Director, Total Rewards

Brand:

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.

POSITION MISSION

The Director, Total Rewards is responsible for the enterprise design, governance, and execution of Bagel Brands' compensation, benefits, people services, and people compliance strategies. This role ensures total rewards and employee service programs are competitive, equitable, compliant, and aligned with business priorities across all levels of the organization.

As a key member of the People leadership team, this role provides full ownership of compensation and benefits strategy and administration, while ensuring people services are delivered with accuracy, consistency, and care. In alignment with Bagel Brands' Mission, Vision, and Values, the Director, Total Rewards enables a culture of ownership, accountability, and high performance while ensuring team members feel valued, supported, and treated fairly.

Please Note: The range provided below encompasses a wide range of Bagel Brands roles. The specific salary range for this role is

• Department: People Department
• Reports to: Chief People Officer
• Supervises: Total Rewards, People Services, People Compliance
• Base Salary Range: $175,000-$220,000 annually
• Bonus: 20% annual incentive target
• Long-Term Incentive (LTI): $30,000
• Compensation is based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

This position is located in Denver, CO at the Corporate Headquarters, Support Center. Address: 1720 S. Bellaire Street, Skybox suite, Denver, CO 80222

ENTERPRISE SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY

This role has functional accountability for the design, governance, and execution of:

• Enterprise compensation programs and pay governance
• Enterprise benefits strategy, broker management, and benefits administration
• Equity administration and related platforms
• People Services service delivery and ticketing operations
• People Compliance programs, audits, and risk management

The Director partners closely with Finance, Payroll, Legal, IT, and external vendors to ensure programs, services, and systems operate accurately, compliantly, and at scale.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Total Rewards Program Ownership & Execution

• Own and manage Bagel Brands' total rewards programs, including compensation, benefits, and equity, ensuring accurate, consistent, and compliant execution across the organization.
• Administer and support enterprise compensation processes, including merit cycles, promotions, COLA adjustments, equity administration, and executive compensation support.
• Lead job leveling, market pricing, and pay analysis in partnership with Finance and People Leaders.
• Provide guidance to leaders on compensation decisions, offers, retention considerations, and internal equity, escalating risks or inconsistencies as appropriate.
• Maintain compensation guidelines, documentation, and governance processes to support fair and consistent application.
• Benefits Strategy, Broker & Vendor Management
• Own benefits strategy and administration across medical, dental, vision, retirement, wellness, leave, and ancillary programs.
• Manage benefits broker and vendor relationships, including RFPs, renewals, bidding, performance monitoring, and issue escalation.
• Lead the annual open enrollment process end-to-end, including planning, communications, system readiness, training support, and employee issue resolution.
• Oversee benefits administration platforms and HRIS benefits modules from a functional perspective to ensure accuracy, compliance, and positive employee experience.
• Monitor benefits utilization, cost trends, and regulatory requirements, recommending plan design or vendor changes as needed.

People Services

• Lead the People Services function responsible for employee-facing service delivery and transactional support.
• Own end-to-end People Services operations, including onboarding support, job changes, pay updates, benefits administration support, leave coordination, and offboarding execution.
• Own and manage the People Services ticketing and case management system, including intake design, workflows, prioritization, SLAs, escalation paths, and reporting.
• Serve as the functional owner of People Services systems and tools, ensuring they effectively support service delivery, accuracy, and compliance.
• Partner with IT on system requirements, enhancements, integrations, and reporting while IT retains technical ownership.
• Establish service standards and metrics, using data to drive continuous improvement and reduce repeat issues.
• Lead and develop the People Services team with clear expectations for responsiveness, quality, and accountability.

People Compliance

• Lead People Compliance efforts to ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations related to compensation, benefits, equity, leave, and employment practices.
• Oversee compliance execution supported by HR systems, benefits platforms, equity platforms, and leave administration tools.
• Own people-related audits, reporting, documentation, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Partner with Legal, Payroll, Finance, and IT to address compliance risks, regulatory changes, audits, and corrective actions.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex compliance issues and regulatory inquiries.
• Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement
• Produce and maintain reporting related to compensation, benefits, equity, people services, and compliance performance.
• Use system and service data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Drive process improvements, simplification, and automation in partnership with IT and vendors.
• Support change management and communication efforts related to total rewards, people services, and compliance initiatives.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead and develop the Total Rewards, People Services, and People Compliance teams by setting clear priorities, expectations, and accountability.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement aligned with Bagel Brands' Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Partner closely with Finance, Payroll, Legal, IT, and Operations to ensure effective execution of compensation, benefits, people services, and compliance programs.
• Support People Business Partners and leaders by providing guidance, education, and problem-solving related to total rewards and people practices.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES (DIRECTOR)

• Effective Communication: Communicates complex programs clearly and credibly, framing recommendations with data, risk considerations, and business impact.
• Accountability & Ownership: Owns outcomes across programs, services, and compliance, ensuring consistent execution and follow-through.
• Adaptability & Perseverance: Leads through ambiguity and changing priorities while maintaining service quality and operational discipline.
• Empowerment: Builds team capability through coaching, delegation, and clear decision rights.
• Curiosity: Stays current on market trends, regulatory changes, and best practices to continuously improve programs and service delivery.
• Self-Awareness: Demonstrates awareness of leadership impact and aligns decisions with Bagel Brands' values and long-term interests.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field required; advanced degree or relevant certifications (CCP, CEBS, SHRM-SCP) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience with deep expertise in Total Rewards (executive compensation and benefits), compliance, and HR operations or partnership.
• Experience running enterprise compensation and benefits processes, including open enrollment and broker management.
• Demonstrated success leading teams, managing complex programs, and influencing senior leaders.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in a multi-location, multi-state organization; hospitality, retail, or restaurant experience preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires the ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods. These requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. The Company 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 and is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and fair treatment in employment for all individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

**Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position.

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.