Job Details

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

Why Join JPL?

• You thrive on digging into complex challenges and creating innovative solutions to drive positive results for people at all stages of their career and all levels of the organization.

• You excel at using data to provide insights, guide decision making, design strategy and steer effective action.

• You’re passionately curious, eager to collaborate with a unique and dynamic team and want to strive side-by-side with some of the greatest minds in the world to build the future.

If this sounds like you, welcome to JPL!

The compensation and benefits teams are critical to making JPL’s audacious vision a reality, and you will be a key part of the overall strategy as we build and enable the best workforce to deliver JPL’s and NASA’s mission.

The Head of Compensation and Benefits role is an opportunity to be part of JPL’s evolving strategy and objective to design, develop and implement an innovative, flexible compensation program that works within an FFRDC environment. At JPL, Compensation and Benefits programs are core to our dynamic, data oriented, and intellectual, workforce. You will consult with executives to understand the wants and needs of the organization and share insights into compensation best practices to drive and create new solutions, influence an evolving culture, and help JPL achieve their world changing missions. If you’re a forward thinking, determined, analytical, and persuasive leader with the ability to drive positive change and effective execution in a federally funded institution, JPL may be the perfect place to grow your career.

Key Elements of Your Position

Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, you will manage a team which includes compensation specialists, benefits specialists, and support staff. The team counsels, advises, and supports employees at all levels on all aspects of benefits, health and welfare (including retirement plans), and compensation programs and strategies.

While leading these centers of expertise, you will manage compensation plan design, stay current with evolving compensation and benefits trends and laws, oversee vendor relationships, and execute special projects. You will establish consultative partnerships to drive a strategic approach to benefits management and compensation strategies.

In this role, you will work closely with JPL and Caltech leadership on all healthcare and benefits related programs and be responsible for the operation and administration of the Caltech Benefits Program at JPL.

This position is critical to formulating and championing compensation and benefit strategies, and ensuring our programs and tools are both competitive and cost effective. In addition, this position supports organizational capability by attracting, motivating, rewarding and retaining top talent.

Your Responsibilities

Strategy

• Provide thought leadership and define total strategy, including model, metrics, methodology, and processes.

• Proactively identify current and future total compensation and benefits needs and partner with the Chief Human Resources Officer and executive leadership.

• Innovate and build total compensation and benefits model using science and data to identify improvements, opportunities for standardization and solutions to solve identified issues.

• Translate complex and ambiguous people and business concerns into analysis requirements and strategic initiatives.

• Influencing short- and long-term benefits strategy including assessing best practices, monitoring key legislative activity, updating, and communicating plan design, benchmarking benefit plan value and effectively communicating benefits and costs.

• Lead compensation and benefits initiatives and projects including cross-functional HR and Lab-wide teams.

• Stay current on trends and practices to ensure solutions are progressive, cost-effective and competitive.

• Partner with other COEs to ensure integrated compensation and benefits solutions aligned to deliver targeted results.

• Research and benchmark industry best practices and find areas of applicability for JPL.

• Leads the analysis, design and development of complex, advanced, and unique policies, procedures, practices and programs for compensation and benefits.

• Develops vendor performance standards and factors and negotiates percentage of premium at risk for noncompliance.

Stakeholders/Partnerships

• Consult with executive leaders and stakeholders to understand and support people strategy across a compensation and benefits portfolio and provide recommendations to ensure competitiveness, drive engagement, align to business goals and support HR’s roadmap.

• Participate in strategic benefit plans with Caltech and advises executive management at JPL.

• Develop proposals and presentations to educate and persuade executive level decision-makers on appropriate solutions based on achieving objectives and business goals.

• Serve as a compensation and benefits representative to JPL and Caltech committees.

• Partner with Caltech and/or ERISA attorney as compensation and benefits SME for JPL.

• Consult with external partners (associations, NASA HQ, and other institutions) on compensation, classification, and program designs including advising executive leadership on potential impacts to JPL’s strategic goals.

• Represent JPL’s interests and perspective to the Caltech Benefits Committee.

• Build relationships across JPL and Caltech which includes Human Resources, Centers of Expertise (COEs) and program directorates.

Regulations/Audits/Data

• Ensure the JPL’s compensation and benefits programs and procedures follow all regulatory requirements.

• Serve as the compensation and benefits lead overseeing all audits, related materials and formal audit responses including providing key data and/or calculations.

• Stay knowledgeable on current and emerging regulations and legislation impacting compensation and benefits and implements changes as needed to ensure continued compliance.

