Director of Total Rewards

At Clay Lacy Aviation, we believe in creating exceptional experiences for our people just as we do for our clients—through thoughtful innovation, unwavering integrity, and a commitment to excellence. We are seeking a forward-thinking Director of Total Rewards who shares our passion for elevating every detail of the employee experience. This strategic leader will drive the evolution of our compensation and benefits programs with a focus on operational efficiency, compliance, and care. If you thrive in a values-driven culture where people come first and progress is purposeful, we invite you to bring your expertise to a team that's redefining what it means to be thoughtfully better.

Position Summary

The Director of Total Rewards is a strategic leader responsible for the compliant, efficient, and future-focused administration of payroll, benefits, retirement, and timekeeping programs across the organization. This role plays a critical part in enhancing the employee experience, optimizing HR technology, and aligning total rewards with broader business and workforce strategies. Reporting to the Chief People Officer (CPO), the Director drives operational innovation and leads with a people-centered approach to rewards and recognition. As the organization's subject matter expert in total compensation and systems integration, this leader ensures continuous improvement and enterprise-wide alignment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Total Rewards Design and Optimization

• Partner with the CPO and senior HR leaders to align total rewards operations with long-term organizational goals and workforce strategies.
• Design and continuously enhance a future-ready Total Rewards strategy that integrates compensation, benefits, wellness, recognition, and career growth.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to modernize and optimize the employee lifecycle experience, with a focus on automation, impartiality, compliance, and usability.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner in financial, legal, and technology matters, shaping systems architecture and decision-making frameworks to support compliance and growth.

Payroll Strategy and Operations

• Provide strategic leadership and hands-on oversight of enterprise-wide payroll operations to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant compensation across all employee populations.
• Champion automation and continuous improvement of payroll processes through advanced use of Workday and integrated HRIS/Finance platforms, reducing manual intervention and cycle times.
• Design and enforce robust internal controls to prevent errors, fraud, and non-compliance, with audit-ready processes and documentation aligned with applicable regulatory standards.
• Lead the resolution of complex payroll challenges, including retroactive payments, garnishments, and multi-state taxation, among others, with accuracy and discretion.
• Partner with internal and external leaders to ensure alignment with all federal, state, and local wage and hour laws.
• Serve as the organization’s escalation point for sensitive payroll issues, wage disputes, and labor claims, providing strategic counsel and documentation to mitigate legal and financial exposure.
• Ensure seamless year-end processing, including W-2/1099 distribution, reconciliation, and tax filings, in collaboration with external providers and internal stakeholders.

Benefits Strategy and Administration

• Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing evaluation