The California Endowment is seeking a Total Rewards Manager. Reporting to the Director, People Operations, the hybrid role will report 2 days in our Los Angeles Office.
We expect to accept applications until May 10. However, because we review candidates as they apply, the role may be filled before this date. To ensure your application is considered in the first wave of interviews, please submit your materials as soon as possible.
The California Endowment (The Endowment) is a private, statewide health foundation established in 1996 whose mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. We envision a California that leads the nation as a powerful and conscientious voice for wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity.
Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, the Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with staff working throughout the state. We challenge the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people’s health. We believe that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention.
Application Process:
In lieu of a traditional cover letter, we would like to better understand your experience by answering a question around benefits strategy. Please respond to the following prompt and upload as "additional document".
Describe your experience leading the strategy and execution of a benefits program (such as an annual renewal, new plan implementation, or redesign). In your response, be sure to include A) how you assess employee needs, B) make decisions on plan design, C) manage vendors, and D) measure success.
Position Summary:
The Total Rewards Manager is a strategic partner who leads the effective delivery and management of The Endowment’s total rewards programs, including benefits, wellness initiatives, compensation administration, and HR systems. With deep expertise in benefits strategy, this role is responsible for delivering competitive, equitable, and compliant total rewards programs that enhance the employee experience and support organizational performance. In addition, the Total Rewards Manager plays a key role in advancing operational excellence through continuous improvement, leveraging data and technology to inform decision-making, and supporting future HRIS enhancements or migration.
This role partners closely with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure programs are market-competitive, cost-effective, equitable, and aligned with The Endowment’s mission, values, and workforce needs. This role requires strong project management capabilities to plan, prioritize, and drive multiple cross-functional initiatives such as annual benefits renewals, compensation cycles, system enhancements, compliance filings, and wellness programs, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.
The ideal candidate brings both the technical acumen to design scalable processes and a generalist mindset, with the ability to flex across priorities, contribute to broader organizational efforts, and translate strategy into people-centered practices.
Key Responsibilities:
Benefits Strategy and Administration
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Leads end to end project management of the annual benefits lifecycle, including planning, design, renewal, implementation, and post-implementation evaluation.
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Researches, develops, recommends and implements new innovative plans or plan modifications, employee benefits policies and supervises the administration of existing plans.
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Serves as The Endowment’s subject matter expert and primary point of contact for all benefits-related matters, providing guidance and resolving complex employee inquiries with a high level of responsiveness and service.
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Leads and manages the strategic relationship with the Benefits Broker, driving plan design, renewal strategy, cost management, and continuous program optimization. This includes premium evaluation and cost share recommendations.
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Develops and executes communication and education plans, incorporating employee feedback loops and engagement strategies to improve understanding and utilization of benefits.
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Ensures compliance with all applicable federal and state regulations, staying current on market trends, regulatory changes, and emerging best practices to proactively recommend enhancements and maintain a competitive total rewards offering.
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Oversees the administration of all benefit programs, including health and welfare plans, FSA/HSA, life, disability, supplemental health plans, 401(k) Plan, 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan, EAP and employee recognition programs.
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Manages benefits billing, including auditing, reconciliation, vendor invoice validation, and ensuring accuracy and timeliness of payments in partnership with Finance.
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Ensures accuracy of eligibility, enrollments, and payroll deductions through strong partnership with Payroll and proactive system audits.
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Manages DOL and IRS regulatory reporting and disclosure requirements for Section 125 and Retirement Plans including PBGC premium filings, non-discrimination testing plan amendments, and distribution of Summary Annual Reports, Summary Plan Documents and CMS reporting.
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Supervises filing of annual Internal Revenue Form 5500 and 8955-SSA reports for Section 125 Plans, 401(k). Oversees the administration of the annual plan audits for the 401(k).
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Administers leave of absence programs (FMLA/CFRA and personal leaves) and disability claims, including tracking, communication, and coordination with Payroll.
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Oversees workers’ compensation program, ensuring timely filing of claims with the insurance carrier. Complies with OSHA regulations and coordinates ergonomic assessments and related accommodations as required, in partnership with Facilities as needed.
Compensation Administration
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Supports the planning and execution of the annual compensation cycle, including merit increases, promotions, and incentive programs, ensuring alignment with performance, internal equity, and budget parameters.
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Participates in and analyzes compensation surveys to benchmark roles and maintain competitive positioning.
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Promotes internal equity and consistency, identifying and addressing gaps through data-driven analysis and recommendations.
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Partners with People & Culture leadership to enhance compensation frameworks, processes, and transparency.
Employee Experience and Wellness
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Leads the design, planning, and execution of The Endowment’s wellness strategy by chairing the wellness committee and implementing innovative, inclusive programs that support employee well-being, engagement, and align with total rewards philosophy.
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Integrates wellness initiatives with broader total rewards and employee experience strategies.
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Partners with vendors and internal teams to enhance awareness, accessibility, and utilization of benefits and wellness offerings.
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Gathers employee feedback to inform continuous improvement of programs and overall employee experience.
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Supports planning and execution of company-wide events, managing logistics, timelines, and coordination with other stakeholders.
