HYG Compensation Specialist

Job Title: HYG Compensation Specialist

Location: Hybrid / Remote, Effingham
Department: myHR Talent & Rewards
Reports to: myHR Compensation Director

Position Summary

The Compensation Specialist plays a critical role in designing, analyzing, and evolving hygienist (HYG) compensation and rewards programs, with an exclusive focus on the HYG population. This role extends beyond base pay to include bonus plans, incentives, and other reward mechanisms that influence attraction, engagement, and retention of hygienists across the company.

The role partners closely with myHR Centers of Excellence, Operations, Finance, and Analytics teams to synthesize compensation data with performance outcomes and key lifecycle insights, enabling a holistic, data driven narrative that informs decision making at the national, regional, and office levels.

The ideal candidate brings experience designing and managing compensation programs, strong analytical capability, a deep understanding of compensation fundamentals, and the ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights for leaders and people managers at varying levels.

Key Responsibilities

Rewards Strategy & Insights

• Maintain an exclusive focus on hygienist (HYG) compensation and rewards, serving as a subject‑matter partner for pay, incentives, and reward structures impacting HYG attraction and retention.
• Collaborate across the myHR team (Compensation, Talent, Performance, Talent Acquisition etc.) to integrate compensation data with performance outcomes and lifecycle activity effectiveness, building a comprehensive view of HYG retention drivers.
• Develop insights that tell a clear, actionable story for leaders, connecting pay decisions, incentives, performance, and retention outcomes.

Market Data & Analysis

• Collect, analyze, and interpret external market compensation data using tools such as MarketPay/PayFactors, ERI, LightCast, and BLS to ensure pay practices remain competitive and aligned with business needs.
• Support participation in annual and ad hoc salary surveys, ensuring data accuracy, appropriate job matching, and timely submissions.
• Conduct local and regional market analyses to address geographic pay differences and evolving labor market dynamics.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to support compensation decisions, workforce planning, and talent retention strategies.

Reporting & Insights

• Develop, maintain, and deliver clear, actionable reporting for HR, Operations, and leadership audiences, with a focus on usability and decision support.
• Translate complex compensation data into concise summaries and visualizations that enhance understanding and transparency for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Support ongoing enhancements to compensation dashboards and reporting outputs to better meet Ops and leadership needs.
• Analyze and surface patterns, trends, and outliers in HYG compensation and rewards at the regional, sub‑regional, and office levels, identifying opportunities or risks related to retention and competitiveness.
• Partner with HR and Operations leaders to interpret trends and translate findings into targeted actions or recommendations

Program & Process Support

• Support the annual merit planning cycle, including data preparation, validation, analysis, and process improvements to enhance efficiency and manager experience.
• Contribute to strategic compensation projects that strengthen program effectiveness, improve consistency, and support employee engagement and retention.
• Partner with Compensation leadership on continuous improvement of compensation processes, tools, and documentation.
• Support the facilitation of compensation‑related actions and requests, ensuring clarity, follow‑through, and alignment with HYG rewards strategy.
• Establish and maintain feedback loops and continuous improvement (CANI) cycles, incorporating insights from field leaders, HR partners, and outcomes data to refine HYG compensation and rewards programs.
• Identify and propose interim and long‑term process improvements, balancing near‑term operational needs with scalable, sustainable program design.

Manager & Stakeholder Enablement

• Support the development and delivery of compensation training and education for people managers and leadership teams, improving confidence and capability in pay related decisions.
• Serve as a trusted partner to COE Specialists, Recruiters, and Operations leaders, responding to compensation inquiries with timely, accurate, and well-reasoned guidance.
• Build and maintain strong cross functional relationships to ensure compensation practices are understood, applied consistently, and aligned with operational realities.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, finance, related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3-5 years of compensation or human resources experience, with a focus on hourly or broad-based pay programs
• Experience working with HRIS and compensation systems such as UKG, Workday, ERI, and MarketPay/PayFactors.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to draw insights from complex data sets.
• Proven presentation and communication skills, including the ability to explain compensation concepts clearly to managers and leaders.
• Solid understanding of compensation methodologies, job architecture, and salary structures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting compensation or rewards programs for hygienists, clinical roles, or healthcare professionals strongly preferred.
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or equivalent certification.

Key Competencies

• Data driven decision making
• Ability to synthesize multiple data sources into a cohesive narrative that informs leadership decisions and drives action.
• Attention to detail and accuracy with a customer focused mindset

• Ability to balance local market needs with global structures
• Strong collaboration and relationship building skills

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to perform essential duties satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the position
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

We put our people first at Heartland Dental, and that shows in our generous benefits package.

Company retains the sole discretion to change the duties of the position at any time.

We provide all employees and applicants for employment the protections of federal, state, and local laws affording equal opportunity in employment.