Compensation Manager

Forbes is an iconic global media brand that has symbolized success for over a century. Fueled by journalism that informs and inspires, Forbes spotlights the doers and doings shaping industries, achieving success and making an impact on the world. Forbes connects and convenes the most influential communities ranging from billionaires, business leaders, and rising entrepreneurs to creators and innovators. The Forbes brand reaches more than 140 million people monthly worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature ForbesLive events, and 49 licensed local editions in 81 countries.

About the role

Forbes is seeking a Compensation professional to serve as a strategic partner and subject matter expert in the design, implementation, and management of compensation programs. This individual contributor role reports to the SVP, Total Rewards & HR Technology and supports a population of approximately 500 employees across North America, with a smaller presence in the UK and Asia. This role will play a critical part in ensuring competitive, equitable, and compliant compensation practices, while also partnering with leadership on compensation strategy—including managing compensation as part of the company’s upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to HR and senior leadership on compensation strategy and pay decisions
• Provide guidance on complex compensation scenarios across sales, newsroom, data intelligence, and corporate functions, as well as across other Forbes businesses including commerce and licensing, balancing market competitiveness, internal equity, and budget considerations
• Lead the design, implementation, and administration of base salary, incentive programs, and compensation processes (merit, bonus, and salary reviews)
• Conduct market pricing, salary surveys, and benchmarking analyses to inform pay decisions and maintain competitive positioning
• Partner with leadership, HR, and Legal to support compensation strategy related to the company’s upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Ensure compliance with U.S. (and applicable international) compensation laws, including pay transparency
• Manage relationships with external compensation vendors and consultants, including survey providers and technology partners
• Evaluate vendor performance and ensure tools and data sources support business needs and compensation strategy
• Leverage HR systems and compensation technologies to drive efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of compensation programs
• Partner with HR Technology team to enhance tools, reporting, and processes; identify opportunities for automation and continuous improvement
• Partner closely with HR Business Partners, Finance, Recruitment, and leadership to support compensation planning initiatives and organizational changes
• Partner with the Finance team on annual incentive planning initiatives, collaborating to define appropriate performance measures and components
• Deliver training and guidance to stakeholders on compensation practices and processes
• Lead preparation and distribution of employee compensation statements (e.g., merit, bonus, total rewards)
• Ensure accuracy, quality control, and alignment with approved compensation decisions
• Maintain documentation and templates to support scalable and repeatable compensation statement processes

Requirements

• 5-7 years of experience in compensation
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Finance, or related discipline (CCP or similar certification preferred)
• Demonstrates patience, clarity, and a strong influencing capability to drive alignment and outcomes
• Builds and sustains relationships with stakeholders by having a deep understanding of organizational priorities and evolving business needs
• Ability to effectively communicate, partner, and advise managers at all levels, adapting to diverse compensation experience and knowledge
• Advanced Excel proficiency (e.g., pivot tables, modeling, data analysis)
• Demonstrated experience in evaluating, identifying, and managing external vendors for compensation systems, surveys, and market data
• Experience in compensation tools, both fluency and vendor management; Payscale knowledge a plus but required
• Strong experience with HR information systems and process improvement
• In-depth and dynamic knowledge of U.S. multi-state compensation compliance (i.e., wage thresholds and/or evolving legal requirements)
• Experience with compensation practices in a unionized environment a plus
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in ambiguous situations and fast-paced environments

Pay

The annual base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $135,000. Forbes has estimated the compensation range set forth above in good faith. The compensation range is what we believe we will offer, and ultimately pay, a successful candidate. In determining this range, we consider the experience, level of education (if applicable to the role), knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be had by a successful candidate as well as the budget and the company’s pay rates, generally.

Schedule

This position is only open to candidates residing in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, & Washington. Due to business operations and compliance requirements, we are unable to consider applicants based outside these states at this time. Some positions may require candidates to be based in a specific location for consideration while some roles may be fully remote (within the U.S.) if it aligns with the needs of the position.