Director, Compensation

About this role

Leads the strategy, design, governance, and execution of enterprise-wide compensation programs in a highly matrixed, complex organization. This role is responsible for end-to-end compensation operations, including annual pay planning, incentive programs, job architecture, market benchmarking, and compensation systems administration with a strong emphasis on Workday optimization and operational excellence. The Director, Compensation serves as a strategic advisor to HR and business leadership, ensuring compensation programs support business growth, talent strategy, compliance requirements, and organizational effectiveness across a large-scale enterprise environment.  Responsibilities   Global Compensation Strategy   • Lead the development and execution of enterprise compensation strategies aligned with business objectives, workforce planning, and talent priorities  

• Direct all compensation operations and core programs, including annual merit planning, promotions, bonus administration, market pricing, salary structures, off-cycle compensation actions, M&A due-diligence and harmonization 

• Oversee enterprise-wide compensation governance to ensure consistency, scalability, competitiveness, and compliance across business units and functions  

• Serve as the organization’s subject matter expert on compensation programs, including short-term incentive plans, recognition programs, and specialized compensation structures  

• Partner with executive leadership and HR stakeholders to support compensation decision-making for key talent, critical roles, and organizational changes  

• Support executive compensation processes and collaborate with senior leadership on compensation committee materials, analyses, and reporting as needed  

Job Architecture & Organizational Effectiveness   • Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing evolution of the company’s job architecture, leveling framework, and career progression models  

• Ensure alignment between compensation structures, job families, career paths, and workforce planning initiatives  

• Drive consistency and governance across job evaluations, leveling decisions, and organizational design changes in a highly matrixed environment  

• Partner with Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, Total Rewards Partners and Enablement and business leaders to support competitive and equitable hiring and internal mobility practices  

Compensation Operations & Systems   • Own compensation systems strategy and administration with deep operational expertise in Workday compensation modules and related HR technologies  

• Lead system configuration, process optimization, testing, reporting, and enhancements related to compensation programs and annual pay cycles  

• Partner with HRIS, Finance, Payroll, and HR System teams to ensure data integrity, process efficiency, and scalable compensation operations  

• Develop and maintain dashboards, analytics, and reporting capabilities to support business insights and compensation governance  

• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local pay regulations, pay transparency requirements, and audit standards  

Market Intelligence & Analytics   • Analyze market trends, industry benchmarks, and competitive pay practices to provide strategic recommendations to leadership  

• Conduct complex compensation analyses to support workforce planning, retention strategies, pay equity initiatives, and business transformation efforts  

• Translate data and insights into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders  

• Lead compensation-related due diligence and integration support for mergers, acquisitions, and organizational restructuring initiatives  

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership   • Build strong partnerships across HR, Finance, Legal, Talent Acquisition, and business leadership teams to drive effective compensation outcomes  

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing compensation team, fostering operational excellence, strategic thinking, and strong internal client support  

• Influence and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups within a highly collaborative and matrixed enterprise environment  

• Develop communication strategies and materials that help employees and leaders understand compensation programs and pay decisions  

Qualifications   Required Experience   • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field; advanced degree preferred  combined with 12+ years of related experience.

• Extensive progressive compensation experience, including leadership responsibility within large, complex, highly matrixed organizations  

• Deep expertise in compensation operations, annual pay planning, job architecture, salary administration, and incentive programs  

• Strong experience leading compensation programs in enterprise environments with complex organizational structures and multiple business units  

• Hands-on experience administering and optimizing compensation processes within Workday  

• Demonstrated success leading compensation transformations, process improvements, and scalable program implementations  

• Experience supporting executive compensation processes and senior leadership decision-making  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities   • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to synthesize large data sets into strategic recommendations  

• Deep understanding of compensation regulations, market practices, and pay equity principles  

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders  

• Proven ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, dynamic environments while managing competing priorities  

• Strong business acumen and ability to align compensation strategy with organizational objectives  

• Demonstrated leadership experience managing and developing high-performing teams

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