Compensation & Benefits Manager, Regional

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Gates is seeking an experienced Compensation & Benefits Manager to support our C&B activities in the Americas Region and Corporate Functions (“Region”). The position holder will oversee all Compensation & Benefits matters within the Region. This includes accountability over the design, development, implementation and management of market competitive compensation and benefits solutions. Located in our HQ office in Denver, the position reports to the Director, Global Compensation.

In alignment with the global and regional Gates C&B strategy, the selected candidate will be responsible for the following key areas:

• Design and maintain benefit plan offerings, ensuring alignment with local requirements, cultural expectations, and business cost constraints.
• Lead job evaluation / grading / leveling processes. Work with HR business partners to evaluate new or changed roles.
• Lead the annual salary survey participation and benchmarking process for the Region, ensuring accurate submission of compensation data, analysis of market results.
• Evaluate the impact of changes (benefit program changes, compensation adjustments) on budgets and business metrics.

• Build models, scenarios, cost forecasts, and “what-if” analyses to inform trade-offs between benefits and compensation.

• Drive the annual merit / salary review, bonus / incentive cycle, promotions / market adjustments for the Region.
• Oversee benefit open enrollment, plan renewals, claims review, benefit communications, and compliance.
• Oversight of benefit vendors, brokers, and insurers. Negotiate contracts, manage vendor performance, and ensure cost control.
• Lead change management efforts when compensation or benefits programs change.
• Develop clear communications, education materials, and training for HR, managers, and employees on comp & benefits programs, philosophy, and changes.
• Develop policy, processes, guidelines, and controls to ensure consistent and equitable application across Region.

• Ensure internal audit, compliance checks, documentation, and governance for pay and benefit decisions.

• Monitor benefit trends and emerging programs (healthcare, mental health, voluntary benefits, wellbeing, wellness, EAPs).

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Manage a small Compensation & Benefits team located in Denver and Mexico, providing guidance, coaching, and oversight to ensure consistent execution of regional total rewards programs.

Requirements and Preferred Skills

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field; master’s preferred.
• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in total rewards / compensation & benefits roles; including multi-country/regional exposure.
• Experience leading compensation and benefits programs in large or matrixed organizations.
• Exposure to corporate functions as well as regional business units.
• Proven track record managing compensation cycles, benefits renewals, vendor relationships, and HRIS / system integrations.
• Experience supervising or leading small teams (analysts, coordinators).
• Certifications such as Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), or equivalent are a plus.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and ability to deal with sensitive information.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work within a matrix environment and across different levels.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proactive and results-oriented, with the ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities.
• Knowledge of job evaluation, salary structure design, leveling/grading, and incentive/bonus plan administration.
• Understanding of health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, including vendor management and plan renewals.
• Familiarity with compensation and benefits laws, including wage and hour regulations, pay equity, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA.