Director, Compensation

Saks • New York, NY

7d • $166,000 - $216,000

About The Position

As the Director of Compensation, you will design, implement, and govern comprehensive compensation strategies that attract and retain top-tier talent across our diverse ecosystem—spanning corporate headquarters, luxury retail stores, and high-volume distribution/fulfillment centers. Serving as a strategic partner to leadership and HR business partners, you will own all aspects of broad-based compensation, market pricing, annual merit cycles, and incentive plan design. This role focuses entirely on non-executive compensation, ensuring equity, competitive positioning, and operational excellence.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation management
• Advanced Excel skills (modeling, macros, complex formulas)
• Deep experience working with modern HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, SuccessFactors) and compensation market pricing software (e.g., MarketPay, Payfactors).
• Experience working with compensation consulting firms and market pricing/data
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.

Nice To Haves

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation
• Retail or eCommerce experience including corporate, stores commission plans

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain distinct compensation structures tailored to our three primary workforces: Corporate (HQ), Retail Field, and Logistics (DC/FC).
• Lead the annual participation in luxury retail and general industry compensation surveys.
• Analyze market trends and data to ensure competitive positioning.
• Establish and evolve geographic differentials, salary bands, and hourly wage structures that reflect local market pressures and economic shifts.
• Manage market pricing of new roles and ongoing updates to pay ranges.
• Own the end-to-end execution of the annual merit review, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), and store incentive/bonus planning cycles.
• Partner with Retail Leadership to evaluate, audit, and optimize sales commission structures, and store bonus and commission programs to drive sales.
• Design and manage progressive wage scales, shift differentials, and peak-season premium pay strategies for fulfillment center populations.
• Conduct regular internal equity analyses and comprehensive audits to ensure fair pay practices and compliance with evolving global, federal, state, and local labor laws.
• Oversee the evaluation and classification of new and existing roles, ensuring robust job descriptions and compliance with FLSA regulations.
• Partner with Finance to forecast compensation spend, model the financial impact of plan changes, and deliver regular analytics.
• Build and lead a high-performing team that demonstrates partnership, operational excellence and accountability.

Benefits

• medical insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• basic life insurance
• supplemental life insurance
• disability insurance
• a variety of additional voluntary benefits (such as critical illness, hospital and accident insurance)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director