HR Operations & Compensation Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Compensation Strategy & Administration

Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing management of the organization's compensation philosophy, governance framework, and compensation programs.
Design and maintain job architecture, job leveling frameworks, salary structures, and compensation guidelines.
Conduct market pricing, benchmarking, and compensation analyses to ensure competitive and equitable pay practices.
Serve as the primary compensation subject matter expert, advising leaders on compensation decisions, pay practices, internal equity considerations, and market competitiveness.
Partner with the Total Rewards team to support pay transparency initiatives and ensure compensation decisions are appropriately documented, consistent, and defensible.
Develop and manage a structured compensation review process for new positions, promotions, transfers, reorganizations, and pay changes, including job evaluation, leveling, market analysis, range development, and budget alignment.

HR Operations & Process Excellence

Develop, maintain, and continuously improve HR policies, procedures, and operational practices across the employee lifecycle.
Drive process standardization, efficiency, and scalability within HR Operations to enhance the employee and manager experience.
Partner with HR Operations and HRIS teams to optimize systems, workflows, reporting, and process automation.
Support organizational compliance efforts, audit readiness activities, and adherence to federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness through process redesign, technology adoption, and data-driven decision-making.

Employee Relations & HR Partnership

Partner with HR Business Partners and Legal to provide guidance on employee relations strategies and support the resolution of complex or sensitive workplace matters.
Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and HR leaders on compensation, performance management, organizational effectiveness, and policy interpretation.
Support workforce planning and organizational design initiatives by providing compensation insights and organizational recommendations.
Collaborate across HR disciplines to ensure people programs, policies, and practices are aligned and effectively executed.

Organizational Design & Workforce Planning

Support organizational restructuring, workforce planning, and job design initiatives to align talent strategies with business objectives.
Conduct organizational analyses and provide recommendations regarding role design, team structures, reporting relationships, and talent deployment.
Ensure role definitions, compensation structures, and organizational frameworks support business growth and operational effectiveness.

Strategic Projects

Lead and participate in cross-functional HR initiatives and special projects that enhance the effectiveness, scalability, and maturity of the HR function.
Represent HR Operations and Compensation in business and HR leadership discussions, providing strategic recommendations and operational insights.
Take on additional responsibilities and projects as organizational priorities evolve.

Other Responsibilities:

Minimal travel expected (less than 10%), primarily for occasional in-person leadership meetings.

Success Measures

Development and implementation of a scalable compensation structure and governance framework.
Improved consistency and efficiency of compensation-related decisions and processes.
Accurate and timely job evaluations, market pricing, and pay recommendations.
Enhanced HR policy, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
Positive stakeholder feedback from HR, Finance, Legal, and business leaders.
Successful execution of key HR Operations, workforce planning, and organizational design initiatives.
Increased process standardization and improved employee and manager experience across the employee lifecycle.

Required Qualifications:

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant hands-on compensation experience.
Demonstrated experience conducting market pricing, compensation analysis, job evaluation, and salary administration.
Experience designing, implementing, or maintaining job architecture, job leveling frameworks, and compensation structures.
Experience supporting HR Operations, HR Business Partner, Total Rewards, or related HR functions.
Proven ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution in a dynamic environment.
Experience leading projects, influencing stakeholders, and driving organizational change.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong understanding of compensation principles, market benchmarking, internal equity, salary administration, and pay transparency practices.
Knowledge of employment laws, compensation regulations, and HR compliance requirements.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data and provide actionable business recommendations.
Excellent project management, organization, and process improvement skills.
Ability to build effective partnerships across HR, Finance, Legal, Payroll, and business functions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence and educate leaders at all levels.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and manage sensitive employee information.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and HR reporting tools.
Ability to navigate ambiguity and help build scalable processes, programs, and frameworks.

Other Qualifications:

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or similar certification.
Experience supporting pay transparency initiatives and compliance with evolving pay transparency regulations.
Experience conducting internal equity analyses and developing remediation strategies.
Experience supporting employee relations matters and workplace investigations.
Experience with HRIS platforms, compensation management systems, and HR technology implementations.
Experience in HR Operations, HR Business Partner, Total Rewards, or Organizational Effectiveness functions.
Experience leading HR process improvement or transformation initiatives.
Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.