Senior Director, Total Rewards and People Operations

Summary

Join Hungryroot as a Senior Director of Total Rewards and lead the strategy, design, and execution of compensation, benefits, equity, payroll, HRIS, and people analytics. Partner with cross-functional teams to build compliant, competitive systems that reflect company values. Build and lead a high-performing Total Rewards function, defining a roadmap supporting a distributed workforce. Evolve compensation philosophy, job architecture, and leveling systems to public-company standards. Own the long-term strategy and optimization of employee benefits, focusing on cost-efficiency, competitiveness, and well-being. Lead the team managing the HRIS, ensuring data accuracy and integration with other systems. Leverage data to deliver strategic workforce insights. Ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regularly update employee handbooks. Manage the Total Rewards team, fostering a positive and transparent work environment.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards or People Operations, including direct ownership of compensation, benefits, payroll, and equity at a high-growth company
• Deep knowledge of compensation structures, benchmarking, and equity design—including RSUs and leveling frameworks
• Proven track record of building scalable, compliant processes and programs from the ground up
• Fluency in HR technology (Dayforce strongly preferred), equity platforms (e.g., Carta), and people analytics
• Strategic thinker with exceptional execution ability; comfortable shifting between vision and detail
• Strong collaboration, communication, and influence skills across all levels of the organization
• Experience supporting distributed and hourly employee populations across multiple states

Responsibilities

• Evolve our compensation philosophy, job architecture, and leveling systems to public-company standards. Be comfortable presenting to members of the board, primarily the Compensation Committee
• Define and manage our annual compensation planning process, including budgeting, market benchmarking, and compensation frameworks tied to performance and ratings
• Lead equity strategy and execution—including transition from options to RSUs—and establish scalable guidelines for new hire, refresh, and promotion grants
• Monitor and drive internal pay equity and external competitiveness; ensure compliance with evolving regulations, including pay transparency laws
• Own the long-term strategy and optimization of employee benefits offerings, with a focus on balancing cost-efficiency, competitiveness, and wellbeing
• Lead vendor management, plan design, employee education, and annual open enrollment strategy
• Collaborate with our Employee Experience Lead to identify and implement new wellness programs that align with employee needs and Hungryroot values
• Lead the team that manages our HRIS (Dayforce), ensuring a high-quality employee experience, data accuracy, and integration with compensation and benefits systems
• Partner with Finance for reporting, reconciliation, and forecasting
• Develop and maintain scalable, compliant processes for leaves of absence, ensuring consistent employee and manager experiences across all states
• Leverage data to deliver strategic workforce insights that inform executive and board-level decisions
• Build dashboards, reporting frameworks, and compensation models that elevate people decision-making and planning across the organization
• Ensure compliance with all federal and state laws related to compensation, benefits, and employment policies
• Own and regularly update employee handbooks, partnering with Legal to ensure clarity and alignment with regulatory changes and internal best practices
• Be a beacon of our values (Positive, Proactive and Transparent) and effectively manage the Total Rewards team. This role includes one direct report, but will rely on this role sharing what headcount is needed to scale, gaining alignment, and recruiting high performing, values aligned team members

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading Total Rewards through private-to-public transitions strongly preferred

Benefits

• Remote-first: work from home, work from our NYC office, work from anywhere in the U.S. - you decide!
• Equity
• Unlimited vacation policy
• Universal paid parental leave
• Monthly Hungryroot credit for delicious, healthy groceries
• Comprehensive health, vision, dental, and life insurance
• 401K with Company Match
• A work from home stipend to support your initial home-office setup