Compensation and Benefits Lead

Decagon • San Francisco, CA

2d • $200,000 - $260,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Decagon is seeking its first Total Rewards leader to establish and manage the company's approach to attracting, rewarding, and retaining top talent during a period of scaling. This is a foundational role where the individual will be responsible for designing the compensation and benefits architecture from scratch, implementing structure and rigor in equity programs, and acting as the primary authority on all total rewards matters. The role involves close collaboration with founders, People leadership, and Finance to ensure programs are competitive, equitable, and scalable.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in compensation, benefits, or total rewards at a high-growth tech or SaaS company.
• Experience building or significantly rebuilding compensation structures, job architecture, and leveling frameworks, ideally in a fast-moving, pre-IPO environment.
• Deep expertise in equity compensation (option plans, RSUs, refresh cycles) and experience supporting equity education and communications for employees.
• Understanding of how to design and administer competitive benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and ancillary programs, while managing vendor relationships and renewals.
• Data-driven approach, using market data (Pave, Levels.fyi, etc.) to inform decisions and ability to build clean, defensible comp models.
• Experience partnering with Finance on headcount planning, comp accruals, and total compensation cost modeling.
• Strong communication skills to distill complex comp concepts for employees, managers, and executives.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and move quickly without sacrificing rigor.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a company that scaled from ~100 to 500+ employees and navigated the total rewards complexity associated with that growth.
• Experience with executive compensation and board-level reporting.
• Experience supporting international expansion and structuring compensation across multiple geographies.
• Familiarity with HR tech and compensation tooling (Carta, Pave, Radford, Workday, Rippling, etc.).
• Leadership experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and own Decagon's total compensation philosophy, including salary bands, equity guidelines, bonus structures, and benefits programs.
• Build and maintain a job architecture and leveling framework that creates consistency and clarity across the company.
• Lead annual and mid-year compensation review cycles, partnering closely with Finance and People Business Partners.
• Own all equity program administration — from grant processes and refresh cycles to employee education and vesting communications.
• Manage our benefits programs end-to-end, including open enrollment, broker relationships, and ongoing plan design.
• Serve as the internal expert on comp and benefits compliance (FLSA, ACA, state-level requirements, etc.).
• Partner with Recruiting to build compelling, competitive offers and ensure we're winning top talent at every level.
• Develop clear communications that help employees understand and value their total compensation package.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits for you and your family
• Life Insurance and Disability Benefits
• Retirement Plan (e.g., 401K, pension)
• Parental Leave
• Fertility and family building benefits through Carrot
• Monthly stipend to support your wellness, lifestyle, and work-life balance
• Daily lunches and snacks in the office
• Take what you need vacation policy (subject to local requirements; UK employees receive 25 days of statutory leave)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed