Dartmouth College, home to a celebrated liberal arts curriculum and pioneering professional schools, seeks an accomplished and strategic leader to serve as its Executive Director, Total Rewards.
Founded in 1769 and located in historic Hanover, New Hampshire in the heart of New England’s Upper Valley, Dartmouth is a Carnegie-classified R1 research university defined by comprehensive liberal arts education combined with focused graduate programs in medicine, business, the sciences, and engineering. A founding member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth is consistently ranked among the country’s best research institutions. Dartmouth educates approximately 4,600 undergraduates and 2,300 graduate students in the Arts and Sciences and its four pioneering graduate and professional schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, the Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), Dartmouth has forged a singular identity, combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts in a residential college setting and graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship.
Reporting directly to the Chief Human Resources Officer and serving as a key member of the Office of Human Resources leadership team, the Executive Director, Total Rewards is a strategic leader responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting the governance of a comprehensive total rewards strategy that attracts, motivates, and retains top talent. This role leads the institution’s compensation, benefits, and well-being programs, for an employee population of about 4,600 full and part time faculty and staff, in alignment with Dartmouth’s goals and values and partners closely with campus leaders to ensure market competitiveness, financial stability, and compliance. At the heart of the Executive Director’s role is intentional stakeholder management, acting as a collaborative partner and skilled communicator who helps build a strong reputation for excellence, transparency, and trust across the Office of Total Rewards and the Office of Human Resources.
Dartmouth stands at an exciting inflection point in its approach to Total Rewards. Over the past decade, and especially in recent years, the institution has made meaningful progress in strengthening its compensation practices and employee benefits strategy, tightening controls, enhancing systems to ensure compliance, and elevating the quality of service provided to its diverse constituencies. With a forward-thinking Chief Human Resources Officer leading the HR organization, and the strategic integration of compensation into the Total Rewards portfolio with the arrival of the Executive Director, Dartmouth is poised to elevate its Total Rewards philosophy to new heights.
This is an exciting and compelling opportunity for an experienced and innovative leader to shape the future of Total Rewards at Dartmouth, building upon a solid foundation of operational excellence, with the invitation to craft and implement a holistic Total Rewards strategy that unites compensation and benefits in a way that is fully aligned with Dartmouth’s mission and values. With external pressures around cost management and heightened stakeholder scrutiny, the Executive Director will be empowered to reimagine how Dartmouth designs, delivers, and communicates its Total Rewards offerings while cultivating a culture of transparency and trust.
The role calls for a creative and resourceful leader who brings a genuine strategic perspective to benefits and compensation, someone who understands the unique needs and expectations of a diverse higher education community and the political savviness to navigate the complexities of a mission driven and resource constrained environment with creativity, care and compassion. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required along with at least twelve years’ experience leading compensation and benefits teams, ideally, within complex and decentralized institutions of higher education with a focus on cost control and sustainability. An advanced degree and/or relevant certification/s are preferred (CEBS, SHRM-CPR, ISCEBS, PHR/SPHR; CCP/CBP, or equivalent). Candidates without experience in higher education who can demonstrate the ability to effectively work in environments with shared governance cultures will be considered. Dartmouth has a strong preference for this leader to be on-site three days per week, but with some flexibility for the right candidate.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile.
WittKieffer is assisting Dartmouth College in this search. Nominations and applications will be accepted until this position is filled, but expeditious application is encouraged. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile.
Nominations, inquiries, and application materials can be directed to: