Position Overview
The Senior Consultant, Compensation is a senior individual contributor who provides expert analysis, recommendations, and program leadership across broad-based and incentive compensation. The role independently evaluates complex pay matters, interprets market and internal data, and advises Human Resources and business leaders on decisions that materially affect compensation programs, employee outcomes, compliance, and business risk. Reporting to the Vice President of Total Rewards, the Senior Consultant exercises discretion and independent judgment in developing alternatives, assessing tradeoffs, and recommending solutions within established compensation philosophy, governance, and approval frameworks. Success in this role requires an obsessive attention to detail, proactive assertiveness, and a high level of curiosity to gather information and question everything.
Key Responsibilities
Pay Recommendations and Consultation
- Independently evaluate and develop pay recommendations for merit increases, market adjustments, new hires, transfers, promotions, retention actions, and other compensation events.
- Apply compensation philosophy, salary structures, market data, internal equity, performance, experience, geographic considerations, and business context to determine supportable recommendations and alternatives.
- Identify exceptions and patterns that may create inequity, compression, compliance, employee-relations, or retention risk, and recommend appropriate action.
- Advise Human Resources partners and business leaders on complex or sensitive pay decisions, clearly articulating rationale, tradeoffs, risks, and required approvals.
- Participate in salary surveys; evaluate survey methodology, job matches, peer groups, and data quality; and recommend appropriate market references for jobs and employee populations.
Incentive, Retention, and Severance Programs
- Design, evaluate, and support governance of incentive compensation plans in alignment with business objectives, compensation philosophy, financial parameters, and applicable requirements.
- Assess incentive compensation plan efficacy, including eligibility, target opportunities, performance measures, payout relationships, affordability, competitiveness, and unintended outcomes.
- Prepare incentive plan design alternatives, modeling, plan terms, eligibility provisions, performance measures, payout mechanics, etc.
- Develop and administer retention and severance programs, including eligibility, award or benefit levels, business rationale, internal consistency, cost, and documentation requirements.
- Monitor plan/program operations and outcomes, identify design or control issues, and recommend corrective or prospective changes.
Pay Communications, Training, and Transparency
- Develop clear, accurate, and audience-appropriate communications for compensation programs, pay decisions, salary structures, incentive plans, and related processes.
- Create and deliver training, tools, and guidance for Human Resources, managers, and other stakeholders to promote consistent, informed, and compliant compensation decisions.
- Support pay transparency initiatives, including job-posting disclosures, employee and manager communications, pay-range practices, and readiness for changing requirements.
Regulatory Compliance and Governance
- Interpret and apply applicable compensation-related laws, regulations, and company policies, including requirements involving wage and hour/FLSA classifications, minimum wage, pay equity, pay transparency, and incentive compensation.
- Monitor legislative, regulatory, litigation, and market developments; evaluate potential impact; and recommend changes to programs, policies, processes, communications, or training.
- Maintain decision documentation, program records, approval evidence, and other controls needed to support consistent administration and audit readiness.
Compensation Program Leadership
- Continuously improve compensation processes, analytics, governance, and stakeholder experience while balancing employee, business, financial, and compliance considerations.
- Develop and maintain analytical tools, models, controls, and documentation that improve the consistency, accuracy, and governance of compensation decisions.
- Partner with Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, HR technology teams, and business leaders to resolve complex compensation matters and implement approved solutions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 5-7 or more years of progressively responsible compensation experience, including complex analysis, program design, and consultation with senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrated expertise in broad-based compensation, market pricing, pay equity and compression analysis, salary structures, incentive compensation, and compensation governance.
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate incomplete or competing information, develop alternatives, and make well-supported recommendations on matters of significance.
- Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment while operating within company philosophy, policies, governance, and approval requirements.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex compensation concepts to varied audiences and influence decisions without direct authority.
- Proficiency with spreadsheet modeling, compensation survey and market-pricing platforms, and human resources information systems; experience with data visualization or analytical tools is preferred.
- Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation or comparable expertise is preferred.
