Senior Manager, Total Rewards

About this opportunity: At Freenome, we are seeking a Senior Manager, Total Rewards for a role with high ownership, strategic influence, and direct execution. You will lead and co-own our end-to-end total rewards strategy, equally balancing strategic design and hands-on operational leadership across both compensation and benefits programs as a newly public company. This role is responsible for overseeing and personally executing recurring processes, resolving complex employee and vendor escalations, and maintaining rigor, administrative accuracy, and compliance across all program workflows. This role is expected to partner closely with People, Payroll, Finance, Legal, brokers, carriers, and other external advisors. They bring sound judgment, strong follow-through execution, and an understanding of the confidentiality, documentation, controls, and cross-functional coordination required in a public-company environment. This is a senior individual contributor role with meaningful program ownership and influence. You will have a significant impact on the continued growth of an organization dedicated to changing the entire landscape of cancer. The role reports to the Senior Director, Total Rewards and Talent Acquisition. This will be a Hybrid role (3-4 days/week) based in our Brisbane, California headquarters. What you’ll do: Benefits and Wellness Management - Lead and take full operational ownership of day-to-day health and wellbeing benefits strategy and administration, including executing enrollments, terminations, leaves, wellness initiatives, and plan updates for medical, dental, vision, life, disability, 401k, and voluntary programs. - Execute hands-on processing for new-hire enrollments, qualifying life events, annual open enrollment, and employee status changes directly in the HRIS and carrier portals. - Develop and manage employee wellness initiatives in partnership with key stakeholders, offering activities, education, and resources that support a healthy, balanced lifestyle and strengthen a culture of well-being. - Act as the primary point of contact for employee inquiries (i.e. slack, email, and in-person interactions), directly investigating and resolving benefits questions, claim issues, and coverage escalations. - Partner with brokers (medical, leave of absence, 401k and wellbeing), carriers, vendors, Payroll, HR Operations, and other internal teams to resolve cases, coordinate plan administration, and maintain service quality. - Audit, reconcile, and process monthly benefit billing invoices, vendor files, and payroll deduction feeds; investigate and fix discrepancies directly with Payroll and carriers. - Drive annual open enrollment execution by building timelines, performing HRIS system setup and user acceptance testing, drafting employee communications, and running post-enrollment audits. - Maintain accurate benefits documentation, employee resources, plan summaries, procedures, and internal guidance. - Execute required compliance filings, audits and testing throughout the year (e.g., Form 5500, ACA reporting, non-discrimination testing) in close partnership with external brokers and advisors. - Support renewals and program changes by gathering data, preparing analyses, tracking decisions, and coordinating implementation. - Identify recurring questions, service issues, and process gaps; recommend practical improvements to the employee experience and administrative workflow. Compensation and Rewards - Lead and execute cycle operations for annual compensation planning, including updating job structures, configuring pay ranges, auditing manager entries, and updating employee compensation records. - Perform market pricing and salary benchmarking across survey databases (e.g., Radford/Aon, Pave) for new roles, promotions, and annual market adjustments, ensuring robust compensation structures aligned with market standards. - Prepare comprehensive compensation reports, equity models, and analyses, validate data, and summarize findings for executive leadership and Compensation Committee review. - Audit calculations for annual and quarterly bonus payouts, execute proration formulas, generate reward statements, and transmit accurate payout files to Payroll. - Oversee routine equity grant administration tracking and coordinate approved equity schedules with Stock Admin, Legal, and Finance to ensure timely system entry, vesting reconciliation, and public company compliance. - Maintain accurate compensation records and support established review and approval workflows. - Drive the preparation of compensation data, slides, and materials used for internal governance, Compensation Committee meetings, audit support, and public-company reporting processes. - Contribute to clear employee communications about compensation, benefits, and total rewards programs. Program Ownership and Partnership - Build, maintain, and directly manage standard operating procedures (SOPs), administrative calendars, tracking sheets, and internal SOX control checklists. - Own Total Rewards projects end-to-end, taking full responsibility for defining task steps, driving timelines, executing deliverables, and resolving roadblocks independently. - Build effective working relationships across People, Finance, Payroll, Legal, and external partners. - Identify opportunities to improve data quality, vendor service, administrative efficiency, and employee experience; recommend and help implement practical solutions. - Use sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive employee matters and confidential benefits, compensation, and equity-related information. Must haves: - Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in Human Resources, Business, or a related field. - Minimum 8+ years of progressive experience in benefits, compensation, total rewards, or HR operations, including direct experience in the biotechnology or life sciences industry. - Experience supporting Total Rewards programs at a publicly traded company, with an understanding of the related confidentiality, documentation, controls, and cross-functional coordination needs. - Hands-on experience administering health and welfare benefits and partnering with brokers, carriers, vendors, Payroll, and HR systems. - Experience supporting compensation processes such as market benchmarking, salary range administration, annual compensation planning, bonus or incentive programs, or equity administration. - Strong analytical and organizational skills, including the ability to reconcile data, investigate discrepancies, and manage recurring deadlines. - Proficiency with HRIS and benefits systems and strong spreadsheet skills. - Clear written and verbal communication skills, especially when explaining programs and resolving employee questions. - Ability to manage work independently, prioritize competing needs, and know when to involve the appropriate partner or leader. - Fluency and practical proficiency with modern AI tools and technology (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, HR automation tools) alongside standard office software to drive efficiency, data analysis, and process optimization. - Sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential information. Nice to haves: - Experience in a growing life sciences company or an environment with evolving programs and processes. - Familiarity with benefits compliance coordination and working with external advisors. - Experience supporting public-company compensation, equity, audit, or reporting processes. - Experience documenting procedures, improving workflows, or leading cross-functional projects. Benefits and additional information: The US target range of our base salary for new hires is $180,975 - $232,575. You will also be eligible to receive equity, cash bonuses, and a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits depending on the position offered. Please note that individual total compensation for this position will be determined at the Company’s sole discretion and may vary based on several factors, including but not limited to, location, skill level, years and depth of relevant experience, and education. We invite you to check out our career page @ freenome.com/job-openings/ for additional company information. Freenome is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, and we value diversity. Freenome does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws. - Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) - Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) California applicants please review the CCPA Notice at Collection here: - California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) #LI-Onsite