Senior Manager, Total Rewards

Brand:

Bagel Brands

Bagel Brands is the parent company for your favorite breakfast brands, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's NY Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel. We believe in the bagel and how it has the unique ability to bring people together. Our team has a standard set of values and behaviors that allow us to spread a little more joy and happiness in the world. They let us laugh, smile, and enjoy each other’s company a little more. These are the behaviors that guide how we work, how we treat each other, and how we treat our guests. We believe that there is no better way to make someone’s day than with a warm, fresh-baked bagel and a heart-felt good morning.

Are you a strategic leader with a passion for crafting exceptional employee experiences? We're looking for a Senior Manager of Total Rewards to bring fresh thinking, expertise, and innovation to our HR team.

In this dynamic role, you’ll take the lead in designing and executing comprehensive total rewards strategies—including compensation, benefits, and recognition programs—that attract, retain, and inspire top talent. But that’s just the beginning. You’ll also oversee our People Services and HR Compliance functions, ensuring smooth, consistent operations and adherence to legal and regulatory standards across every stage of the employee journey. We're seeking someone who’s equal parts visionary and hands-on—someone who can align rewards strategy with business goals, drive operational excellence, and bring data-driven insights to the table. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, love solving complex people challenges, and have deep expertise in total rewards, we want to hear from you.

At Bagel Brands, we offer full benefits (Medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA, disability, life insurance), 401k+ company match, self-managed PTO, tuition reimbursement, adoption assistance, EAP, and more! We are targeting $120,000 base salary with annual 15% bonus potential. This position is also eligible for an annual $20,000 LTI grant. This is a hybrid role and is required to work 3 days in office. Our office is located at Colorado Blvd. & I-25 in Denver.

Why Join Us?

• High-impact role at the center of our people-first strategy.

• A chance to shape key organizational functions that cement us as an employer of choice.

• Collaborative and fast-paced culture with opportunities for innovation.

• Opportunity to make a meaningful difference across a growing, purpose-driven organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Total Rewards

• Manage the planning, day-to-day administration, and ongoing evaluation of our total rewards function as well as management of its related vendors, consultants, and service providers.

• Lead and develop a team in our benefits, retirement, and compensation functions.

• Lead annual total rewards processes such as open enrollment and all components of the annual compensation cycle.

• Lead the design, analysis, and administration of competitive and equitable compensation programs, including base pay, incentives, and time off.

• Develop and deliver communication and education initiatives to help employees understand and appreciate the value of their total rewards package.

• Perform benchmarking and market analysis of roles and audit pay practices to ensure alignment with internal protocols as well as Federal, State and Local laws.

• Contribute to creating and implementing a differentiated employee experience strategy that touches all points of the employee lifecycle in collaboration with the full HR function and leadership.

• Partner with other functional areas of the organization to drive forward total rewards principles and programs to meet the organization’s goals.

• Utilize data analytics and benchmarking to assess the effectiveness of total rewards programs, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven recommendations.

• Maintain compliance with company, federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices; periodically review policies and practices to maintain compliance.

• Analyze internal operations and identify areas that need process improvement.

People Services

• Lead and develop a team in our people services function to identify gaps and deliver solutions that enhance the service provided to our employees.

• Supervise, train, and motivate a team of People Services Representatives.

• Identify and implement strategies and scorecard metrics that enable us to improve processes and procedures ensuring high-quality support.

• Monitor, track, and report on metrics related to employee inquiries.

• Analyze and interpret data to identify trends in employee inquiries and effectively communicate progress in these areas to leadership.

Compliance

• Maintain compliance with company, federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices; periodically review policies and practices to maintain compliance.

• Regularly evaluate the company’s compliance posture to identify areas of potential risk or non-compliance and implement solutions to address these areas, should they arise.

• Provide regular reporting and scorecard metrics on the status of and enhancements to compliance.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Deep knowledge of compensation practices, including job evaluation, salary structures, and incentive plan design as well as benefits administration, including health and welfare plans, retirement programs, and wellness initiatives.

• Familiarity with executive compensation principles and governance practices.

• Functional knowledge of various compensation and benefits laws as well as statutes and regulations required to maintain compliance in all HR related disciplines, including but not limited to payroll and time off.

• Experience planning for and implementing changes in compliance standards across a multi-site, multi-state organization in a proactive and timely manner.

• Experience leading a team responsible for people or customer service functions, as well as managing performance to align with established and expected metrics.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, draw insights, and make recommendations.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively summarize and present complex data as well as influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.

• Demonstrated project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to lead, mentor, motivate, and train a team on compliance related policies and procedures to ensure they understand and adhere to them.

• Highly detail and results oriented with proven critical thinking skills.

• Ability to multi-task with excellent time management skills and prioritize work for the team, then pivot accordingly.

• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Must be goal-driven, responsive to deadlines, team player.

• Ability to assess and mitigate potential compliance risks and people services issues.

• Commitment to continuous learning to remain current on changes in laws and regulations.

EDUCATION – TRAINING – EXPERIENCE:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or related field.

• 7+ years of progressive experience in total rewards management, with a focus on compensation and benefits.

• 2+ years of leadership or team management experience, preferably in a compensation, benefits, or people services environment.

• Ability to be on site at our Denver, CO office 3+ days per week.

• Experience with Workday, in particular the compensation and benefits modules. Intermediate level skills with MS Office products.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree.

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation preferred.

• Experience in continuous improvement methodologies.

• Thrives in fast paced environment with changing priorities.

• Experience in and a passion for developing and leading a highly engaged team across multiple disciplines.

Address: | 1720 S Bellaire St. Skybox , Denver, Colorado 80222 |

Compensation Range:

$91,270.40 - $159,723.20 per year

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The physical demands for this position are sits, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. Bagel Brands reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.