Ventas is a leading S&P 500 real estate investment trust focused on the longevity economy, with a $45 billion enterprise value and a portfolio of ~1,400 properties across North America and the UK. Its largest business is private-pay senior housing, which includes over 850 communities serving nearly 90,000 residents, alongside outpatient medical buildings, research centers, and healthcare facilities that meet the needs of an aging population. Backed by strong financial performance and a collaborative culture, Ventas is positioned at the intersection of real estate, healthcare, and innovation to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives.
The Human Resources team partners closely with business leadership to attract, retain, and develop talent while ensuring strong governance, equitable pay practices, competitive benefits, and operational excellence through scalable systems and data-driven decision-making. The Compensation, Benefits & HR Systems function serves as the enterprise steward of total rewards, regulatory alignment, and workforce technology that enables accurate reporting, sound financial planning, and informed decision-making.
About the Role
The Director Compensation, Benefits and HR Systems provides enterprise leadership for the strategic design, governance and execution of Ventas’s total rewards and HR systems strategy. This role leads the development and continuous refinement of compensation, benefits and equity programs to ensure market competitiveness, internal equity, regulatory compliance and alignment with the Company’s long-term business objectives. The Director partners closely with Legal, Finance, Accounting and IT to ensure strong program governance, accurate financial reporting and scalable systems that enable data-driven decision-making across the enterprise.
This role also provides direct people leadership for managers and professionals responsible for the execution of compensation, benefits, equity, and HR systems programs, with accountability for performance, capability-building, and long-term bench strength. Key responsibilities include:
Compensation Strategy & Governance
Lead enterprise compensation programs across base pay, annual incentives, and non-proxy programs to ensure competitiveness, internal equity and regulatory compliance
Oversee annual merit, bonus and off-cycle compensation cycles, including planning, budgeting, documentation and employee communications
Direct job evaluations, market benchmarking and participation in compensation surveys to inform pay structure and positioning
Provide strategic counsel on offers, promotions and pay actions to ensure consistency with market data and internal equity standards
Partner with Finance on quarterly forecasting and reporting of total compensation expense
Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local compensation regulations and proactively manage legislative and regulatory risk
Deliver executive-ready compensation data, modeling and insights to Finance, Accounting, HR and senior leadership
Support Legal and HR leadership in the development of the annual proxy and executive compensation disclosures
Equity Management
Lead the administration and governance of the enterprise equity programs, including RSUs and PSUs
Provide strategic input into the design and evolution of equity compensation programs to support executive retention and long-term value creation
Partner with Legal, Finance and Accounting on equity controls, disclosures, accruals and regulatory compliance
Oversee equity data reporting, reconciliations and audit procedures to ensure data integrity and risk mitigation
Benefits Strategy & Governance
Lead the strategy, renewal, and oversight of all employee benefit programs, including health, retirement, wellness, paid time off and leave programs
Direct vendor, broker and consultant relationships to ensure high-quality service delivery, cost optimization and competitive plan design
Oversee open enrollment, benefits communications and employee education initiatives to drive engagement and informed decision-making
Ensure full regulatory compliance across all benefits programs, including ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, HIPAA, Section 125 and related requirements
Partner with Accounting on Form 5500 filings and all benefits-related regulatory reporting
Lead benefits integration for mergers and acquisitions, including plan alignment, compliance and budget adherence
Address and resolve employee compensation and benefits inquiries with professionalism, accuracy and efficiency
Workday & HR Systems Strategy
Provide enterprise oversight of all HR systems and data management processes to ensure accuracy, consistency, security and operational efficiency
Safeguard data integrity, privacy and regulatory compliance across all HR platforms
Partner with IT and cross-functional teams to integrate Workday with broader enterprise systems to enhance connectivity and data flow
Lead standardized reporting, data definitions and governance practices to enable scalable enterprise-wide analytics and decision-making
Partner with internal and external audit teams to ensure successful completion of annual systems audits and adherence to control standards
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field required; advanced degree preferred
15+ years of progressive experience in compensation, benefits, and total rewards, ideally within real estate, financial services or similarly regulated industries
Deep expertise in compensation program design, executive and enterprise equity administration and comprehensive benefits strategy
Advanced analytical capability with strong Excel skills and demonstrated HR systems proficiency, including Workday
Extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local compensation and benefits regulations, including ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, HIPAA, Section 125 and DOL requirements
Proven ability to partner effectively with Finance, Legal, Accounting, IT and senior leadership on complex, high-impact initiatives
Excellent written, verbal and executive-level communication skills with strong attention to detail
Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities in high-pressure, deadline-driven environments
Must be located in the Chicago, IL area or willing to relocate for the duration of employment.
Willingness to adapt and thrive in a blended work environment with 3-days in office, seamlessly transitioning between remote work and in-office operations
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship now or in the future
The estimated base salary range for this position is $180,000 - $250,000 per year. This range reflects a good-faith estimate of the base salary Ventas reasonably expects to pay at the time of posting. Actual base pay will be determined based on work location, skills, qualifications, relevant experience and business needs.
In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for discretionary incentive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, vision, retirement savings, paid time off and other wellness benefits under applicable plan terms.
Ventas, Inc. offers a competitive compensation and benefits package to the successful candidate.
Ventas, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Ventas, Inc. does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing agencies, search firms or any third parties.