Director, Rewards

1 big thing: Axios is seeking a strategic, execution-focused Director of Total Rewards to design and lead a competitive, scalable, and mission-aligned total rewards strategy that supports our growth and empowers our people to do their best work.

Why it matters: At Axios, people are our product. A thoughtful, data‑driven total rewards program helps us attract, retain, and motivate top talent—while reinforcing our values, culture, and commitment to fairness. This role will shape how we reward performance, support well‑being, and invest in our teams as Axios continues to grow.

Go deeper: This role sits on our People Operations team alongside employee experience and compliance. It reports to the Senior Director of People Operations and manages one direct report.

Responsibilities include:

• Evaluate current‑state compensation and benefits programs against future‑state needs and recommend data‑driven enhancements.
• Own and evolve our compensation and benefits strategy in alignment with business priorities.
• Conduct compensation market analyses across the organization to ensure competitive market pricing and internal equity, informing compensation and benefits decisions.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to benchmark roles and design competitive total rewards packages.
• Lead the annual rewards cycle, including merit and promotion reviews, in close partnership with FP&A on budget modeling.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and consultant to business leaders on the company’s total rewards philosophy.

• Lead annual benefits renewals and budget modeling to provide Finance with the accurate data needed for informed decision‑making.
• Own open enrollment strategy and execution, including communications, presentations, and employee support (office hours and enrollment sessions).
• Manage benefits vendors and broker relationships, including evaluation and ongoing performance.
• Design and launch a holistic wellness program that supports employee well‑being, engagement, and retention.

• Serve as a trusted partner to leadership and stakeholders across Finance, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, and Newsroom leadership to ensure seamless experiences.
• Facilitate presentations and training across total rewards, including annual open enrollment and rewards cycle, such as merit and promotion reviews.
• Foster a collaborative culture that emphasizes innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, coach, and develop one direct report while fostering a collaborative, high‑performing team culture.

• Leverage data, analytics, AI, and automation to improve and optimize total rewards processes, scalability, and tools.
• Continuously assess processes and programs to identify opportunities to enhance total rewards initiatives and evolve the total rewards program.
• Lead planning and execution for multiple total rewards initiatives, ensuring clear communication and timely delivery.

The details: Ideal candidates will demonstrate most of the following:

• 8+ years of compensation and benefits experience, specifically in digital media/news industry
• Comprehensive knowledge of compensation and benefits plan design and administration
• Experience with HRIS systems (e.g. Workday) and advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets (e.g. pivot tables, vlookup) for compensation and benefits budget modeling
• Familiarity with compensation benchmarking surveys (e.g. Croners, Comp Analyst) and related compensation and benefits tools
• Strong analytical and detail oriented approach ensuring accuracy in compensation and benefits data and reporting.
• Understanding of monetary rewards and non‑monetary recognition as methods to promote employee engagement and retention.
• Strong project management skills, with experience delivering total rewards initiatives from concept to execution.
• A collaborative, cross‑functional mindset and the ability to influence leaders and navigate ambiguity.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Experience managing benefits plans and have prior experience…