Vice President Compensation Total Rewards

 

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Vice President, Compensation

Leading Not-for-Profit Integrated Health System  |  Total Rewards

Sacramento, CA  |  Full-Time  |  Hybrid  |  Comprehensive Relocation Support Available

Base Salary: $300,000 – $400,000  +  Annual Incentive Displayed in accordance with California pay transparency requirements (SB 1162). Final offer reflects experience, skills, and internal equity.

 

You are the person your organization calls when pay gets complicated — the structures, the incentives, the board materials. Yet if you're like most senior compensation leaders, the mandate has never quite matched the responsibility: a team stretched too thin to innovate, a seat that's consulted after decisions instead of before them, and a title that undersells the enterprise you actually carry. Industry research bears this out — total rewards leaders consistently rank leadership buy-in, governance, and how their function is resourced among the things they most want to change.

This role is the answer: the top compensation seat at one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health systems, with the team, the board access, and the executive mandate to match.

THE ROLE

Our client — a Forbes-recognized, not-for-profit integrated health system generating approximately $20 billion in annual revenue — is seeking a Vice President, Compensation to serve as the enterprise’s most senior dedicated compensation executive. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Total Rewards and operating as a true second-in-command for the function, you will own the complete compensation portfolio for a workforce of more than 60,000: base and broad-based pay, short-term incentive design, long-term incentive programs (LTIP), executive compensation, job architecture, market pricing, the annual rewards cycle, and enterprise compensation governance. You will lead an established department of approximately 25 compensation professionals — a group that has worked together for years and is ready for a leader who can help them do their best work. You will function as the architect of enterprise pay strategy with a direct line to the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors — not as a back-office administrator executing someone else’s playbook.

WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT

• A genuine enterprise mandate — You are the top compensation person for the entire system, with design authority spanning broad-based, incentive, and executive pay — and regular exposure presenting to the Compensation Committee and Board. Autonomy here is structural, not aspirational.
• Work that matches your ambition — The organization is in aggressive growth mode — a multibillion-dollar capital program, dozens of new care sites opened in the past year, and more than 1,100 physicians and clinicians added. The pay architecture that enables that growth is yours to design.
• A team that’s built, not broken — You inherit roughly 25 tenured compensation professionals with long shared history — not a rebuild. Systemwide employee turnover has fallen by nearly half since 2022 to under 10%, so the colleagues you invest in stay.
• Flexibility that respects seniority — A hybrid arrangement anchored in Sacramento, with strong candidates currently based in Pacific or Mountain time zones welcomed and supported through one of the most complete executive relocation packages in healthcare (detailed below).
• A stable platform for a sane pace — Positive operating margins, single-digit turnover, and a newly completed Total Rewards leadership team — including a recently appointed peer VP of Benefits — mean you build on solid ground rather than fight fires, with clear lanes and shared load across the function.
• An employer that funds what it preaches — The system invests billions annually in pay, retirement, and benefits — covering 95% of employee medical plan costs — and holds current national and best-in-state “best employer” recognition from Forbes plus a top-25 Glassdoor ranking among U.S. healthcare employers. A credible total rewards story makes your job easier every day.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Set and execute the enterprise compensation strategy — base pay, short-term incentives, LTIP, and executive compensation — aligned to organizational goals and a high-performance culture.
• Advise the C-suite and partner with the Compensation Committee of the Board, preparing and presenting governance-ready analyses, program designs, and risk assessments.
• Lead enterprise job architecture, leveling, and market pricing to deliver internal equity, external competitiveness, and role clarity across a multi-state workforce.
• Own the annual rewards cycle end to end — structures, merit, incentive funding, and calibration — leveraging analytics to measure program effectiveness.
• Strengthen compensation governance and compliance across a dynamic regulatory landscape, including California pay transparency and healthcare-specific requirements, while proactively managing pay risk.
• Coach, mentor, and grow a 25-person compensation team, building bench strength and a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and shared accountability.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and operational leaders — including in represented/union environments — to solve complex, enterprise-scale pay problems.

WHO YOU ARE

Required

• 15+ years in compensation and/or total rewards, with deep command of base pay, broad-based programs, incentive design, and executive compensation.
• 10+ years of leadership — Director level or above — leading sizable internal teams and designing organization-wide programs in large, multi-state, highly regulated environments.
• Hands-on experience advising senior executives and partnering with a Compensation Committee of a Board of Directors, including preparing materials for board approval.
• A track record of designing and implementing salary structures, job architecture/leveling, short-term incentive plans, and long-term incentive programs.
• Experience building and sustaining high-performing compensation teams through coaching and mentorship.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Preferred

• Current VP of Compensation / VP of Total Rewards, or a senior director who is clearly the top compensation expert in their organization and ready for the enterprise seat.
• Healthcare or integrated delivery network experience; familiarity with represented (union) workforces.
• Workday experience; CCP or comparable certification a plus.
• Comfort operating at national-employer scale with multi-state pay compliance complexity.

YOUR TOTAL REWARDS

Compensation — $300,000–$400,000 base salary (midpoint near $350,000), annual incentive eligibility, and merit increases.

Health & Wellness — The organization covers 95% of employee medical plan costs — well above the national average — with family medical coverage available for roughly $1,300 per year, plus dental, vision, mental health support, EAP, and wellness programs.

Financial Security — An employer-funded pension in addition to a 403(b) savings plan with employer match — a combination now rare among major employers — plus life and long-term disability coverage, FSAs, and voluntary protection benefits.

Growth & Development — Tuition reimbursement, an in-house leadership university, systemwide mentoring, and executive development pathways.

Work-Life Balance — Generous PTO and leave programs, family support resources, and hybrid flexibility.

White-Glove Relocation — For candidates relocating to Sacramento: full-service, white-glove moving support; assistance with the sale of your current home and the purchase of a new one, including closing-cost support; interim housing assistance of $3,000–$3,500 per month for up to a year; and transportation of two vehicles.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Our client is one of the most comprehensive not-for-profit healthcare systems in the country and among the largest in its home state — a national employer of more than 60,000 people, including over 12,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, serving millions of patients each year through hospitals, medical foundations, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care, telehealth, home health, and hospice services.

This is an organization investing in its future: capital spending more than doubled last year to over $2 billion, dozens of new and expanded care sites opened, and major new campuses and specialty centers are in development. An innovation center and partnerships bringing AI-powered tools to the front lines of care reflect a leadership team committed to modernizing how healthcare — and the workforce behind it — is supported. The Total Rewards function sits at the center of that agenda, and this role is one of its most consequential seats.

LIFE IN SACRAMENTO

California’s capital offers big-city amenities at a cost of living dramatically below the Bay Area — with Lake Tahoe, Napa, and San Francisco all within an easy drive. A nationally recognized farm-to-fork food scene, tree-lined neighborhoods, top-ranked schools, and two rivers running through town make Sacramento one of the most livable executive relocations in the country — and the relocation package above makes the move itself nearly effortless.

READY TO MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE?

Contact your recruiting representative for a confidential conversation about next steps. Client identity and full application details will be shared with qualified, vetted candidates.

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.