Lead Analyst, Total Rewards

About the role

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work®, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way. At Forward, our people are our top priority. We are seeking a Lead Total Rewards Partner to architect and scale a global framework that truly cares for, rewards, and empowers our team. In this lead role, you will design people-centric compensation strategies that solve complex organizational challenges, champion fair and competitive pay, and ensure our employees feel valued as we scale.

Forward is proud to be a remote-first company, keeping workplace flexibility a top priority for our employees. As a business, we are focused on impact; we are more concerned with your contributions to the success of the company than where you get your work done. To help facilitate in-person collaboration, employees are welcome to work from one of our premiere office locations. When we aren’t collaborating to drive business and support our customers, we’re finding virtual and in-person ways to get to know our colleagues, celebrate team wins, and have fun together! Our Culture: The Forward Compass is the standard we hold for ourselves and one another—guiding how we lead, collaborate, and show up every day to move in the same direction. Back the Builders: We are wired to fuel customer progress, not just provide support. Rooted in People: We create an environment that balances deep connection with the extreme ownership and honesty required to reach our highest potential. Flying V: We move through coordinated effort with speed and urgency to achieve what no individual could do alone. Always Forward, Never Finished: We pursue growth with a relentless drive that keeps us ahead of the competition.

Responsibilities

• Design a comprehensive 3-year global benefits strategy with differentiated offerings across leadership tiers.
• Research and deploy market data driven, localized, compensation bands.
• Evaluate Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) enhancements, including program options for high-performing individuals, while partnering with Finance to maximize program ROI.
• Overhaul compensation structures to align with shifting managerial and individual contributor structures, including updating job leveling, incentive compensation frameworks, and healthy/competitive compensation growth.
• Serve as the principal compensation advisor to leadership, HRBPs, and Talent Acquisition, leveraging advanced market insights and internal equity modeling.
• Lead annual compensation cycles (merit, bonuses, equity refreshes) and optimize workflows within our tech stack (including Rippling, CandorIQ, Pave, and Payscale).

Requirements

• 7+ years in Compensation, Equity, and Total Rewards, operating at a lead or principal level.
• Regional Mastery: Deep expertise in US and Canadian compensation frameworks, job architecture, pay equity, and equity design (Options, RSUs, Phantom Equity).
• Advanced Analytics: Proven experience building complex financial models and visualizing compensation data for executive decision-making.
• Scale & Systems: Experience in scaling global companies (500+ employees) and optimizing tools like Rippling, Pave, or Payscale.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision
• commuter benefits
• flexible time-off policy
• paid parental leave
• 401k match for US employees
• wellness reimbursement
• volunteering days
• annual professional development budget
• charitable donation match

Pay

Annual Targeted Salary: $130,000-150,000
Annual Target Bonus: 12%

We take a market-based approach to pay, regularly reviewing benchmark data to ensure our compensation remains competitive, equitable, and aligned with our performance-driven culture. Final offers are determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, specific skills, and internal equity.