Compensation Analyst

Gradian Thermal Solutions•Maple Grove, MN

24d•$100,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are building our Total Rewards function from the ground up, and we're looking for a Compensation Analyst to help design, launch, and administer the compensation programs that will support our company as we scale. This role blends the core, day-to-day responsibilities of a traditional compensation analyst with the ground-floor opportunity to help build a compensation infrastructure — including pay structures, job architecture, and compensation tools — for a newly forming organization. You'll work closely with the Total Rewards Leader as a hands-on partner: pulling and analyzing data, maintaining systems, benchmarking roles, and helping stand up the frameworks, policies, and tools that will guide how the company pays its people for years to come. This is an excellent opportunity for a compensation professional who wants both the stability of core comp analyst work and the visibility and creative latitude that comes with building something new.

Requirements

2–5+ years of experience as a Compensation Analyst or in a similar compensation/HR analytics role
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, Economics, or a related field required.
Solid understanding of core compensation principles: pay equity, market pricing, job evaluation, salary structures, FLSA classification, and incentive design
Proficiency with an HRIS system (e.g., Workday, ADP, UKG, Paycom, Paylocity, or similar) for compensation data management and reporting
Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data modeling)
Excellent analytical skills with high attention to detail and data accuracy
Ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion
Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain compensation concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Experience participating in or administering compensation surveys (Radford, Mercer, WTW, Culpepper, etc.)
Experience building or helping build compensation structures, pay bands, or job architecture from scratch — startup or high-growth company experience is a strong plus
Familiarity with compensation planning software (e.g., Pave, OpenComp, CompTrak, PayScale, beqom, or native HRIS comp modules)
CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) certification or progress toward one
Experience supporting pay transparency compliance initiatives

Responsibilities

Conduct job evaluations and job matching against market survey data to ensure roles are appropriately leveled and benchmarked
Participate in and manage compensation survey submissions (e.g., Radford, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Culpepper) and analyze results to inform pay decisions
Partner with HR Business Partners and hiring managers to evaluate new hire offers, promotions, equity adjustments, and internal transfers, ensuring internal equity and market competitiveness
Support annual compensation cycles, including merit increases, bonus/incentive planning, and equity refresh processes
Maintain and audit compensation data within the HRIS, ensuring accuracy of pay grades, job codes, FLSA classifications, and compensation history
Prepare compensation analyses, dashboards, and reports for HR and business leaders
Respond to day-to-day compensation questions from HR partners and managers, providing guidance grounded in compensation philosophy and policy
Ensure compliance with pay transparency laws, minimum wage regulations, and other relevant federal/state/local pay requirements
Assist with FLSA classification reviews and compensation-related audits
Serve as a power user of the HRIS system for all compensation-related data entry, reporting, and maintenance
Support configuration, testing, and rollout of compensation planning tools (e.g., merit planning modules, comp cycle software, market pricing tools)
Help evaluate and implement new or upgraded compensation technology as the company's needs grow
Partner directly with the Total Rewards Leader to design the company's first formal compensation structure, including pay grades/bands, job architecture, and geographic/location pay differentials
Help establish a compensation philosophy and framework (e.g., market positioning, pay mix, pay-for-performance principles) appropriate for a growing organization
Assist in building foundational compensation policies, guidelines, and governance processes where none currently exist
Support the selection, configuration, and implementation of compensation-related systems and tools as part of building HR infrastructure from scratch
Help create job leveling frameworks and career ladders in partnership with People/HR leadership
Develop templates, calculators, and analytical models to support offer-making and pay decisions during a period of rapid hiring
Document processes and best practices as they're created, since formal precedent doesn't yet exist
Bring a builder's mindset — comfortable operating with ambiguity, creating structure where it doesn't yet exist, and iterating quickly as the organization evolves