Sr. Compensation Manager

Title: Sr. Compensation Manager
Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid, Mon & Fri Remote)
Duration: 12 months

Scheduled Days of the Week & Hours:

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM

Compensation Priorities & Business Challenges:

• Annual salary structure redesign for US and Canada
• Hourly incentive plan effectiveness and payout efficiency
• Support for HR leadership, Influence Operations/Commercial Leadership
• Market Analytics/Insights
• Annual Salary Planning Administration
• Cross-functional stakeholder management

Experience Requirements:

This role will be hybrid – a large portion will be focused on manufacturing for both union and non-union hourly populations, plus salaried (Sr Director and below). Experience with multi-site manufacturing organizations with varying compensation strategies and complexities is important.

Candidate Differentiators:

• Expertise with both hourly and salaried populations
• Korn Ferry Hay job evaluation experience
• Demonstrated change leadership within COE/shared services models
• Deep compensation expertise
• Ability to lead large, cross-functional initiatives
• Comfort operating globally with local differentiation and navigating complexity
• Strong technical acumen (advanced Excel, analytics)
• Influence with senior leaders
• Leading compensation strategy in complex manufacturing

Job Description:

The Sr. Manager, Compensation will play a critical role in driving compensation strategy and decision-making across North America Operations and Procurement. Reporting to the Director of North America & WHQ Compensation, this position will provide expert guidance and consultation to HR Business Partners and Business Leaders on a range of compensation-related matters, including job evaluations, market benchmarking, job offers, salary structure development, and incentive plan design and administration. To succeed in this role, candidates must possess a unique blend of analytical, technical, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to navigate complex and ambiguous situations.

Key Components of the Role:

• Develop and administer compensation programs for both the salaried and hourly populations
• Execute the annual salary planning and incentive cycles
• Perform and oversee job evaluations of both broad-based and executive positions
• Identify, design, and implement policies and procedures to ensure internal equity, external competitiveness, and fiscal responsibility that align with our pay-for-performance philosophy and culture of meritocracy
• Oversee the salary survey participation and salary structure development for multiple countries
• Develop, design, and execute compensation-related training
• Propose process improvements and recommend policy changes to assure compliance and competitiveness of the client's compensation

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or equivalent degree preferred
• 5 years’ compensation experience with in-depth knowledge of Operations and Plant Manufacturing
• People Management experience is strongly preferred
• In-depth technical knowledge of compensation theories and principles, compensation program design, and applicable laws
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to manage cross-functional projects and influence team members without direct managerial authority
• Solutions-oriented mindset with a desire to innovate
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and other business-related software
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or other HR certification preferred
• Korn Ferry Hay Job Slotting experience strongly preferred