Rewards & HR Operations Leader

Location:
Torrance, CA (corporate headquarters), on-site 3–4 days per week
Reports to:
Chief Human Resources Officer
Compensation: $200,000–$225,000 base + 25% bonus + equity

Our client is a highly profitable, fast-growing food manufacturer with approximately 2,500 employees
, producing sushi in manufacturing facilities for some of the largest retail partners in North America, including Costco
. With strong financial footing and demand that exceeds current production capacity
, the company is positioned for significant growth
.

Operations span corporate headquarters in Torrance, CA;
Houston, TX; roughly 700 employees in Canada; and a presence in Australia
, along with franchise operations that require HR oversight
.

The company is centralizing HR and building the function largely from scratch under a newly hired CHRO
. This is a rare opportunity to shape the people infrastructure of a profitable business at an inflection point.

As the CHRO's right hand
, the Total Rewards & HR Operations Leader will assess what exists today and build, from the ground up, every function they own
: benefits, compensation, HRIS, and payroll. This leader will be the bridge between HR and the CFO and finance team
, turning people data into insight for headcount planning, reporting, and people analytics
.

This role is for a builder and creator who thrives in ambiguity and complexity and wants to design scalable systems that support high growth across multiple countries and business models.

• Build a unified total rewards strategy across U.S., Canadian, and Australian operations that supports growth, competitiveness, and cost discipline.
• Partner with the CHRO to evaluate current programs, identify gaps, and set a multi-year roadmap.

• Serve as the company's benefits subject-matter expert
  , overseeing health and welfare, retirement, leave, and wellbeing programs.
• Evaluate plan design, funding, broker and vendor relationships, and compliance across all locations and countries.
• Drive consolidation and optimization of benefit programs as HR centralizes.

• Design and implement compensation structures
  , including job architecture, salary ranges, market pricing, and incentive plans.
• Lead merit and bonus cycles and ensure pay practices are equitable, compliant, and aligned with business goals.

• Own the HR technology strategy. The company runs ADP across all sites, but under separate contracts
  , and this leader will consolidate and optimize those contracts or evaluate alternative platforms
  .
• Build an integrated HR data stack that connects HRIS, payroll, benefits, and finance systems.
• Explore opportunities for automation and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency and employee experience.

• Oversee the payroll team and processes across all entities and countries, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and scalability.
• Standardize payroll practices and controls as the organization centralizes.

• Partner closely with the CFO and finance team on headcount planning, labor cost modeling, budgeting, and reporting
  .
• Build people analytics capabilities that give leadership clear, reliable data for decision-making, including workforce metrics tied to manufacturing productivity and growth.

• Build HR operations infrastructure (policies, processes, and service delivery) to support a centralized model.
• Provide total rewards and HR operations oversight for franchise operations
  .
• Lead and develop a team across benefits, compensation, HRIS, and payroll.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in total rewards and HR operations, including…