Manager, Total Rewards

Position Summary

• The Manager, Total Rewards is a hands-on individual contributor responsible for Crain's benefits, retirement and compensation programs. There are no direct reports. The Manager title reflects the experience, judgment and ownership expected in the role-not responsibility for managing a team.
• This person will own programs and vendor relationships while also handling the day-to-day work needed to keep them running. In Crain's lean HR environment, that means being equally comfortable analyzing a complex issue, building a spreadsheet, resolving an employee question, testing a system change or leading a vendor discussion.
• Total Rewards is the core focus, but the role may also support HR technology, compliance, payroll-related work, Crain's small international population and other HR priorities as needs evolve.

Key Responsibilities:

• Employee Benefits:
  • Own the day-to-day administration of health and welfare, retirement, disability and leave programs.
  • Serve as a go-to resource for complex employee benefit, retirement and leave questions, including FMLA and other applicable leave programs.
  • Manage retirement plan administration, including contributions, reconciliations, testing, audits, participant issues and vendor coordination.
  • Maintain accurate eligibility, enrollment, deductions, contributions, funding and vendor data; investigate and resolve discrepancies.
  • Lead annual enrollment, renewals, plan changes, audits, compliance activities and implementation of new programs or vendors.
  • Review utilization, costs, employee needs and vendor performance and recommend practical improvements to plan design, administration and cost management.
  • Support benefits needs for Crain's small employee population outside the U.S., working with local vendors and advisors as needed.

• Compensation:
  • Support and manage annual compensation processes, including merit planning, salary reviews and incentive programs.
  • Conduct market pricing, benchmarking, job analysis and internal equity reviews.
  • Develop recommendations for new hires, promotions, market adjustments, retention and other pay decisions.
  • Build models and scenario analyses to evaluate compensation decisions and financial impact.
  • Partner directly with HR colleagues and leaders on compensation questions, balancing market data, internal equity, business needs, performance and cost.

• Analytics, Projects & Vendor Management:
  • Analyze Total Rewards data, costs, utilization and trends and turn the findings into clear recommendations.
  • Build financial models, forecasts, reconciliations and leadership-ready analyses using Excel and other available tools.
  • Own key vendor relationships. Set expectations, track commitments, challenge recommendations and costs, and drive issues through resolution.
  • Lead vendor renewals, evaluations, implementations and transitions as needed.
  • Manage projects from issue identification through implementation, keeping owners, timelines and decisions moving.
  • Look for ways to simplify work, strengthen controls, manage costs and improve the employee experience.

• Employee Communications & HR Partnership:
  • Be a trusted resource to employees, managers, HR colleagues and company leaders on Total Rewards matters.
  • Communicate clearly with audiences at every level-from an employee with a benefits question to a senior executive reviewing a recommendation.
  • Develop practical, employee-friendly communications and education for benefits, compensation, retirement, leave and program changes.
  • Work directly with Finance, Payroll, Legal, HR technology partners and outside advisors when issues cross functional lines.

• Broader HR Support: Total Rewards is the anchor, but in a small HR team everyone may need to stretch beyond a traditional job description. Depending on business needs and the individual's experience, this role may also:
  • Support Workday/HRIS reporting, testing, data integrity, implementations and process improvements.
  • Support HR compliance, audits, reporting and operational controls.
  • Assist with payroll-related administration, reconciliations, data validation, issue resolution and process improvement, with the potential for broader ownership over time.
  • Support other cross-functional HR projects and employee lifecycle work.
  • Use AI, automation and other technology thoughtfully to reduce manual work and improve analysis, controls and service.

Qualifications:

• Approximately 7-10 years of progressive Total Rewards, benefits, compensation, HR consulting or related experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, leave/disability administration and compensation analysis.
• Proven ability to independently own programs, solve problems, make recommendations and follow work through to completion.
• Strong vendor management experience, including holding partners accountable and resolving service issues.
• Advanced-to-expert Excel skills. Must be comfortable working independently with complex data, formulas, reconciliations, models and scenario analysis.
• Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to turn detailed information into a clear recommendation.
• Excellent communication skills and executive presence. Must be credible with senior leaders and equally approachable and effective with employees at all levels.
• Comfort working in a lean environment and doing both strategic and detailed administrative work. No task is beneath the role when it needs to get done.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Skills and Competencies:

• Executive presence and communication - confident and credible with senior leaders, employees and external partners; communicates complex topics clearly and appropriately for the audience.
• Ownership, judgment and execution - works independently, brings structure to ambiguous issues and takes work from problem through resolution, including the detailed execution required along the way.
• Analytical and technical strength - advanced to expert Excel skills; able to analyze and reconcile complex data, build models, identify issues and translate findings into practical recommendations.
• Vendor and relationship management - builds strong relationships, sets clear expectations, challenges appropriately and holds partners accountable for results.
• Adaptability and learning agility - comfortable working across strategic, analytical and administrative responsibilities in a lean HR environment; learns new areas quickly and steps in where needed.
• Continuous improvement and business mindset - considers cost, risk, employee experience and business needs while looking for practical ways to improve programs, processes and how work gets done.

This position is non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Pay Transparency Disclosure:

The estimated base salary range for this position is $80,000 to $95,000.

The final salary offering will considera wide range of factors, including experience, accomplishments and location. The salary range provided should not be considered as a salary limit or cap. In addition to base salary, Crain also offers competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance.

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About Crain Communications:

Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, energy, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain's brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain's regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today's business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visitcrain.com.

Environmental Demands

Where you work matters. The job posting will provide specific information on where and when your amazing work would be performed. Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.

• An "in-office" role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
• A "remote" role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
• A "hybrid" role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager's approval, subject to change.
• Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.

Many positions will also include work done in "the field." Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves. Employees may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other typical job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work.

Travel to cover news stories/events, meetings with clients, and to our geographically separated offices may be required. It is the nature of many positions to experience non-standard working hours and be on-call when needed for responding to email, meeting with clients, attending work-related events, story development or breaking news. Most employees perform work Monday through Friday, although early-morning, evening or weekend shifts may be required. Work schedule and travel requirements are subject to change as a role and needs evolve over time.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of many Crain jobs and are subject to change.

Physical activities will include frequent in-person or virtual interactions. For most positions, it is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, perform computer-related tasks, and create/maintain documents within filing systems. Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing reports and information, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading. The typical physical requirements are light work-exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion. Some positions will have additional physical requirements, including exerting up to 50lbs of force to move and/or carry equipment, supplies, files, or other materials as the role requires.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)