Senior Rewards Manager

Job Title:
Total Rewards Manager

Department:
Human Resources

Reports to:
Lead Director of HR

Location:
Sturtevant, WI

The Total Rewards Manager drives ND Paper's ability to attract, retain, and motivate top talent by designing and executing competitive, scalable, and cost-effective compensation, benefits, and wellness programs. This role strengthens organizational performance by ensuring pay equity, optimizing reward structures, and delivering data-driven insights that support workforce planning and leadership decision-making. By leading annual compensation cycles, enhancing benefits offerings, and ensuring regulatory compliance, the Total Rewards Manager directly contributes to employee engagement, operational excellence, and ND Paper's long-term growth.

ND Paper is a leading manufacturer of high-quality pulp, paper, and packaging products in the United States, generating over half a billion dollars in annual sales. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited - the largest container board producer in the world, ND Paper is part of a global network committed to excellence and innovation. With two integrated pulp and paper mills in Rumford, Maine and Biron, Wisconsin, a packaging plant in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and two sheeting facilities in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and Fairmont, West Virginia, the ND Paper family produces nearly one million tons of products annually.

Our 1,100 dedicated employees are the heart of our operations, and we are committed to fostering positive work environments where individuals can advance and thrive. At ND Paper, we are investing in our future, and that starts with our staff.

• Demonstrate safety as a core value and establish a safe work environment by actively leading the safe execution of work.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive total rewards strategy aligned with organizational goals and talent strategy.
• Lead the evolution of compensation and benefits programs to ensure competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on market trends, pay positioning, and workforce planning.
• Oversee base salary structures, incentive plans (STIP/LTIP), and executive compensation frameworks.
• Conduct market benchmarking using salary surveys and external data sources.
• Ensure internal equity through job architecture, leveling frameworks, and pay analysis.
• Lead annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, promotions), including modeling and budget management.
• Manage design and administration of health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs.
• Evaluate vendor performance, negotiate contracts, and manage broker relationships.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations (e.g., ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA).
• Lead the annual open enrollment process, including strategy, planning, system configuration, vendor coordination, and execution.
• Develop and implement comprehensive employee communication strategies to drive engagement and informed benefit elections.
• Partner with HRIS and Payroll teams to ensure accurate system setup, data integrity, and seamless enrollment processing.
• Deliver insights through compensation and benefits analytics, dashboards, and reporting.
• Perform cost analysis and forecasting for total rewards programs.
• Support audits and compliance reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations related to compensation and benefits.
• Maintain and update policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Manage and develop total rewards team members, total of 2 direct reports.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to HR Business Partners and leadership teams.
• Lead cross-functional projects including HRIS implementations and process improvements.
• All other duties as assigned.

• Timely and accurate bi-weekly payroll cycles
• Successful open enrollment with minimal errors
• Forecasting and data accuracy
• Employee benefits engagement
• Internal equity variance
• Annual compensation cycle accuracy

• BA/BS in a business focused major, or related.
• 7+ years of progressive compensation experience, or related; experience in a manufacturing industry required.
• Experience working in a unionized environment is strongly preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to package and present complex analyses and recommendations clearly and comfortably and for different audiences.
• Knowledge of reward vendors, consultants, and solution…