Senior Manager, Regional Compensation & Benefits

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Gates is seeking an experienced Compensation & Benefits Sr 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.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Shape and evolve regional benefit plan designs, ensuring alignment with global standards, regulatory requirements, cultural expectations, and financial targets.
• Lead and govern job evaluation, grading, and leveling frameworks; partner with HR and business leadership to ensure role alignment, internal equity, and global organizational consistency.

• Provide strategic guidance on compensation and benefits program changes by modeling cost, utilization, competitiveness, and business impact.
• Lead and oversee the regional annual compensation cycle (merit, promotions, market adjustments, short-term incentives), ensuring governance, calibration, and alignment with global guidelines.

• Set direction and oversee US benefit renewals, open enrollment strategy, actuarial reviews, vendor evaluations, claims oversight, and benefit compliance.
• Manage high-impact vendor relationships, negotiate agreements, and oversee performance to ensure quality, service, and cost optimization across multiple countries.

• Drive change management efforts for new or modified total rewards programs, ensuring effective adoption across leaders, managers, and employees.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive communication plans, training, and educational materials to build understanding of compensation and benefits philosophy and program changes.

• Establish and maintain regional policies, governance frameworks, and controls to ensure consistency, equity, and audit readiness.
• Oversee internal audits, compliance reviews, and documentation requirements related to compensation and benefit programs.
• Monitor external trends and emerging market practices (healthcare, wellbeing, voluntary benefits, pay transparency) and provide strategic recommendations for the region.

• Serve as a key liaison between regional HR, global Total Rewards, Finance, Legal, and business leaders.
• Influence decision-making by providing insights, analytics, and strategic recommendations that impact regional talent and cost strategies.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a regional Compensation & Benefits team across multiple locations (e.g., U.S., Mexico), providing coaching, workload prioritization, technical guidance, and performance management.
• May oversee managers or senior analysts and guide cross-regional project teams.

Requirements and Preferred Skills

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation and benefits, including multi-country and regional leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale compensation and benefit programs in complex, matrixed, or multinational organizations.
• Experience partnering with corporate functions and senior-level business stakeholders.
• Proven track record in compensation cycle governance, benefits renewals, vendor management, job architecture, and analytics.
• Experience leading and developing teams; ability to manage through influence across regions.
• Preferred certifications: CCP, CEBS, GRP, or equivalent.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence HR and business leaders across the organization.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills.
• Highly analytical, proactive, and solutions-oriented; able to anticipate issues and drive initiatives independently.
• Deep expertise in job evaluation, salary structure design, grading/leveling methodologies, incentive plan administration, and benefits program optimization.
• Strong knowledge of health, welfare, wellbeing, retirement, and statutory programs in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and/or broader LATAM region.
• Solid understanding of compensation and benefits compliance requirements (wage and hour, pay equity, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, etc.).