VP of Global Total Rewards & People Services

About the role

This is a strategic enterprise role where your expertise directly shapes how Pega attracts, rewards, and supports its global workforce. You are a trusted advisor to senior leaders and the Board, influencing and driving the end-to-end execution of annual executive compensation, governance, pay-for-performance, and annual merit cycles while translating complex data into clear, credible insights for the Compensation Committee.

Responsibilities

• Lead Pega’s Global Total Rewards and People Services organization, with responsibility for general and executive compensation, benefits, wellness, global mobility, and people systems.
• Drive the strategic design, timeline, and end-to-end execution of all key annual people cycles, including the global merit review, bonus payouts, annual equity refresh, benefit renewals, and year-end performance calibration.
• Work in close partnership with Finance, Legal, and HR leadership to ensure our Global Total Rewards and People Services programs are financially sound, compliant, and capable of scaling across regions.
• Set the overall direction for compensation programs, ensuring they support business priorities, reinforce performance differentiation, and remain competitive within relevant talent markets.
• Own the global annual benefit renewal, strategy and enrollment cycles, ensuring programs optimize employee experience, manage costs effectively, and align with regional regulatory requirements.
• Design Pay for Performance programs, including equity plan design, delivery and education.
• Establish governance and oversight for executive compensation, including short- and long-term incentives, equity vehicles, and executive employment and transition arrangements.
• Act as a key advisor and operational lead to the Board of Directors and Compensation Committee by orchestrating the annual Compensation Committee calendar, compiling annual proxy statement data (CD&A), and delivering board-ready recommendations, guiding decision-making on complex compensation topics.
• Lead and mentor a strong Global Total Rewards and People Services team, with emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Track external labor market dynamics, regulatory developments, and emerging people practices, converting insights into practical actions that strengthen Pega’s people strategy.

Requirements

A senior people leader with deep expertise and experience across the full spectrum of total rewards, including Compensation, Benefits, Mobility, HRIS, and Operations.

Proven track record of managing high-stakes enterprise-wide annual cycles with precision and program management rigor.

Comfortable operating at the C-suite and Board level, with the presence and judgment to influence complex decisions.

Strategic and analytical, with the ability to connect total rewards programs to broader business outcomes.

A strong communicator who translates complex compensation topics into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.

Proven leader of multi-disciplinary, global teams, driving alignment and execution across geographies.

Pragmatic and solutions-oriented, with strong attention to detail and a high degree of integrity and confidentiality.

AI aptitude with demonstrated leadership in leveraging AI and automation to transform HR operations, simplify workflows, and drive data-driven decision-making at scale.

Qualifications

Experience operating in a publicly traded and/or highly regulated environment is strongly preferred.

Progressive leadership experience across total rewards, operations broader people services functions within complex, global organizations.

Demonstrated partnership with Boards of Directors and Compensation Committees, including leading the annual preparation and delivery of executive compensation plans, year-end evaluations and board-ready recommendations.

Ability to synthesize complex data into concise executive insights and actionable recommendations.

Experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary HR teams across both strategic and operational people functions. Strong technical and analytical expertise, with a history of leveraging data, modeling, and automation to improve decisions and streamline processes.

Proven ability to navigate ambiguity and change while remaining focused on outcomes and long-term strategy.

A track record of building strong teams and developing future leaders.

Skills

Deep understanding of total rewards, including Compensation, Benefits, Mobility, HRIS, and Operations.

Strong communication and presentation skills.

Leadership and mentoring abilities.

Experience with AI and automation in HR.

Benefits

Pega offers competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

Opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.

The chance to make a meaningful impact on Pega’s people strategy at a global scale.

Pay

The base salary range for this role is 256,900 - 406,200 USD annually. This role may also be eligible for annual bonus OR commission, as well as benefits and other incentives.

Schedule

Full-time position.