Vice President, Total Rewards

About the Role

The Vice President of Total Rewards provides enterprise-wide strategic leadership and executive oversight for Total Rewards and Occupational Health across Care New England. This role is responsible for setting the vision, priorities, governance, and decision-making frameworks that ensure programs are market-competitive, equitable, compliant, and financially sustainable. Reporting to the Executive Vice-President & Chief People Officer, the Vice President oversees Benefits, Compensation & Retirement, and Occupational Health, operating through a strong leadership team. The role focuses on strategic direction, enterprise alignment, and executive partnership, while empowering Directors and Senior Directors to lead day-to-day operations and major initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Total Rewards Strategy
  • Establish and articulate the enterprise Total Rewards strategy, philosophy, and guiding principles to support workforce attraction, retention, engagement, equity, and financial sustainability.
  • Set system-wide priorities, sequencing, and success measures for Total Rewards initiatives across benefits, compensation, retirement, HRIS, and occupational health.
  • Ensure Total Rewards strategies are aligned with organizational goals, operating unit needs, labor environments, and long-term workforce planning.
  • Monitor external market trends, healthcare labor dynamics, and regulatory developments to inform strategic direction and executive decision-making.
• Benefits Oversight
  • Provide executive direction, prioritization, and governance oversight for health, welfare, retirement, wellness, leave, and related benefit programs.
  • Sponsor and guide strategic benefit initiatives led by the Director of Benefits, including plan design optimization, vendor alignment, affordability strategies, and simplification efforts.
  • Partner with Finance, Legal, clinical, and executive leadership to evaluate benefit strategy and ensure decisions balance cost effectiveness with employee experience.
  • Serve as escalation point for complex or system-wide benefit issues, vendor performance concerns, and enterprise-level risks.
• Compensation & Retirement Oversight
  • Set the enterprise strategy and governance framework for compensation and retirement programs, including market competitiveness, internal equity, compliance, and transparency.
  • Provide strategic direction and executive sponsorship for the System Job Architecture, ensuring alignment across job families, career pathways, compensation structures, HRIS configuration, and labor considerations.
  • Enable and support the Senior Director of Compensation & Retirement in leading execution of compensation programs, market benchmarking, retirement plan administration, and job architecture implementation.
  • Serve as an escalation point for complex compensation, equity, or retirement matters and support executive- and Board-level discussions as needed.
• Occupational Health Oversight
  • Provide executive oversight of Occupational Health, ensuring alignment with workforce safety, onboarding readiness, regulatory compliance, and operational and clinical priorities.
  • Support the System Director of Occupational Health in addressing cross-functional challenges, capacity planning, and service delivery improvements.
  • Ensure Occupational Health programs integrate effectively with HR operations, credentialing, and workforce readiness processes.
• Governance, Compliance & Enterprise Partnership
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief People Officer and executive leadership on Total Rewards strategy, workforce cost dynamics, and organizational impact.
  • Support fiduciary and governance committees related to benefits and retirement programs, including preparation of executive-level materials and recommendations.
  • Ensure enterprise-level compliance with federal, state, and local employment and benefits regulations (e.g., ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ACA, pay transparency laws), delegating operational execution while retaining accountability.
  • Maintain strong cross-functional partnerships with Finance, Legal, Operating Unit HR Leadership, Payroll, and HR Business Partners to ensure alignment, transparency, and coordinated execution.
• People & Leadership
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing leadership team across Benefits, Compensation & Retirement, and Occupational Health.
  • Establish clear roles, accountability, and decision-rights that empower Directors and Senior Directors to lead execution effectively.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and service excellence.
  • Build leadership capability and succession pipelines within Total Rewards and Occupational Health.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Senior HR or Total Rewards certifications (e.g., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CCP, CEBS) preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in Total Rewards within a complex, multi-entity organization; healthcare experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing benefits strategy, compensation methodology, and retirement programs.
• Strong knowledge of employment and benefits-related regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting Board-level committees and fiduciary governance.
• Deep understanding of healthcare labor markets and unionized environments.

About Us

Care New England Health System (CNE) and its member institutions—Butler Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Kent Hospital, VNA of Care New England, Integra, The Providence Center, and Care New England Medical Group—is a trusted, integrated health care organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes. Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve.