Compensation Lead

About the role

Leads the strategy, design, governance, and continuous evolution of the company’s compensation programs that support cross-functional, and business needs. Establishes compensation frameworks, pay philosophy, and governance practices that drive market competitiveness, ensure internal pay equity, and maintain regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Leverages advanced analytics, market intelligence, and data insights to inform decision-making and deliver competitive, data-driven compensation solutions.
• Leads communication and change management initiatives to enhance employee understanding, transparency, and engagement with total rewards programs.
• Serves as a strategic advisor to HR and business leaders on compensation trends, best practices, and innovation opportunities.
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the effectiveness, scalability, and alignment of compensation programs with evolving business needs.
• Defines and leads compensation strategy, including pay philosophy, frameworks, and governance practices that ensure market competitiveness, internal equity, and regulatory compliance.
• Leads compensation processes, including salary structure development, market benchmarking, merit cycles, incentive payouts, and equity award planning.
• Provides strategic consultation to HR Business Partners and senior leaders on compensation strategy, organizational design, and workforce planning.
• Conducts and oversees market pricing and internal equity analyses, ensuring alignment with pay transparency and pay equity standards.
• Oversees salary survey strategy, including vendor selection, participation, benchmarking methodologies, and interpretation of market trends.
• Establishes and governs job architecture and career frameworks to drive consistency, scalability, and alignment across the organization.
• Administers equity compensation programs in partnership with Legal, Payroll, and third-party administrators, ensuring operational excellence and compliance.
• Monitors and interprets regulatory developments (e.g., FLSA, SEC, IRS 409A, ERISA, ACA) and implement necessary program enhancements to maintain compliance and mitigate risk.
• Develops and manages Total Rewards budgets, including forecasting, accruals, and alignment with financial plans.

Requirements

Typically requires a 4-year degree in a relevant field, or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience. Typically requires 10 years of related experience.

Skills

• Compensation Administration: designing, implementing, and managing employee compensation.
• Compensation Design: ensuring compensation programs are designed effectively to meet business objectives.
• Compensation Strategy: outlining the organization's approach toward remuneration for employees.
• Data Analysis: measuring and managing organization data, identifying methodological best practices and conducting statistical analyses.
• Data Modeling: analyzing and defining all the different data types your business collects and produces.
• Job Evaluation: evaluating and comparing jobs and roles organizationally to determine appropriate pay.
• Market Benchmarking: collecting and evaluating compensation data by comparing the organization's data with that of competitor companies.
• Project Management: planning, executing, and overseeing projects or initiatives.
• Regulatory Compliance: adhering to laws, regulations, guidelines, and specifications relevant to HR processes and workforce management.
• Business Partnering: acting as a trusted advisor and building strong relationships with colleagues and the business.

Qualifications

Certified Compensation Specialist preferred.