Compensation & Benefits Analyst

Hadrian Automation•Los Angeles, CA

70d•$100,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts. We recently raised $260 million dollar Series C to accelerate this mission. We are excited to be launching a new Factory in Mesa, Arizona, a 270,000 square foot facility that will create 350 new jobs immediately. We are opening a new headquarters to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to serve naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts. Hadrian works with startups, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, and major defense contractors across space, shipbuilding, and aviation to scale production, reduce costs, and accelerate delivery on mission-critical programs. We are backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz. Our fast-growing team is united by a shared mission to reindustrialize American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond! At Hadrian, we’re not just building autonomous factories – we’re building the teams, systems, and culture that will power the future of aerospace and defense manufacturing. As we scale, the People team (and specifically our Total Rewards function) plays a critical role in attracting and retaining the talent that will drive our mission forward. Every new factory we open and every new hire we onboard needs to be supported by competitive, well-managed compensation and benefits programs that reflect our values of speed, operational excellence, and care for our people. We are looking for a Compensation & Benefits Analyst to join our growing People Operations team and help ensure that Hadrian’s reward programs remain motivating, equitable, and scalable as we enter our next phase of growth. In this role, you will work closely with our Compensation & Benefits Manager to analyze data, administer programs, and drive insights that shape how we reward our team. You’ll blend analytical rigor with a people-focused mindset – making sure our pay and benefits not only benchmark well, but also reinforce the performance culture and employee experience we’re building. If you get excited by numbers, data, and the idea of building world-class comp and benefits programs from the ground up, this role offers a chance to have a huge impact on a company reimagining American manufacturing.

Requirements

3–5 years of experience in compensation analysis, benefits administration, or a related HR analyst role. You should have a strong foundation in total rewards fundamentals – from understanding salary structures to the basics of health insurance and retirement plans.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills. You are an Excel power user (experience with data visualization or HR analytics tools is a plus) and you enjoy diving into numbers to extract insights. Large datasets and detailed models don’t intimidate you – they energize you.
Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy. You understand that comp and benefits data must be precise (people’s pay depends on it!), and you have the diligence to double-check your work and maintain clean data.
Familiarity with compensation surveys, job leveling methodologies, and market data sources. Whether it’s Radford, Carta, or industry-specific surveys, you know how to interpret and apply market data to real-world pay decisions.
Experience administering or supporting employee benefits programs – you might have helped run open enrollment, interacted with brokers/vendors, or answered employees’ benefits questions. You know how the pieces of a benefits package (insurance, 401k, leaves, etc.) come together operationally.
A collaborative and service-oriented mindset. You’ll be dealing with sensitive employee inquiries (like “what happens to my stock if I leave?”) and partnering with many internal teams – so you need to be approachable, patient, and solutions-focused in your interactions.
Solid understanding of relevant laws and regulations, or the willingness to quickly learn. This could include FLSA classifications, pay equity laws, ACA requirements for benefits, ERISA basics, etc. You don’t need to be a compliance expert off the bat, but you should appreciate the importance of following rules in comp & benefits and know when to seek guidance.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with evolving needs. At a high-growth company, plans can change and priorities can shift; you are adaptable and can re-prioritize your work when new information comes in. Importantly, you’re excited about building out new processes rather than relying on a playbook that’s already written.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on compensation or benefits in a manufacturing, hardware, or engineering-focused company, where you’ve had to account for a mix of hourly and salaried roles or technical skill premiums.
Direct experience with equity compensation (stock options/RSUs) analysis or administration – your comfort with stock concepts can help in providing total comp insights.
Led or significantly contributed to a major total rewards project, such as implementing a new HRIS comp module, rolling out new salary bands company-wide, or evaluating and overhauling benefits offerings.
Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or similar coursework/certification in HR/compensation, demonstrating deeper study in reward strategies.
A demonstrated passion for data-driven decision making. For example, if you have experience building predictive models (like turnover modeling tied to comp), running engagement surveys and correlating to comp/benefits, or otherwise using analytics creatively in HR, that’s a big plus.
An eye for employee communication – you can translate complex compensation or benefits concepts into clear, compelling messages or training for employees and managers, enhancing transparency and understanding of our programs.

Responsibilities

Conduct market research and benchmarking to ensure our salary ranges and benefits offerings are competitive and aligned with our compensation philosophy . You’ll analyze salary survey data, monitor industry trends (including in the aerospace/defense and tech manufacturing sectors), and help refresh our compensation structures as needed to attract and retain top talent.
Analyze internal compensation data for equity and consistency. You’ll regularly review how we pay employees across roles, levels, and demographics to ensure internal fairness and compliance with pay equity laws. If you identify outliers or gaps, you’ll flag them and work on recommendations.
Support the design and administration of incentive programs and annual compensation cycles . This includes preparing data and materials for merit increase and bonus review processes, running compensation calculations or models, and helping to ensure managers have the info they need to make data-driven pay decisions.
Assist with benefits administration, including annual open enrollment and ongoing benefits operations . You’ll work with the Comp & Benefits Manager to coordinate with vendors (health, dental, vision, 401k, etc.), prepare employee communications, troubleshoot enrollment issues, and make sure our benefits plans run smoothly.
Develop and maintain total rewards reports and analytics . You will build dashboards or summaries that give leadership visibility into key metrics (e.g., compensation spend vs. budget, benefits utilization, turnover data, etc.). You’ll also support any compliance reporting needs, such as EEO-1 compensation data or annual 409A valuation support, by ensuring data is accurate and readily available.
Collaborate with cross-functional partners on compensation and benefits matters. You’ll frequently partner with Finance (for budgeting and forecasting comp/benefit costs), with People Ops/Recruiting (to advise on offers or promotions), and with Legal (to ensure our plans comply with regulations). For example, you might help evaluate the cost of a proposed new benefit or provide guidance on compensation for a unique new role, working alongside these teams.
Monitor trends and emerging best practices in total rewards . As the external environment evolves (new local pay transparency laws, shifts in market pay for certain skills, innovative benefits offerings, etc.), you’ll keep the Compensation & Benefits team informed and suggest proactive adjustments so Hadrian can stay ahead of the curve.
Contribute to ongoing process improvements in our total rewards programs. Whether it’s streamlining how managers submit salary changes, implementing a new tool for total compensation statements, or improving our documentation of pay policies, you’ll play a key role in making sure our comp and benefits operations scale efficiently.