Compensation Analyst / Total Rewards Specialist

Compensation Analyst / Total Rewards Specialist
(HR Specialist III)

Location: Lake County, IL (Hybrid)
Schedule: Monday & Friday Remote | Tuesday–Thursday Onsite
Duration: Initial 6-Month Contract to start

$34-$38/hr based on benefit selections

Orion Group is seeking two experienced HR Specialists to support our global pharmaceutical client's Total Rewards Excellence team. This is an excellent opportunity for an analytical HR professional with experience supporting compensation programs, HR data analysis, and Total Rewards operations in a fast-paced corporate environment.
The successful candidate will partner closely with Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Total Rewards leaders to support compensation programs, conduct market analyses, maintain HR systems and reporting, and provide operational support for a variety of compensation initiatives. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with data, has advanced Excel skills, and thrives in a collaborative, detail-oriented environment.
Key Responsibilities

• Support the administration of broad-based compensation and Total Rewards programs.
• Develop compensation recommendations for new hires, promotions, transfers, and other employee actions in accordance with company guidelines.
• Conduct compensation data audits to ensure accuracy across HR systems and maintain data integrity.
• Maintain compensation tools, reports, and dashboards by running, updating, and validating HR data.
• Serve as a resource for routine compensation-related inquiries from Human Resources and Talent Acquisition partners.
• Support job evaluations, benchmarking studies, salary surveys, and market pricing analyses.
• Assist with annual compensation planning cycles, salary structure updates, and function-specific compensation programs.
• Analyze compensation and workforce data to identify trends, surface insights, and support business recommendations.
• Prepare reports and documentation while ensuring consistency, accuracy, and compliance with established processes.
• Participate in additional Total Rewards projects and operational initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Analytics, or a related field preferred.
• 2–4 years of experience supporting compensation, Total Rewards, HR Operations, or related Human Resources functions.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Index Match, SUMIFS, and other complex formulas.
• Experience working with HRIS platforms such as Workday, HRSoft, or similar systems preferred.
• Experience using reporting and analytics tools such as Power BI is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex data and provide actionable insights.
• Excellent attention to detail with a strong commitment to data accuracy and process consistency.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and adapt within a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a highly analytical HR professional with experience supporting compensation or Total Rewards programs. They are comfortable working with large datasets, advanced Excel functions, and HR systems while maintaining exceptional attention to detail. They enjoy solving problems, collaborating across teams, and providing accurate, data-driven support that helps ensure fair and competitive compensation practices across the organization.


People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.