WHAT YOU’LL DO:

The Total Rewards Manager will lead the day-to-day execution and evolution of compensation and benefits programs across Cadence. You will combine analytical depth with hands-on operational ownership to deliver competitive, equitable, financially sustainable rewards and a clear, responsive employee experience.

You will build scalable processes for a distributed workforce spanning clinical, non-exempt, and corporate roles, partnering closely with People, Finance, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, Legal, and stock administration. A near-term priority is establishing reliable benefits operations as the company transitions from a professional employer organization to direct administration.

Benefits Strategy & Vendor Management

• Own the benefits broker relationship, setting priorities, reviewing service delivery, coordinating renewals, and evaluating recommendations on plan design, cost, and employee needs.
• Coordinate the broker, medical and disability carriers, benefits administration platform, and other providers across plans covered by the company’s wrap arrangements; clarify responsibilities and resolve cross-vendor issues.
• Evaluate benefit costs, utilization, employee feedback, and vendor performance; develop recommendations and budgets in partnership with Finance and People leadership.
• Coordinate plan documentation, required notices, reporting, and compliance activities with the broker, administrators, Legal, and Finance, maintaining clear owners and deadlines.

Benefits Operations & Employee Support

• Own the benefits service model, including employee inquiries, escalations, knowledge resources, service standards, and vendor handoffs.
• Serve as the designated reviewer for system workflows and benefit requests, including qualifying life events, dependent changes, enrollment corrections, and COBRA handoffs; validate supporting documentation, eligibility, effective dates, and downstream updates under established procedures.
• Partner with Payroll and Finance to reconcile elections, deductions, carrier eligibility, and invoices; investigate discrepancies and coordinate timely corrections.
• Lead annual open enrollment from renewal planning through system testing, employee communications, enrollment reconciliation, and post-enrollment issue resolution.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and onboarding teams to explain benefits accurately and ensure new hires receive timely enrollment guidance.
• Partner with leave administration on benefits continuation and disability-related handoffs, maintaining clear ownership across functions.

Benefits Transition & Systems

• Lead benefits workstreams for the transition from a professional employer organization, documenting which services must move to internal teams or new vendors and establishing coverage for inherited employee-support volume.
• Partner with People systems owners and vendors on plan configuration, eligibility rules, approval workflows, carrier connections, and payroll deductions.
• Own benefits acceptance testing, data reconciliation, employee communications, and readiness checks before launch; track defects and post-launch stabilization.
• Maintain documented procedures, access controls, reviewer coverage, and escalation paths so critical benefits processes remain reliable during absences and peak periods.

Compensation Programs & Market Intelligence

• Lead two compensation cycles each year, coordinating timelines, budgets, eligibility, planning data, manager guidance, approvals, payroll handoffs, and employee communications.
• Maintain ongoing market intelligence and refresh salary ranges and market pricing as roles, hiring markets, and workforce needs evolve.
• Build and maintain scalable job levels, salary structures, compensation guidelines, and exception processes with People leadership and Finance.
• Analyze internal equity, pay positioning, range placement, and compression; recommend appropriate adjustments and document decisions.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on offer pricing, leveling, cash and equity recommendations, and approval of exceptions within established authority.
• Support the design and administration of incentive programs where applicable, aligning measures, costs, and operating processes with business objectives.

Equity & Executive Compensation

• Coordinate with stock administration on compensation-cycle equity inputs, new-hire grants, refresh recommendations, approved award data, and employee communications; reconcile handoffs while preserving stock administration’s ownership of grant processing and records.
• Support executive compensation benchmarking, cash and equity analysis, and recommendations in partnership with People leadership, Finance, Legal, and external advisors.
• Prepare analysis and materials for executive and Board or compensation committee review as needed; track required approvals and coordinate implementation of approved decisions.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in total rewards, compensation, or benefits, with meaningful hands-on ownership across both compensation and benefits.
• Experience leading compensation cycles, market benchmarking, salary structures, and offer support.
• Experience managing benefits brokers and carriers, open enrollment, employee escalations, and benefits administration workflows.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with the ability to validate complex data and communicate clear recommendations.
• Experience implementing or improving rewards processes and systems in a growing, multi-state organization.
• Working knowledge of compensation and benefits compliance requirements and sound judgment about when to involve Legal, brokers, or specialized advisors.
• Ability to manage overlapping deadlines, influence cross-functional partners, and communicate sensitive rewards information with accuracy and discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare technology or technology company experience, including clinical, non-exempt, and corporate employee populations.
• Experience transitioning benefits from a professional employer organization to direct administration.
• Experience with Alliant, Aetna, Lincoln, Rippling, TriNet, or comparable brokers, carriers, and platforms.
• Experience supporting equity programs, stock administration partnerships, and executive compensation analysis.
• CCP, CEBS, or a comparable compensation or benefits credential.