Head of Total Rewards

Job Summary

The Head of Total Rewards will build and run the Total Rewards function at Whatnot, a rapidly growing live commerce platform. This role will own compensation, equity, and benefits strategies, manage a global team, and advise the board on critical HR matters.

About the role

As a key member of the leadership team, you will shape the future of total rewards at Whatnot, ensuring alignment with the company’s growth and strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Set and evolve our Total Rewards strategy across compensation, equity, and benefits
• Build and lead a high-performing Total Rewards team
• Run semi-annual comp cycles end to end, including budgeting with Finance and calibration across orgs
• Scale benefits globally, balancing local needs, compliance, cost, and quality
• Design international comp and mobility programs (Japan, UK, Germany, and beyond)
• Advisory leadership and the Board on executive comp, equity usage, and Compensation Committee matters
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, modeling, and long-term planning for comp and benefits
• Own comp systems and data (Complete, Pave, Compa, Carta), keeping them accurate and useful
• Ensure compliance across all programs, in partnership with Employment Counsel

Requirements

• Built and led Total Rewards functions at scale, including systems, processes, and talent
• Experience in high-growth tech companies, including leading Total Rewards through rapid scaling and major inflection points
• Expertise in compensation strategy and philosophy, including job architecture, leveling, salary bands, and equity guidelines
• Strong international experience, designing and operating comp, benefits, and mobility programs across multiple regions
• Executive presence with substance, trusted by the C-suite and comfortable advising the Board and Compensation Committee on high-stakes decisions
• Strong business and financial acumen, owning or deeply influencing large budgets, building multi-year comp models, and making tradeoffs that balance cost, competitiveness, and retention
• Ability to build teams that act as strategic partners to the business, not just program owners
• Sound judgment in ambiguity, making clear calls, explaining tradeoffs, and adjusting quickly as the business evolves

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years of experience in high-growth tech companies
• Experience in pre-IPO to post-IPO environments
• Experience in designing job architecture, leveling, market positioning, and equity programs that hold up under scrutiny
• Experience in scaling benefits globally, balancing local needs, compliance, cost, and quality
• Experience in designing and operating comp, benefits, and mobility programs across multiple regions with different regulatory environments
• Experience in building and leading Total Rewards orgs that scale, including the systems, processes, and talent behind them

Skills

• Compensation strategy and philosophy
• Total Rewards strategy
• Benefits management
• International compensation and mobility programs
• Board and executive advisory
• Financial modeling and budgeting
• Team building and leadership
• Compliance and data management

Benefits

• Generous holiday and time off policy
• Health insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
• Work from home support
• Home office setup allowance
• Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
• Care benefits
• Monthly allowance for wellness
• Annual allowance towards childcare
• Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
• Retail retirement plan (401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US and Pension plans internationally)
• Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
• Parental leave (16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work)

Pay

$336K - $395K

Schedule

Remote co-located team

EEO Statement

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law.