Senior Manager, People Operations and Total Rewards

About This Opportunity
We are seeking a Sr Manager, People Operations and Total Rewards. In this role, you will lead Cascade’s Total Rewards and People Operations strategy, ensuring competitive, compliant, and employee-centric programs. This role integrates compensation, benefits, compliance governance, operational excellence, and analytics. The Sr Manager People Operations and Total Rewards is part of the People Management team and collaborates closely with Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, and Employee Experience to deliver a seamless employee lifecycle. Serves as the People Team’s subject matter lead for Cascade’s ESOP, connecting plan operations, communication, and culture to reinforce our ownership mindset.

What You Will Be Doing:
Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. This is a “player-coach” role, leading a team while actively participating in daily operations to ensure the successful delivery of employee experience initiatives. Below is a summary of key responsibilities; however, this role encompasses a broader scope that offers significant opportunities for impact.
People Operations

• Lead end-to-end HR operations, including onboarding, offboarding, and lifecycle processes to ensure a seamless employee experience.
• Drive process automation and HR technology optimization to improve efficiency and scalability.

Compensation Strategy & Total Rewards

• Design and maintain competitive compensation structures, salary bands, and incentive programs aligned with market benchmarks.
• Partner with leadership to ensure pay practices support equity, transparency, and retention goals.
• Oversee benefits strategy, vendor relationships, and annual enrollment processes to deliver a best-in-class employee experience.

ESOP Strategy and Administration

• Serve as the subject matter expert for ESOP plan operations, ensuring compliance and accurate administration.
• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, and Executive Team to manage ESOP audits, allocations, and employee education initiatives.
• Champion ownership culture by integrating ESOP principles into communication and engagement strategies.

Analytics & AI-Enabled HR Solutions

• Develop and maintain HR dashboards to provide actionable insights on workforce trends, turnover, and engagement.
• Implement AI-driven tools to streamline HR processes, enhance predictive analytics, and support data-driven decision-making.

Compliance & Policy Management

• Ensure adherence to wage transparency, EEO, SOC II, and audit readiness.
• Manage 401(k) compliance and partner with auditors to ensure accurate reporting and fiduciary oversight.
• Maintain and update HR policies to reflect evolving legal requirements and best practices.

Leadership Culture and Collaboration

• Mentor and develop the People Operations team, fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, IT, and Talent teams to align HR strategies with business objectives.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on compensation, benefits, and workforce planning.

This is a full-time, exempt position located in Portland Oregon. We are also open to non-Portland candidates with a willingness to travel regularly. Minimal travel is anticipated for this role.
Qualifications

Applicants for this role are required to have:

• 5–7+ years of experience in People Operations or Total Rewards, with at least 3 years directly managing compensation programs.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in HR systems and compensation analytics tools.
• Proven experience building and managing compensation structures, 401(k), and other Total Rewards programs in a scaling or high-growth company
• Deep knowledge of U.S. employment and compensation regulations, including pay equity and wage transparency.
• Demonstrated ability to streamline processes and leverage HR technology (HRIS, ATS, engagement tools).
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills; able to balance detail with strategic impact
• Mindset of curiosity, constant learning, shared success, continuous improvement, and future-focus.

A successful candidate should also demonstrate these preferred characteristics and/or skills:

• ESOP experience preferred.
• Global experience preferred
• Relevant HR certification (e.g., CCP or SHRM-SCP) preferred

For candidates whose experience may not align perfectly with all these preferred skills but can see themselves adding value in this role, we encourage you to still apply. Cascade is dedicated to building an inclusive and authentic workplace and places strong import on learning and development. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
Compensation & Benefits
Our total rewards include competitive pay and excellent benefits. These include health, vision, FSA or HSA options with an employer contribution, life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, paid parental leave, 401k retirement plan with a guaranteed 3% contribution, Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), annual cash performance bonus, paid vacation, sick time, and an inclusive, flexible paid holiday policy, wellbeing contribution of $500 for HSA, FSA, or LSA (Lifestyle Spending Account).
The targeted salary range for this position in Portland OR is $115,500 - $144,375/year. However, final salary offered may vary depending on non-discriminatory factors such as job-related knowledge, skills and experiences, and geographical location if different than the above.

Application Process
We would appreciate a current resume with your application. We would also appreciate a letter of interest describing why our team or the position resonates with you, and how your experience makes you a great choice for the role.

• Please, no phone calls.
• Please, no outside recruiters or agencies.
• Cascade Energy is not able to provide sponsorship for work authorization in the U.S., which includes OPT.

Click here to join our Talent Community -- it’s the best way to keep up with and learn more about Cascade Energy! In occasional mailings, we’ll brief you on our industrial decarbonization efforts and share more about our company culture and what makes Cascade a great place to join and to grow.
About Us
Cascade Energy is a leading provider of energy efficiency, energy management, decarbonization, and sustainability solutions for the industrial, commercial, and public sectors across North America. We have a 30-year history of delivering high-value services through electric and gas utility-offered programs and directly to industrial and commercial enterprises.
Our reputation for stellar, high-quality work has expanded our reach throughout North America to serve clients ranging in size from small to Fortune 500 companies in their pursuit of wide-ranging decarbonization and energy savings objectives. Cascade Energy has 14 offices throughout the US and employees in 30 states.
Why Work at Cascade?
As a 100% Employee-Owned Company (ESOP), Cascadians foster and value a culture of equals, initiative, and ownership. Our teams reflect our core company values: Do the Right Thing; Put Others First; Seek Shared Success; Learn Constantly; and Be Industrious. Our customers are vitally important to us, and we pride ourselves on stellar customer service. Our team members are a dedicated and diverse group of ambassadors, representing Cascade Energy, striving to embody our values, ensure we are responsive, and consistently delighting our customers.
In alignment with our values and doing better, Cascade Energy celebrates and values diversity as vital for increased creativity and innovation and faster problem solving, and we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination and harassment. Learn more about what we do to create a welcoming environment at Cascade by visiting Culture and Belonging | Cascade Energy.
Cascade promotes a healthy work-life balance and appreciates employee contribution in all areas. We walk the talk about our commitment to learning constantly, with a focus on the ongoing development of every team member. Cascade is a strong supporter of flexible working arrangements, and offers role-dependent options for remote, hybrid, and in-office work.
AI Usage During our Recruitment Process
We value doing the right thing and authenticity in our hiring process. All application materials, including resumes, cover letters, and assessments, must reflect your own original work. The use of AI tools including Gemini, Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT, other large language models or generative AI, Grammarly, and resume builders to assist is acceptable only when your personal experiences, voice, and descriptions of your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications are accurately and meaningfully represented. Submission of work that is not your own or the use of AI impersonation or deepfake simulators during screening calls and videos will disqualify you from consideration.
AAP/EEO Statement
Cascade is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion and religious practices, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or family, marital, or veteran status. To request a reasonable accommodation during the application and interviewing process, please contact the Cascade recruiter. Cascade Energy uses the federal E-Verify system to determine eligibility for work in the United States and conducts post-job offer, pre-employment drug screening.