Onboarding, Offboarding and Employee Lifecycle
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Manages the onboarding cycle end to end, including the audit of required documents (I-9s, tax forms, acknowledgements) via HRIS; tracks progress and close out tasks.
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Ensures accurate and timely data entry for all transactions in HRIS system, including data changes, new hires, transfers, promotions, and separations, and runs and distributes weekly change reports.
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Notifies Facilities, Finance, IT, Legal and Grants Management to ensure smooth new hire readiness.
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Provides overview of benefits and enrollment timelines and maintains up to date onboarding resources and materials.
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Identifies gaps in onboarding workflows and leads cross-functional solutions that improve quality.
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Manages and coordinates the full offboarding cycle, including exit logistics, final paperwork, and compliance steps.
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Partners with IT/Payroll/Managers to disable access, retrieve assets, and update systems.
HRIS, Data and Compliance
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Leads efforts to modernize HR systems, including identifying opportunities for automation, process improvement, and future HRIS enhancements or migration.
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Optimizes HRIS functionality related to benefits and compensation, ensuring data integrity, system efficiency, and user accessibility.
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Leverages HRIS and other systems to manage compensation and benefits data effectively while analyzing trends to provide insights to inform decision-making.
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Develops census data for insurance company benchmarking, partners with brokers in evaluating premiums, develops company cost information and makes premium cost share recommendations to management.
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Identifies and implements opportunities to incorporate technology and AI for automation to streamline HR processes and enhance employee experience.
Operational and Strategic Engagement
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Provides flexible, ad hoc support on enterprise-wide initiatives, contributing total rewards expertise to cross-functional projects and organizational priorities.
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Translates broader organizational and People & Culture goals into actionable support within benefits, compensation, wellness and HR systems.
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Partners across teams (e.g., Finance, Payroll, IT, Legal) to support the successful execution of initiatives that intersect with total rewards.
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Contributes to project implementation by coordinating timelines, managing dependencies, and ensuring follow-through on key deliverables.
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Applies a generalist mindset to step in where needed, supporting evolving priorities and filling gaps to advance team and organizational goals.
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Identifies opportunities to streamline processes and improve how total rewards work is integrated across the enterprise.
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Supports a culture of accountability and trust by communicating clearly, adapting to changing needs, and delivering high-quality work across a range of projects.
Desired Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
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Excellent management, organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
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Experience in leveraging analytics, data, and insights to drive decision-making.
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Thorough understanding of legal requirements of DOL, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, FMLA, CFRA and IRS rules on pertinent benefit programs.
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Demonstrated understanding of California Wage & Hour laws.
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Thorough understanding of legal requirements of workers’ compensation.
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Demonstrated ability to maintain employee information confidentially.
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Demonstrated effectiveness in written and verbal communication.
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Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Word and Excel) and Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS)
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Experience with creating a culture of engagement, collaboration and teamwork.
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Commitment to continuous learning for personal and professional growth and development.
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Skilled in compiling, analyzing and presenting employee data to support decision making.
Minimum Experience:
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Minimum five (5) years of human resources generalist experience, with minimum of three (3) years of focused experience in compensation and benefits administration.
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A bachelor's degree in human resource management or related field is equivalent to four years of relevant experience.
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Any appropriate combination of education and experience.
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Experience in non-profit, philanthropy, or mission-drive organizations, preferred but not required.
Core Competencies:
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Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
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Plans and Aligns: Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. For example, stays focused on plans and improvises in response to changes, including risks and contingencies. Aligns own team's work with other workgroups. Looks ahead to determine and obtain needed resources to complete plans.
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Drives Results: Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. For example, holds self to high standards of performance; sets some challenging goals; wants to achieve meaningful results; pursues initiatives/efforts to successful completion and closure. Focuses on key goals, even during setbacks and obstacles
Salary Range:
Target Hiring Range: $116,781-$145,976
Salary Full Range: $116,781-$175,172
Compensation offers are determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, market data, and internal equity. Most offers fall within the target hiring range, with the full salary range reserved to support growth and progression over time in the role.
TCE Benefits and Perks
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Shared medical and dental premiums for employees and eligible dependents
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100% employer-paid benefits: vision, life and AD&D, STD, LTD and employee assistance program
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Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
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Reimbursement towards gym fees and/or wellness program and mental health care
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9-80 schedule with synchronized off days
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Hybrid work schedule available for most positions
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11 paid holidays + paid winter holiday closure
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Generous paid time off (PTO)
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401k plan with generous employer match and contributions
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Matching gifts program
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Paid parking or public transportation subsidy
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Professional development and training opportunities
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Tuition Reimbursement Program
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Monthly BYOD stipend
The California Endowment’s goal is to hire qualified staff reflecting the rich diversity of all Californians. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to advancing health and racial equity in California. We are committed to creating a work environment in which all individuals are valued and respected. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. We define diversity in broad terms to include race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, geography, socio-economic status, veteran status, and prior criminal history, in accordance with local, state and/or federal laws.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, please connect with us at
[email protected] and describe the specific accommodation request for a disability-related limitation.
