Assistant Department Director - Total Rewards

The Opportunity

Help shape the future of a high-performing municipal workforce. The City of Durham, NC, is seeking a strategic, detail-oriented, and collaborative human resources leader to serve as its next Assistant Department Director – Total Rewards. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the City’s Total Rewards Division, overseeing compensation, classification, employee benefits, and wellness programs serving approximately 2,800 employees across 26 departments. Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Assistant Department Director will be a key member of the City's HR leadership team and will partner closely with Budget Management Services, Finance, department leaders, vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure the City’s total rewards strategy attracts, retains, and motivates a high-performing workforce.

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Leading and developing a team of 6–8 direct reports

• Directing employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, deferred compensation, flexible spending, and wellness programs

• Leading annual benefits open enrollment, vendor negotiations, plan design, and employee communications

• Overseeing the City's compensation structure, including open-range plans and step plans for sworn public safety positions

• Leading classification studies, position reclassifications, and market salary surveys

• Advising department leaders on compensation philosophy, pay equity, benefits, and policy interpretation

• Managing benefits and compensation vendors, contracts, RFPs, actuaries, consultants, and third-party administrators

• Ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements

• Partnering with HRIS to ensure accurate benefits and compensation data within Oracle HCM Cloud

• Preparing financial analyses, cost projections, and compensation recommendations for senior City leadership and elected officials

The Ideal Candidate

• A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, or a closely related field

• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in compensation, benefits, or total rewards administration

• At least three years of supervisory or management experience

• Experience administering compensation and benefits programs for a workforce of 2,000+ employees

• Experience with Oracle HCM Cloud or a comparable enterprise HRIS/ERP platform

• Experience with self-funded medical plans and vendor negotiations

• Knowledge of North Carolina LGERS or a similar public retirement system

• Municipal or public-sector HR experience is strongly preferred

• A master’s degree in HR, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field and certifications such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CCP, or CEBS are preferred

COMPENSATION

Salary midpoint: $150,366 annually

The selected candidate's starting salary will be determined based on qualifications and experience. The City also offers a competitive compensation and benefits package.

To Apply

If you are a strategic HR leader with a strong track record in compensation, benefits, total rewards, and workforce strategy, we invite you to explore this opportunity to help shape the employee experience for one of North Carolina’s growing and dynamic cities.

The City of Durham has retained POLIHIRE to conduct this search. To learn more about this opportunity, including additional information about the position, qualifications, compensation, and application process, click APPLY to view the full position profile.