• Make final recommendations for data reporting changes and system enhancements and provide systems requirements to HRIS.

• Effectively demonstrate a consultative partnership for exceptionally complex, advanced, and unique issues including modeling “what if” scenarios, calculating comparative data, final pay, and more.

• Drive compensation and benefits analytics and metrics identification to enable assessment of business strategy and program effectiveness.

• Provide input and participate in ongoing benefits technology enhancements and configuration, including metrics tracking and data governance.

• Contribute to in process initiatives such as contract renewals, compliance activities, new benefits rollouts and more.

Leadership

• Monitor day-to-day activities and make recommendations and decisions for hiring, promotions, salary changes, performance appraisals, etc.

• Manage and authorize budget and expenditures.

• Manage employee communications and education options to effectively explain compensation and benefits and help employees understand the value of their compensation and benefits.

• Participate in cross-functional teams for topics overlapping compensation and benefits issues, such as workforce strategies impacting retirees.

• Partner with IT, Finance and Payroll teams on key compensation, benefits and health plan data.

• Lead Lab-wide and compensation and benefits initiatives such as incentive pay, variable pay, and other projects.

• Serve as a member of the Human Resources Leadership team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, with an advanced degree preferred, including significant coursework in finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, human resources and/or accounting.

• At least 10 years progressive and varied experience in compensation and benefits spanning both retirement, health, and welfare benefits, including executive and international benefits.

• At least 5 years of experience with management and budgeting experience.

• Experience working in a large (5,000 ) organization including managing sizable data interfaces and Center of Expertise roles and responsibilities.

• Experience in executive management consulting, finance, HR or accounting preferred.

• Project management experience, with data analysis, financial modeling and presentation design including strong analytical capabilities and modeling skills with proven accuracy.

• Successful track record in:

  • Compensation and benefit strategy development and delivery.

  • Executive compensation and benefit program design and delivery.

  • Leading cross functional and company-wide project teams.

  • Leading variable pay plan design and implementation.

  • Classification structure design and implementation.

  • Designing, implementing and delivering a total compensation model.

• Knowledge of Federal and state employment laws including DOL, IRS, FLSA, OFCCP, Wage and Hour, etc.

• Experience managing vendor relationships and service level agreements including developing and managing SOWs and RFPs.

• Experience designing stock and incentive plans, or in financial planning preferred.

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) preferred.

• Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) preferred.

• Familiarity with Workday, CompAnalyst and databases preferred.

• Current security clearance or willingness to obtain is preferred.

Success Factors

Leadership and Communication

• Strong, clear communication style and ability to develop effective messaging and communicate across all levels including the Board, executives, and employees.

• Lead with a growth mindset and focus on resiliency.

• Ability to operate, adapt and lead in a complex, matrixed, and dynamically changing environment.

Relationship Building

• Strategic and collaborative approach to relationship building and problem solving.

• Effective relationship building skills across all levels as well as business partners and customers.

• Customer focused, with the ability to influence others, change perspectives and build acceptance.

Regulations/Audits/Data

• Robust analytic capabilities to support decisions and strategy with data, as well as the ability to use analytics to communicate trends and benchmarks.

• Driven to improve results with solid decision-making skills starting with defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts and deliver effective solutions.

• Experience with international benefits plans and managing regulatory audits.

• Understands business strategies, competitive challenges, and financial impacts, as well as strategic planning and decision-making skills.

NOTE: This position may be classified at a level higher than the posted level. A determination will be made once the final candidate has been identified. The typical full time equivalent annual hiring range for this job at a level higher in Pasadena, California is $204,672 to $261,040.

JPL has a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique. This includes a variety of health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more. Our focus is on work-life balance, and living healthy, fulfilling lives as we Dare Mighty Things Together. For benefits eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.

For further benefits information click Benefits and Perks

The hiring range displayed below is specifically for those who will work in or reside in the location listed. In extending an offer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory considers factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s job related skills, experience, knowledge, and relevant education/training. Hiring range for this job may be adjusted based on primary work location outside of Pasadena, California. This adjusted range will be provided to candidates by the Recruiter when applicable.

The typical full time equivalent annual hiring range for this job in Pasadena, California.

JPL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status or any other characteristic or condition protected by Federal, state or local law.

In addition, JPL is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

EEO is the Law.

EEO is the Law Supplement

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federal facility. Due to rules imposed by NASA, JPL will not accept applications from citizens of designated countries or those born in a designated country unless they are U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S or have other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). The Designated Countries List is available here.