Raheela Khowaja
Raheela Khowaja is a seasoned Human Resources and Total Rewards professional with over 12 years of experience specializing in payroll, benefits administration, compensation strategy, HR operations, and workforce analytics. She has built her career across nonprofit and corporate environments, developing deep expertise in ensuring payroll accuracy, benefits compliance, and scalable HR systems. With a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Houston–Downtown, she combines strong financial acumen with hands-on HR operational leadership.
Throughout her career, Raheela has held progressive roles at organizations including Aon, ABM Industries, Paychex, Insperity, and WorldatWork. She is recognized for her ability to streamline complex HR processes, enhance HRIS governance, and improve employee experience through automation and data-driven decision-making. In her most recent role as Total Rewards Specialist at WorldatWork, she served as a key escalation lead for compensation, payroll, and benefits operations while contributing to the development and scaling of a structured HR team.
Raheela is deeply committed to people-centered HR practices, ensuring employees are supported through accurate pay, accessible benefits, and compliant systems. Her work is guided by a strong sense of purpose rooted in service, empathy, and family values. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she is actively involved in volunteer work with the Aga Khan Foundation and is a dedicated mother of two, balancing her career with meaningful community and family engagement.
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• 12+ years of progressive HR experience
• HR operations and total rewards specialization
• University of Houston–Downtown – Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Accounting
• Influential Women 2026
• World at Work
• Influential Women Network
• Aga Khan Foundation
• Aga Khan Foundation
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mother. She deeply encouraged and supported my journey into this field, and even though she is no longer with us, I continue to carry her influence with me in everything I do.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was to grow into bigger institutions. While I learned a lot from smaller organizations, being exposed to larger companies helped me think more broadly and shaped my long-term professional growth.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women to build strong technical foundations in HR, especially in payroll and compliance, while also staying open to continuous learning. HR is not just about systems and numbers—it is about people, and success comes from balancing accuracy with empathy and service.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in HR today is maintaining accuracy, compliance, and operational continuity in rapidly changing and high-volume environments. At the same time, there is a strong opportunity in HR transformation—using automation, data, and system optimization to improve efficiency and employee experience.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are helping people, fairness, and ensuring employees are treated with care and accuracy—especially when it comes to pay and benefits. I also value service, family, and giving back to the community through volunteer work.