Vera Institute of Justice

  • Brooklyn, NY


  • Permanent

  • Full-time
Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, envisions a society that respects the dignity of every person and safeguards justice for everyone. Vera is committed to securing equal justice, ending mass incarceration, and strengthening families and communities.

  • We study problems that impede human dignity and justice.
  • We pilot solutions that are at once transformative and achievable.
  • We engage diverse communities in informed debate.
  • And we harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice.

We work with others who share our vision to tackle the most pressing injustices of our day—from mass incarceration, racial disparities, and the loss of public trust in law enforcement to the unmet needs of people who are vulnerable, marginalized, and harmed by crime and violence. Vera has offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. Vera is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We hire employees that reflect our values: respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, and race equity. If you want to learn more about life at Vera click .

What You’ll Do:

The Compensation and Benefits Manager is a detail-oriented People Resources professional who is responsible for planning and executing the day-to-day operations of compensation and benefits programs, ensuring compliance with applicable government regulations and that Vera’s employment data is accurately managed and analyzed correctly. The Compensation and Benefits Manager will lead all aspects of compensation and benefits administration strategies, functionalities, processes, and related internal communications for the Institute—including conducting analysis of compensation and benefits programs in order to evaluate internal equity, external market competitiveness, and legal compliance of Vera Insititute’s compensation and benefits structure and practices.

In strategic partnership with the People Resources Director & People Resources Leadership Team, the Compensation and Benefits Manager will work to build a culture at Vera that reflects our people focus and positions us to continue to be recognized as a ”great place to work” organization, internally and externally.

1. Benefits & Compensation Administration

  • Ensures the development, management, and overall administration of controls around compensation and benefits guidelines
  • Manages and administers incentive compensation program
  • Manages and assists in the development of incentive programs and the administration of performance review or merit-rating programs
  • Lead the day-to-day management of all People Resources operations and benefits, including 403(b), health, dental, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance plans
  • Serves as primary contact for plan vendors and third-party administrators.
  • Coordinate transfer of data to external contacts for services, premiums and plan administration.
  • Evaluate and revise internal processes to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
  • Lead vendor negotiations and implement an effective open enrollment process and wellness programs, ensuring that Vera is offering best-in-class programs in a cost efficient manner
  • Manage the effective communication of compensation, benefits and wellness programs to achieve employee awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the programs offered
  • Lead, develop and implement internal communications related to compensation and benefits programs that provide all staff members with timely updates on policies and procedures and operational changes and open enrollment periods.
  • Lead the design and implementation of employee trainings as needed, supporting benefits enhancements, updates and changes to People Resources policies and procedures, and new-hire orientations
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all compensation & benefits activities throughout the employee lifecycle

2. Data Management

  • Management and oversight of ADP HRIS System including collaboration with Finance team for payroll processing, employee data management, reporting and reconciliation
  • Implement best-in-class practices to enhance operational efficiencies to ensure all personnel records are accurate and timely updated (e.g., approvals, status changes; new employee record), consistently audits to confirm quality, accuracy, and usability of data; analyzes and documents results and discrepancies; troubleshoots issues and errors, quickly resolving them and their root causes.
  • Administration of all compensation offers, changes and updates
  • Ensure all aspects of data management are consistently implemented with the highest degree of quality and accuracy
  • Ensures all personnel actions are thoroughly reviewed and processed in a consistent, accurate and timely manner..
  • Responds to requests from centers and departments for employee data.
  • Prepares and analyzes People Resources metrics and provides reports that support decision making in specified areas.
  • Work in partnership with the Finance team to support the needs of annual audit requirements

What qualifications you will need

Required:

  • Commitment to Vera’s mission and demonstrated interest in and/or knowledge of current criminal justice issues.
  • Bachelor’s degree in human resources or related field of study.
  • 5 – 7 years of human resources experience in benefits and compensation administration, ideally in a social justice or nonprofit environment
  • People Resources analytical and programming experience
  • Advanced knowledge of ADP Workforce Now.
  • A self-starter, a builder, and a challenger – always looking for new ways to tackle problems – willing to try things and try them differently when needed
  • Energetic and enthusiastic, with the innate ability to build rapport easily and desire to continuously push the envelope on Vera offerings and programs
  • Collaborative, agile, flexible, and comfortable working in a fast paced, high-functioning environment with cross-functional teams
  • A “big picture” thinker, able to creatively solve problems that are timely, relevant, mission-critical information in a clear and concise manner
  • An excellent communicator with exceptional organizational and project management skills and experienced at delivering multiple, time-sensitive projects

Preferred:

  • Extensive knowledge of employee benefits and laws.
  • Advanced Excel Skills (e.g. formulas, pivot tables, v-lookups, macros).
  • Knowledge of applicable federal and state regulations, filing and compliance requirements, both adopted and pending, affecting employee benefits programs, including ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, workers’ compensation, Medicare, and Social Security as well as DOL requirements.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills.
  • Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or similar software.

Required Software applications:

  • Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher
  • ADP Workforce Now
  • SmartSheets
  • Adobe Acrobat DC
  • Culture Amp
  • JazzHR
  • Zoom

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Online submission in PDF format (through Vera’s career page) is preferred. No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

ATTN: Human Resources / Benefits

Vera Institute of Justice

34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Fax: (212) 941-9407

Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.

No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

For more information about Vera, please visit

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