Senior Manager, New Partner Compensation Programs

Mercer Advisors is a leading wealth management platform on a mission to create the context where leading fiduciary professionals can do the best work of their careers. Our M&A and organic growth strategies have fueled 30%+ annual growth, and we’re committed to building the industry standard of integrated wealth management.

We partner with high-performing advisory firms to expand our geographic footprint, deepen our capabilities, and create long-term value for clients, partners, and employees. M&A is a core engine of our growth and value creation. Executing this strategy successfully requires intentional integration of the partner firm’s entire team. Compensation is a critical lever in that integration, directly influencing engagement, retention, and long-term alignment with the firm’s objectives.

The Sr. Manager, New Partner Compensation Programs is accountable for end-to-end compensation strategy, execution, and governance for acquired partner firms. This role sits at the intersection of Partner Development, People, Finance, and Legal, ensuring that compensation decisions made during transactions are intentional, well-understood, and executable over time.

Essential Job Functions for this role include:

Deal-Stage Compensation Diagnosis and Strategy

• Assess and diagnose current seller compensation plans.
• Partner with Partner Development, Finance, People, and Legal during diligence and deal structuring to design aligned compensation approaches.
• Model compensation scenarios and clearly articulate tradeoffs and considerations.
• Ensure compensation commitments made during negotiations are deliberate, documented, and operationally feasible post-close.

M&A Compensation Frameworks and Playbooks

• Own and maintain clear, scalable compensation frameworks for M&A, including standard models, transition approaches, and exception criteria.
• Define governance for bespoke arrangements, including tracking, sunset provisions, and conversion to standard plans.
• Create repeatable playbooks, tools, and documentation used by deal teams, People Partners, Rewards, and Finance.
• Develop clear education materials for incoming partners explaining Mercer’s compensation philosophy, programs, and what to expect over time.

Post-Close Compensation Integration and Execution

• Translate specific compensation commitments into Mercer’s compensation cycle.
• Manage phased transitions, including multi-year or multi-cycle transitions.
• Ensure accuracy and alignment across Compensation, Legal and Finance
• Act as the escalation owner for M&A compensation issues post-close.

Ongoing Governance and Industry Expertise

• Maintain a centralized, living repository of all M&A compensation commitments.
• Serve as the single source of truth for historical M&A compensation decisions.
• Build and maintain deep industry expertise in wealth management compensation practices, including advisor, partner, and leadership pay models.

Relationship Building

• Interact directly with sellers, acting as a credible, trusted partner.
• Represent Mercer’s culture of collaboration, professionalism, and long-term partnership in all seller interactions.
•  Partner seamlessly internally, presenting a unified and collaborative front to sellers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong business acumen paired with compensation expertise.
• Strong financial modeling and analytical skills.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and making tradeoffs.
• High emotional intelligence and strong executive presence. Able to build trust and credibility with senior stakeholders in high-stakes situations.
• Ability to explain complex topics clearly and simply.
• Experience in M&A or Corporate Development environments.
• Financial Services or Wealth Management experience preferred.

Work Schedule:

This professional role requires availability during standard business hours of Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM.  At times, the role may have early or late hours to meet business tasks and deadlines for external and internal client needs.    

All roles classified as a non-exempt are required to record working time into the timekeeping system daily at the start and end of each workday plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch period.

Working Conditions:

This position may be in a professional office environment or a dedicated home office workspace which is free of interruptions.  Whether position is in a dedicated office space or home office workspace, basic technology needs will be provided to satisfy position requirements.  Routinely sitting and standing for periods of time. No heavy lifting over 10 lbs.

Application Deadline: The initial deadline for applications is 5/15/2026. Applications submitted after this date may still be considered on a rolling basis until the position/program is filled. We encourage all interested candidates to apply as early as possible. If a final decision has not been made by the initial deadline, subsequent applications will be reviewed as they are received.