Company Overview
Stella-Jones is a leading manufacturer of essential infrastructure products focused on serving utilities and railroads, as well as supplying big box home improvement stores across North America. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada and publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Stella-Jones operates a vast network of facilities that employs more than 3,000 employees across the United States and Canada. Built on strong foundations with a coast-to-coast reach, we offer real opportunities for career success and community impact. To learn more, visit us at: https://www.stella-jones.com
Position Overview
The Director, Total Rewards at Stella-Jones leads the strategy, design, and delivery of the company’s total rewards and payroll programs across Canada and the U.S. The role ensures that all compensation, benefits, retirement, and wellness programs are competitive, equitable, and aligned with business objectives. Acting as a key partner to HR and business leaders, the Director aligns total rewards programs with business priorities, reinforces employee engagement, and strengthens the company’s value proposition as an employer of choice.
The Director, Total Rewards also manages relationships with external vendors and consultants, negotiates contracts, and evaluates performance to ensure high-quality service delivery. In addition, they lead and participate in compensation-related projects such as mergers and acquisitions, integrations, and process improvements, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement across all programs.
This position is opening due to an internal promotion and reports to the Vice President of Human Resources. The position will be hybrid and based either at our HQ in Montreal or at one of our US offices (Pittsburgh, Lenexa, or Tacoma). The role involves travel (expected to be up to 20%) across the US and Canada.
Key Responsibilities
Compensation:
Manage and optimize annual compensation processes, including budgeting, annual salary reviews and Hourly, Salaried and Executives bonus programs.
Enhance understanding, transparency, and communication of the company’s total rewards offering.
Strengthen leadership capability through training on compensation principles and best practices.
Select and interpret appropriate market data to ensure competitiveness and internal equity across all roles and geographies.
Executive Compensation:
Lead the design, benchmarking, and governance of executive compensation programs, including short- and long-term incentives.
Participate in preparing materials and recommendations for the Human Resources & Compensation Committee (HRCC) of the Board of Directors.
Ensure alignment between executive compensation strategy, business performance, and shareholder interests.
Partner with Finance and Legal to ensure compliance, transparency, and consistency in executive pay disclosures and reporting.
Benefits and Retirement:
Define and execute an integrated benefits and retirement strategy that supports employee engagement, well-being and long-term financial security.
Oversee plan design, renewal, and governance for all health, retirement and wellness programs (RRSP/401(k), DB, DC) across Canada and the U.S.
Ensure programs remain competitive, compliant, and cost-effective through market benchmarking and vendor performance management.
Partner with Finance and Legal to maintain robust governance and risk oversight.
Payroll:
Oversee payroll operations for both Canada and the U.S., ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely processing.
Ensure compliance with federal, provincial, and state tax and labor regulations.
Partner with Finance and HRIS teams to ensure accurate reporting, reconciliations, and integration of payroll data with HR and Finance systems.
Qualifications
Required:
12 or more years of experience in the Compensation and Benefits arena
Excellent knowledge of compensation principles, practices, and regulatory frameworks in both Canada and the U.S.
Proven expertise in executive compensation design, benchmarking, and governance.
Demonstrated experience leading U.S. benefits programs, with a solid understanding of plan design, compliance, and vendor management.
Public company compensation and benefits experience
Multi-site experience across both the US and Canada
Executive Compensation experience
Preferred:
Manufacturing industry experience
Compensation and Benefits consulting experience
HR or Compensation certifications (e.g., CCP, CBP)
Employee Benefits
As a Stella-Jones employee, you will enjoy access to excellent benefits and incentives, including:
Extended health and dental coverage
Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D)
Short-Term and Long-Term disability coverage
Competitive compensation
Annual Profit Share Program
Retirement program (RRSP) with generous Company match (150% of employee's 4% contribution)
Company Share Purchase Program with 25% Company contribution match
Career advancement opportunities
Stella-Jones is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, provincial, or local laws.
This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Stella-Jones makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.
