Director, Compensation
About the role
The Director, Compensation owns the strategy, governance, and operational execution of Zendesk’s global compensation programs. This role is responsible for translating compensation into a business advantage by enabling competitive pay decisions, supporting talent retention and growth, and delivering scalable, equitable, and market-aligned compensation practices. The Director will set the functional roadmap for global compensation advising, compensation analytics, tools and systems, with strong emphasis on data rigor, automation, process discipline, and cross-functional partnership. This leader will partner closely with senior leaders in Finance, Legal, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, Total Rewards, and business executives to drive org-level outcomes that directly impact workforce planning, pay equity, budget management, and talent strategy. This is a high-impact leadership role accountable for building scalable compensation operations, establishing practical policy guardrails, and serving as the final decision-maker for complex compensation escalations, exceptions, and executive compensation support.
Responsibilities
- Direct and oversee the global compensation function, including compensation advising, analytics, tools and systems, policy governance, and employee and manager support.
- Develop, modify, and execute global compensation policies, guidelines, and procedures, ensuring alignment with business objectives, compensation philosophy, and organizational values.
- Establish and implement compensation strategies and operating models that support pay decisions, job architecture, promotions, market pricing, and annual compensation cycles.
- Serve as the functional authority on complex compensation