Principal Compensation Analyst

About the role

At KinderCare Learning Companies, the Principal Compensation Analyst is a subject matter expert within the Total Rewards function, responsible for providing compensation leadership, support and services to field business units across our KinderCare Learning Center brands. This person will work closely with business & HR partners across the organization on broad-based compensation design and implementation that ensure attraction and retention of key talent. This role will be leveraged to design, lead and support compensation strategies, including but not limited to salary structures and merit strategy, bonus and incentive design, and additional ad-hoc analysis for various compensation initiatives. This role is expected to operate with minimal supervision, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and serve as a key thought partner to HR and business leadership.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, maintain, and refine advanced compensation programs while owning the end-to-end analytical workstream for annual compensation review cycles, including merit budget modeling, payout analysis, and post-cycle reporting, to support merit, incentive, equity, and other Total Rewards initiatives for hourly field staff and salaried field leadership
• Independently lead scenario-based analysis and develop financial models to assess compensation changes, market adjustments, pay equity initiatives, and ad hoc projects while proactively identifying trends, gaps, and recommendations through compensation, workforce, and market data
• Conduct market analysis and provide recommendations for annual compensation budgets and increase strategies while partnering with Finance to manage and maintain compensation program financial accruals
• Translate complex quantitative data into clear, concise, and visually compelling narratives through executive-ready presentations, email summaries, and briefing documents that highlight findings, outcomes, and actionable recommendations to inform decision-making at all levels
• Serve as a compensation subject matter expert on external pay practices, policies, and data integrity while partnering with HRIS and HR Technology to ensure legal compliance, internal equity, external competitiveness, accurate and auditable reporting, and improved data quality and system capabilities
• Lead and support Workday compensation administration, including configuration, testing, and maintenance, while driving continuous improvement of compensation tools, templates, and processes through automation and best practices to increase efficiency

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field required
• 7+ years’ of progressive experience in Compensation, HR analytics, Finance, or a closely related analytical role, with demonstrated growth in scope and complexity
• Expert-level Microsoft Excel proficiency required
• Strong analytical capabilities and ability to communicate persuasively with business partners to resolve highly complex problems and recommend or produce best solutions for their client
• Demonstrated confidence in presenting executive summaries to HR and Senior Management teams
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) preferred
• Experience with Workday compensation design preferred

Benefits

• Discounted child care benefits for your whole family
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for your family and pets
• Employee assistance programs for mental health and personal growth
• Health and wellness programs, paid time off, and discounts for work necessities such as cell phones