Benefits & Compensation Manager

Under general direction, serves as integral member of the People & Culture team and Danforth Center community by providing positive, warm and empathetic service. Oversees the benefits and compensation functions including program design, compliance requirements, communication and enrollment. 

Responsibilities:

• Administers and maintains Center benefit programs including health, life and disability insurance, retirement s and enrichment benefits; recommends strategies for program enhancements and develops implementation
• Manages benefit communications including, open enrollment and wellness messaging; oversees compliance requirements; monitors government regulations, legislation, and benefits trends
• Responsible for new employee benefit orientation and enrollment; meets with new employees upon start date and follows up with employees to ensure enrollment is complete  
• Serves as primary point of contact between employees, administration and benefit providers; facilitates resolution of benefit related concerns and ensures timely follow up with all parties
• Implements and manages benefits in HR system (Paycom) and data feeds with benefits carriers  
• Manages and coordinates annual open enrollment including HRIS system updates, employee communications and vendor coordination
• Oversees annual wellness fair and wellness programming
• Manages compensation function including survey participation, job evaluation, salary structure development, incentive plan design and associated analysis  
• Ensures compensation strategy is competitive, comprehensive, fair and equitable  
• Serves as a member of the People & Culture team and works together collaboratively on special projects as they may arise  
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge; Skills, and Abilities:​​​​​​​

• Knowledge of Human Resources practices
• Knowledge of benefits administration
• Possess computer skills including comfort in learning and utilizing HRIS tools, reporting, and data analysis; Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Sense of humor
• Team oriented
• Positive
• Resourceful
• Creative
• Ability to communicate effectively through verbal and written communications
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to handle confidential information
• Able to multi-task with competing priorities
• Ability to interact professionally with all levels of the organization
• Ability to work with high motivation
• Live the Danforth Center values: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity & Respect, Environmental Sustainability, and Stewardship

Minimum qualifications (or the equivalent combination):

• Bachelor’s degree
• Five (5) years of related work experience

Submission:

• Cover letter that includes a statement of past research experience and career goals
• CV
• Contact information for three (3) professional references

About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center:

Founded in 1998, The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Our focus is scientific research at the nexus of food, energy and the environment to improve the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. We assemble interactive teams of scientists and develop unique platforms to discover underlying principles about how plants work. We then convert that knowledge into useful crops and products, and partner with organizations that are best positioned to solve problems where they exist around the world. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is proudly an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions at the Danforth Center are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. It is our policy that the Danforth Center does not discriminate in employment opportunities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin and status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to access the information provided on this web site, please contact Human Resources, at 314-587-1033 for further assistance.