Compensation Benefits Analyst

About the role

This role leads end-to-end total rewards initiatives, with a primary focus on compensation and benefits strategy, design, and operations. You will design and refine bonus and incentive programs, evaluate and enhance benefits offerings, and translate complex data into clear insights that support talent attraction, retention, and organizational performance. Working closely with cross-functional partners, you will ensure pay transparency, internal equity, and a scalable total rewards framework that supports a growing workforce.

Responsibilities

• Assist with full-cycle compensation and total rewards initiatives, from strategic definition through implementation and impact tracking.
• Define and execute bonus and incentive program designs that align with business strategy, promote equity, and drive performance.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with HR Business Partners, Finance, Recruiting, and Legal to promote pay transparency, equity, and consistent decision-making.
• Manage and improve compensation processes, including job architecture, salary review cycles, and pay equity analyses, while supporting compliance with relevant laws and internal policies.
• Develop clear compensation communication materials and deliver reporting and analytics that help leaders and employees understand pay decisions.
• Analyze benefits utilization data and market trends to assess the competitiveness and cost-effectiveness of current benefits offerings.
• Develop annual benefits strategies by modeling plan design changes, premium-sharing scenarios, vendor comparisons, and renewal evaluations.
• Evaluate new benefits offerings and propose enhancements that reflect employee needs and align with business goals.
• Support benefits program reviews, benchmarking activities, and vendor evaluations to ensure benefits remain competitive and sustainable.
• Partner with the People, Payroll, or People Operations teams on annual enrollment, employee communications, and data audits related to benefits.
• Provide insights on benefits performance and support cross-functional total rewards projects.
• Translate total rewards data into strategic business insights that support talent attraction, retention, and financial outcomes.
• Influence the design and implementation of enterprise-wide total rewards strategies by advising on how compensation and benefits programs impact employee behavior, motivation, and retention.
• Integrate compensation, benefits, and performance data into a cohesive, insight-driven total rewards strategy that aligns with business and talent outcomes.
• Evaluate emerging trends and technologies in total rewards, such as AI in compensation and personalized benefits, and recommend test-and-learn pilots.
• Deliver reporting, analytics, and communication materials that help leaders and employees understand total rewards programs and their value.
• Champion improvements to compensation systems, workflows, data integrity, and equity analytics, leveraging AI and modern compensation technologies where appropriate.
• Lead complex total rewards projects independently, build strong stakeholder relationships, and balance organizational priorities, cost implications, and employee experience.
• Continuously refine total rewards processes with internal teams and external consultants to ensure market competitiveness, scalability, and internal equity.
• Perform ad hoc reporting and other duties related to compensation, benefits, and total rewards as needed.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of progressive experience in Compensation or Total Rewards, with deep knowledge of compensation frameworks, salary structures, job architecture, and pay equity practices.
• Hands-on experience with benefits strategy and operations, including vendor evaluation, renewals, and benchmarking.
• Proven experience designing and administering bonus, equity, and incentive programs.
• Ability to interpret and apply market data from providers such as Radford, Mercer, or Option Impact.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect total rewards strategies to organizational goals, financial realities, and employee engagement.
• Skill in anticipating business needs and tailoring total rewards recommendations to unique organizational and market contexts.
• Proficiency with HRIS software; experience with Workday or similar systems.
• Experience supporting or managing compensation and benefits programs for hourly employee populations.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to develop and interpret reports, analytics, and data-driven insights.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to create clear, compelling materials that explain compensation and benefits programs.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Qualifications

• Experience working in human resources, benefits administration, or benefits management environments.
• Background in process improvement within compensation, benefits, or broader HR operations.
• Familiarity with modern compensation technologies and AI-enabled tools for compensation and equity analytics.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams such as HR Business Partners, Finance, Recruiting, and Legal.
• Comfort working in a growing organization and contributing to the build-out of new rewards and compensation structures.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and alignment with organizational priorities.

Work Environment

This role operates in a hybrid work environment, with an expectation of working in the office three days per week and remotely two days per week. Mondays are designated as key in-office team days, with flexibility to work remotely when needed. You will work within a modern HR technology stack that includes HRIS tools such as Workday and may involve the use of AI-enabled compensation technologies and analytics platforms. The environment supports collaboration across HR, Finance, Recruiting, Legal, and other stakeholders, and offers the opportunity to help build and scale total rewards and compensation structures in a growing location.

Schedule

Standard hours are approximately 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a hybrid schedule of three days in-office (including Mondays) and two days remote per week.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $70,000.00 - $90,000.00/hr. Individual compensation offered within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital coverage
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of South Chesterfield, VA.