Director, Total Rewards

$160,000 - $172,000 Annually + Incentives

Company Overview

If you are a professional who takes ownership, brings expertise, and wants to grow alongside a team committed to delivering exceptional experiences, we invite you to join Pinnacle Live.

Pinnacle Live is a premium, in-house AV and event production company operating at premier hotels and resorts across North America. We exist to Elevate Experiences, combining cutting-edge production with a deeply human touch, holding ourselves to a standard where exceptional is the baseline. We're guided by three core values: Excellence is our attitude. Innovation is our mindset. Our people make the difference. If you show up prepared, take ownership of your craft, and want to grow alongside a team that holds itself to high standards, we'd love to meet you.

Job Summary

The Director, Total Rewards and People Experience is responsible for developing and leading Pinnacle Live’s total rewards strategy, building scalable compensation, benefits, leave, and recognition programs that support a growing, multi-site workforce. This role establishes the frameworks, governance, processes, and analytics needed to ensure competitive, equitable, and sustainable rewards practices across venue operations and corporate teams.

The Director reports directly to the Chief Human Resources Officer, serves on the HR leadership team, and partners closely with Finance, Operations, brokers, and vendors. There is a genuine opportunity here to modernize the function, to design job architecture and pay structures from a clean sheet, and to apply AI and advanced analytics to rewards decisions that most organizations still make on instinct.

This is a hybrid leadership position based in the United States, with a preference for candidates located in Dallas, Texas. The role requires approximately 10–15% travel to Pinnacle Live venues, corporate meetings, industry events, and leadership gatherings.

If you want to own total rewards end to end rather than a slice of it, and you would rather build the model, this is that role.

Essential Functions

Compensation Strategy and Programs

• Develop and evolve the organization’s compensation strategy, including compensation philosophy, job architecture, pay structures, market pricing, and governance to support continued growth.
• Lead annual compensation programs, including merit increases, incentive planning, and market benchmarking.
• Design and administer variable and incentive pay programs across frontline, corporate, and sales populations.
• Conduct pay equity analyses and develop remediation and governance approaches in partnership with HR leadership and legal counsel.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local compensation regulations, including wage and hour requirements, exemption classification, and pay transparency laws.

Benefits, Leave, and Recognition

• Develop and execute the organization’s health, welfare, and retirement benefits strategy, overseeing plan design, vendor partnerships, administration, and compliance to deliver competitive, cost-effective programs aligned with business objectives.
• Lead the annual renewal and open enrollment cycle end-to-end, including plan modeling, employee communications, and post-enrollment audit.
• Provide strategic oversight of all leave programs, including FMLA, ADA, state and local leave laws, and company leave policies, establishing standardized processes, strengthening compliance, and delivering a consistent employee experience across a multi-state workforce.
• Build and evolve a scalable employee recognition strategy that reinforces company values, recognizes meaningful contributions, and strengthens employee engagement and retention.

Technology, Analytics, and AI Enablement

• Provide strategic oversight of HRIS capabilities, total rewards technology, and workforce analytics.
• Leverage AI-enabled insights to enhance compensation, benefits, compliance, and data-driven decision-making, while ensuring data integrity, fairness, and appropriate human judgment in all outcomes affecting employees.
• Develop total rewards reporting and dashboards for HR, Finance, and executive leadership.

Leadership, Governance, and Financial Stewardship

• Lead the Total Rewards function, providing strategic leadership and developing team capabilities.
• Ensure sound financial stewardship through effective budget management and strong partnerships with brokers, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Finance on cost modeling, accruals, and forecasting for compensation and benefits spend.
• Support total rewards integration for acquisitions, including harmonization of pay structures and benefit plans.
• Maintain plan documentatio