Total Rewards & HR Operations Manager

Midwest Veterinary Supply is hiring a Total Rewards & HR Operations Manager. This is a hybrid position out of our Lakeville, MN Corporate office.

The Total Rewards & HR Operations Manager provides leadership and oversight for the Company's payroll, benefits, and leave administration functions. This role is responsible for developing strategy, ensuring operational excellence, maintaining regulatory compliance, and leading a team responsible for delivering high-quality employee services.

The Manager serves as the functional leader for payroll, benefits, and leave programs, providing direction, establishing priorities, monitoring performance metrics, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. While maintaining overall accountability for service delivery, compliance, and outcomes, this position delegates day-to-day transactional processing to the team and focuses on leadership, planning, vendor management, risk mitigation, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration.

Essential Functions

Leadership & Functional Oversight

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for payroll, benefits, and leave administration functions.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately 4-5 employees responsible for payroll, benefits, and leave administration.
• Establish departmental goals, service standards, performance metrics, and development plans.
• Ensure appropriate staffing, cross-training, and succession planning within the team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer service, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Payroll Function Leadership

• Maintain overall accountability for accurate and compliant payroll operations.
• Monitor payroll processing outcomes, controls, audit results, and service-level performance.
• Review key payroll metrics, escalations, and compliance risks.
• Partner with Payroll team members, Finance, and external providers to ensure payroll accuracy and efficiency.
• Evaluate and implement process and technology enhancements to improve payroll operations.

Benefits Function Leadership

• Provide oversight of all employee benefit programs and benefit administration activities.
• Lead annual benefits strategy discussions, open enrollment planning, employee communication initiatives, and vendor performance reviews.
• Partner with brokers, carriers, and leadership to evaluate plan design, utilization trends, and cost management opportunities.
• Ensure benefit programs remain competitive, compliant, and aligned with organizational objectives.

Leave & Compliance Function Leadership

• Oversee administration of FMLA, ADA accommodations, state leave programs, workers' compensation coordination, and company leave policies.
• Monitor team performance and case management activities to ensure compliance and consistency.
• Provide leadership on complex employee relations, accommodation, and leave-related matters.
• Ensure policies and practices remain compliant with evolving federal and state regulations.

Vendor & Program Management

• Manage relationships with payroll providers, benefits brokers, insurance carriers, leave administrators, and other third-party partners.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability for external vendors.
• Lead contract reviews, service evaluations, and implementation of new programs or solutions.

Compliance, Governance & Process Improvement

• Ensure compliance with applicable payroll, benefits, leave, and employment regulations.
• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, controls, and process documentation.
• Lead audit activities and compliance reviews.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, employee experience, reporting capabilities, and service delivery.

Analytics & Reporting

• Develop reporting and dashboards to measure departmental effectiveness.
• Analyze payroll, benefits, and leave data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Provide recommendations and insights to HR and business leadership.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 4-5 direct reports

Experience, Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• 7 years of progressive experience in payroll, benefits, HR operations, or employee services.
• 3+ years of leadership experience managing teams and business functions.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing payroll, benefits, and leave programs in a multi-state environment.
• Strong knowledge of FMLA, ADA, COBRA, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, wage and hour regulations, and related compliance requirements.
• Experience managing external vendors and service providers.
• Strong analytical, leadership, project management, and process improvement skills.

Mental & Physical Demands:

• Attention to detail to ensure accuracy
• Regular interaction with people, team-player
• Frequent deadlines must be met requiring a fast pace of work and stress
• Regular contact with co-workers
• Continuous use of hands for writing and computer keyboard
• Continuous use of a computer monitor requiring close vision
• Frequent use of a telephone - listening and speaking
• Ability to work at a desk throughout the day

Work Environment

Work will typically be performed Monday through Friday. Working more than 40 hours per workweek may be required.

Job duties and requirements may be subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Requirements are representative of the minimum levels of education, experience and skills required to perform the essential functions of this job. The job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment. Midwest Veterinary Supply reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Salary/Benefits:

We offer competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision insurance, Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance, a 401k plan, paid holidays, and Paid Time Off (PTO). Our work environment is business casual, and we like to have fun with weekly relaxed dress days, monthly breakfasts and birthday celebrations, and regular events like holiday contests, cookouts, and employee appreciation celebrations.

About Us:

Midwest Veterinary Supply, Inc. (MVS) has provided quality service and merchandise to the veterinary profession since 1961. Our products are distributed from eight branches located in key geographic locations within our trade area. We take great pride in getting our orders out the same day as called in and having the product in the customer's hand the next day. MVS carries products and equipment from most major manufacturers. As we continue to grow, our goal will be, as it has always been, to provide the veterinary profession the very best in service along with quality merchandise at fair and competitive prices.

Midwest Veterinary Supply believes in providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and will not violate any law prohibiting discrimination for or against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of any characteristic protected under local, state, or federal statute, ordinance, or regulation. To view applicable employment notices, please click here to visit our Careers page. California residents, click here to view the California Consumer Privacy Act Disclosure.