants and needs of the organization and share insights into compensation best practices to drive, create and find new solutions, influence an evolving culture, and help JPL achieve their world changing missions.

If you’re a forward thinking, determined, analytical, and persuasive leader with the ability to drive positive change and effective execution in a federally funded institution, JPL may be the perfect place to grow your career.

Reporting to the Head of Human Resources, you will manage a team which includes compensation specialists, benefits specialists, and support staff. The team counsels, advises, and supports employees at all levels on all aspects of benefits, health and welfare (including retirement), and compensation programs and strategies.

While leading these centers of expertise, you will manage compensation plan design, stay current with evolving compensation, benefits, wellness, and rewards trends and laws, oversee vendor relationships, and execute special projects.

This position is critical to formulating and championing compensation strategies and that are competitive and cost effective. In addition, this position supports organizational capability by attracting, motivating, rewarding and retaining top talent.

• Provide thought leadership and define total strategy, including model, metrics, methodology, and processes.
• Proactively identify current and future total rewards needs and partner with the Head of Human Resources and executive leadership.
• Innovate and build total rewards model using science and data to identify improvements, opportunities for standardization and solutions to solve identified issues.
• Translate complex and ambiguous people and business concerns into analysis requirements and strategic initiatives.
• Influencing short- and long-term total rewards strategy including assessing best practices, monitoring key legislative activity, updating, and communicating plan design, and effectively communicating total rewards benefits and costs.
• Proactively evaluate compensation market survey data to identify trends and make strategic recommendations.
• Work closely with JPL and Caltech leadership on all healthcare and benefits related programs and be responsible for the operation and administration of the…