Classification & Compensation Manager

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

As the Classification & Compensation Manager, you are a senior member of the Policy, Classification & Compensation Unit (C&C) within HRD and report directly to the Director of Policy, Classification & Compensation. C&C’s work spans three interconnected areas:
· Compliance and oversight: Ensuring all salary administration, classification decisions, and hiring practices align with relevant laws, policies, collective bargaining agreements, and other HR guidelines.
· Strategy and innovation: Maintaining, updating, and innovating the Commonwealth’s classification system and compensation structures in order to hire and retain a high-performing and diverse workforce.
· Policy creation and development: Designing, updating, and implementing HR policies that support modern, equitable, and effective workforce practices.
C&C is a small team that works closely together to deliver services to our constituent agencies. While your role will focus on managing the C&C analysts and key projects and initiatives, we are an “all hands-on deck” unit and often pitch in to help each other.

Requirements

• Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.
• Substitutions: I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience. II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience. III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience. IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

Nice To Haves

• Strong knowledge of HR principles, practices, and public-sector HR policy, including classification & compensation
• Strong leadership and supervisory experience
• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong writing skills for clear guidance, decisions, and documentation
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
• Comfort navigating complex, sometimes ambiguous projects

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing team
• Supervise a team of three seasoned analysts, setting priorities and ensuring high-quality work
• Provide coaching, feedback, and professional development
• Lead compensation and classification initiatives
• Lead major projects from planning through execution, often managing multiple priorities simultaneously
• Lead the Commonwealth’s participation in external compensation benchmarking serving as the primary liaison to the National Compensation Associate of State Governments and overseeing annual and ad hoc salary surveys and data collection
• Own and utilize market compensation software to assess labor market trends, price jobs to local relevant compensation markets, identify compensation gaps and risks, develop reports to monitor workforce compensation health, and connect and maintain Commonwealth jobs to benchmark compensation titles
• Analyze and present complex data using Excel (pivot tables, formulas, salary modeling)
• Act as the business lead for the C&C ServiceNow platform:
• Improve workflows, forms, and user experience for agencies and analysts
• Provide guidance to assigned agencies:
• Serve as a subject matter expert on:
• Hiring process
• Salary administration
• Classification
• Review and approve personnel and compensation requests for compliance and consistency
• Provide clear, practical guidance to agency HR teams
• Lead Audit and Appeal Processes
• Manage quarterly audits of delegated HR transactions, including planning, execution, and follow-up
• Conduct classification appeal hearings and issue decisions

Benefits

• The Commonwealth offers competitive, comprehensive benefits, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an opportunity to serve.
• When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.
• Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees