Compensation Specialist

OU Health•Fredericksburg, VA

About The Position

The Compensation Specialist supports the administration and continuous improvement of compensation programs, including base pay and variable pay processes. The role performs market benchmarking, job architecture work, job analysis support, compensation reporting, and compliance-focused audits to promote internal equity, external competitiveness, and consistent pay practices. The specialist partners with HR Business Partners, Payroll, HRIS, and OU Health leadership to ensure accurate compensation data, timely compensation cycle execution, and strong controls. The role supports compensation administration for offers, promotions, market adjustments, and pay changes; contributes to job architecture and job evaluation; assists with salary structure maintenance and annual compensation cycles; and supports variable pay and incentive calculations. It also prepares cost models and reports, maintains compensation tools and documentation, validates HRIS data, resolves data issues with Payroll and HRIS, and drafts communications about compensation processes and changes. Other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
At least 3 years of experience in human resources or a related field required.
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification required at hire or within 12 months of hire.
Knowledge of compensation principles, market pricing, salary structure concepts, and pay administration practices.
Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and translate results into clear recommendations and documentation.
Proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables, lookups, and complex formulas, and ability to work accurately with large datasets.
Ability to support job analysis, including job description review and classification support.
Strong attention to detail, an audit mindset, and commitment to data integrity and confidentiality.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to explain pay guidance clearly.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder requests in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Supports compensation administration for offers, promotions, market adjustments, and pay changes according to established guidelines.
Participates in job architecture and job evaluation, including job description quality control and FLSA-aligned classification support.
Conducts market pricing and benchmarking using survey data and prepares documentation for pricing recommendations.
Supports job analysis by reviewing job content, updating job descriptions, and assisting with classification and FLSA considerations.
Assists with salary structure maintenance, including range analysis, grade assignment support, and differential review.
Supports annual merit and incentive compensation cycles through data preparation, validation, audits, and deadline coordination.
Prepares cost impact models and budget summaries for compensation initiatives and pay actions.
Develops and maintains compensation templates and tools, validating inputs and outputs for accuracy and audit readiness.
Supports variable pay and incentive calculations, including eligibility validation, payout calculations, and reconciliation controls.
Produces routine and ad-hoc compensation reports and summarizes findings for stakeholders.
Enters and validates compensation transactions and data in HRIS, and runs HRIS reports for audits and decision-making.
Partners with Payroll and HRIS to investigate and resolve compensation data issues and documents root causes and corrective actions.
Drafts manager and employee communications about compensation processes and program changes.
Supports compliance activities by maintaining documentation and audit trails and promoting consistent application of pay practices.
Performs other duties as assigned.