Total Rewards Senior Associate

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a resolute motivated individual to join our team as a Total Rewards Senior Associate. This role is a senior individual contributor within the HR/Talent & Culture function, serving as a key partner to the Head of Total Rewards in driving the delivery of strategic initiatives while supporting operational excellence across the Total Rewards organization. This role is designed to provide sustained focus on the Total Rewards strategic roadmap—leading and coordinating complex projects, advancing priority initiatives, and ensuring momentum is maintained amid day‑to‑day demands. In addition, the role acts as a flexible, high‑impact resource during peak periods in the annual cycle, providing experienced support across compensation and benefits teams as needed. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you bring strong project leadership, analytical expertise, and executive‑ready communication skills to translate strategy into action and support informed decision‑making at the senior leadership level. You will: Strategy Development and Execution: Serve as a primary owner of strategic Total Rewards initiatives, ensuring focus, progress, and delivery across a multi‑year roadmap. Lead complex projects including program design, transformation efforts, and governance enhancements. Establish project plans, milestones, and success measures; proactively manage risks and dependencies. Maintain momentum on strategic priorities while supporting ongoing operational excellence. Executive & Leadership Enablement: Prepare materials for executive leadership including analyses, presentations, and recommendations. Synthesize complex inputs into clear, executive‑ready narratives. Support leadership decision‑making through concise insights and trade‑off analysis. Operational Support & Flex Capacity: Provide hands‑on support during peak periods of the annual Total Rewards cycle. Function as an extra pair of hands to address surge workloads and unblock execution. Partner with Compensation and Benefits leaders to flex support as needed. Analytics & Insight Generation: Develop advanced Excel‑based models and analytical tools. Conduct workforce, market, and financial analyses to inform strategy. Translate data into compelling insights for senior stakeholders. Continuous Improvement & Thought Partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to the Head of Total Rewards. Identify opportunities to improve processes, governance, and project execution. Stay current on Total Rewards and Talent & Culture trends. You have: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or a related field or equivalent experience. Professional certifications (e.g., CCP, CEBS) preferred. 6–10+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or a related Talent & Culture specialty. Experience leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives and supporting senior leaders. Strong project leadership, advanced Excel and analytical skills, executive‑level communication, sound business judgment, and ability to operate independently in a fast‑paced environment. Reporting Relationships: As our Total Rewards Senior Associate, you will report to the Head of Total Rewards within the Talent & Culture function. Location: Hybrid role - 3 days in the Hudson Yards, NYC; Stamford CT; or Holmdel NJ office. 2 days WFH Salary Range: $132,420.00 - $217,545.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation. Our Promise At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards. Inspire Well-Being As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits . Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits. Equal Employment Opportunity Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Accommodations Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site. Visa Sponsorship Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship. Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.