Why Join Guardian Life?

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 Life is seeking a resolute, motivated individual to join our team as a Total Rewards Senior Associate. 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 avenues to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards. As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to Inspire Well-Being, we empower our employees to thrive in a hybrid work environment while contributing to strategic initiatives that shape the future of total rewards in the insurance industry.

Total Rewards Senior Associate Role Description

This role is a senior individual contributor within the HR/Talent & Culture function at Guardian Life, serving as a key partner to the Head of Total Rewards. You'll drive the delivery of strategic initiatives while supporting operational excellence across the Total Rewards organization. Designed to provide sustained focus on the Total Rewards strategic roadmap, you'll lead and coordinate complex projects, advance priority initiatives, and ensure momentum amid day-to-day demands. As a flexible, high-impact resource during peak periods, you'll offer experienced support across compensation and benefits teams. Operating with high autonomy, you'll leverage strong project leadership, analytical expertise, and executive-ready communication to translate strategy into action and inform senior leadership decisions.

Reporting directly to the Head of Total Rewards within the Talent & Culture function, this hybrid position requires 3 days in our Hudson Yards, NYC; Stamford, CT; or Holmdel, NJ offices, with 2 days work-from-home (WFH) flexibility. Join Guardian Life's Total Rewards team and play a pivotal role in shaping competitive compensation strategies, benefits programs, and employee well-being initiatives for a leading mutual insurance company.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Strategy Development and Execution: Serve as primary owner of strategic Total Rewards initiatives, leading complex projects like program design, transformation efforts, and governance enhancements. Establish project plans, milestones, success measures, and proactively manage risks and dependencies while maintaining operational excellence.
• Executive & Leadership Enablement: Prepare executive materials including analyses, presentations, and recommendations. Synthesize complex data into clear, executive-ready narratives and support decision-making with concise insights and trade-off analysis.
• Operational Support & Flex Capacity: Provide hands-on support during peak annual Total Rewards cycles, functioning as an extra resource to handle surge workloads and partner with Compensation and Benefits leaders.
• Analytics & Insight Generation: Develop advanced Excel-based models, conduct workforce, market, and financial analyses, and translate data into compelling insights for senior stakeholders.
• Continuous Improvement & Thought Partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to the Head of Total Rewards, identify process improvements, and stay current on Total Rewards and Talent & Culture trends to drive innovation.

Required Skills

Guardian Life seeks candidates with proven expertise in total rewards. Key skills include:

• Advanced project management and leadership
• Expert-level Excel modeling and data analytics
• Executive communication and presentation skills
• Strategic thinking and business judgment
• Risk management and dependency tracking
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Market and workforce analysis
• Process improvement and governance
• Autonomous operation in fast-paced environments
• Total Rewards trend awareness

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or related field (or equivalent experience). Professional certifications like CCP or CEBS preferred.
• 6–10+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or related Talent & Culture specialties.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and supporting senior leaders.

Compensation Overview

Salary Range: $132,420.00 - $217,545.00 (USD, yearly). This good faith estimate reflects base pay for the primary New York location. Actual salary will be determined based on education, experience, knowledge, and abilities. Eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Benefits at Guardian Life

Guardian Life offers comprehensive benefits to inspire well-being:

• Competitive base salary and performance-based incentives
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match and retirement planning
• Generous paid time off and flexible hybrid work
• Professional development, tuition reimbursement, and leadership programs
• Philanthropic opportunities and employee resource groups
• Wellness programs, including mental health support
• Parental leave and family benefits

Apply now to join Guardian Life's Total Rewards team and advance your career in New York’s dynamic insurance sector!