Director, Global Compensation

Proofpoint•Sunnyvale, CA

2d•$152,900 - $293,810•Hybrid

About The Position

Proofpoint is seeking an experienced Director, Global Compensation to lead the strategy, design, governance, and execution of our global broad-based compensation programs. Joining in January 2027, this is a unique opportunity to shape and evolve our global compensation strategy during an exciting phase of growth, partnering closely with senior leaders to develop innovative, business-aligned programs that attract, retain, and reward exceptional talent around the world. This role requires an onsite presence at our Sunnyvale office four days per week and includes a lunch stipend along with opportunities to participate in onsite events. Reporting to the Vice President, Total Rewards, this role will lead key compensation programs supporting a complex, global workforce, including annual compensation planning, global job architecture, pay equity, incentive compensation, and compensation-related policies and governance. This leader will serve as a trusted compensation advisor to HR and business leaders while also providing strong operational leadership to the Compensation team. The successful candidate will combine deep compensation expertise with the ability to simplify complexity, establish clear processes and accountability, and independently drive major compensation initiatives from strategy through execution. This role requires someone who can operate effectively in a fast-paced environment, make sound decisions with imperfect information, and bring forward solutions—not simply identify problems.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive compensation experience, with significant experience leading global broad-based compensation programs.
Demonstrated experience designing and managing compensation programs within a large, complex, global organization.
Strong analytical, business judgment and problem solving skills.
Experience leading and developing compensation professionals.
Excellent communication and relationship building skills, partnering with senior leaders.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; CCP or other relevant certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, administration, and ongoing evolution of global broad-based compensation programs.
Own global job architecture and provide governance for changes and requests.
Ensure compensation programs remain competitive, scalable, internally equitable, and aligned with Proofpoint's compensation philosophy and business strategy.
Evaluate market trends and emerging compensation practices and recommend appropriate changes to programs and policies.
Establish consistent compensation principles while appropriately accounting for geographic and market differences.
Lead the end-to-end planning and execution of annual compensation cycles, including merit and bonus planning.
Partner with HR Operations, HRIS, Finance, HR Business Partners, and other stakeholders to ensure accurate and timely execution.
Identify risks, dependencies, and issues early and drive them to resolution.
Conduct post-cycle reviews and continuously improve processes, tools, controls, and the manager and employee experience.
Lead and maintain global job architecture, including job families, levels, career structures, and associated compensation frameworks.
Ensure jobs are appropriately leveled and benchmarked and that compensation structures support both internal consistency and external competitiveness.
Provide governance for new jobs, leveling decisions, organizational changes, and other compensation-related requests.
Partner with HR Business Partners and Talent Acquisition to address complex market and leveling questions.
Lead compensation-related pay equity analysis and remediation activities in partnership with Legal and other stakeholders.
Support global pay transparency and compensation-related regulatory requirements.
Establish appropriate governance and documentation for compensation decisions.
Partner with Legal, HR, and business leaders to identify and address potential compensation risks.
Ensure compensation practices are applied consistently and defensibly across the organization.
Serve as a senior compensation advisor to HR Business Partners and business leaders.
Translate complex compensation concepts and data into clear, actionable recommendations.
Balance market competitiveness, internal equity, business needs, affordability, and employee impact when developing recommendations.
Appropriately challenge requests that are inconsistent with compensation philosophy, internal equity, or established governance.
Build credibility with stakeholders through sound judgment, responsiveness, and practical solutions.
Lead, develop, and coach members of the broad-based Compensation team.
Establish clear ownership and accountability across the team so work is driven at the appropriate level.
Develop the team's technical compensation capabilities and business acumen.
Create an environment in which team members raise issues early, propose solutions, and take accountability for delivering results.
Lead the development of intelligent pay frameworks using predictive analytics to proactively manage compensation risk and reward alignment.
Collaborate with HR, People Analytics, and Technology teams to deploy responsible, scalable AI solutions in Total Rewards processes.
Establish clear processes, decision rights, documentation, controls, and escalation paths.
Use data and technology to improve decision-making and scalability while maintaining appropriate human judgment and governance.

Benefits

Competitive compensation
Comprehensive benefits
Career success on your terms
Flexible work environment
Annual wellness and community outreach days
Always on recognition for your contributions
Global collaboration and networking opportunities
flexible time off
a comprehensive well-being program with two paid Wellbeing Days and two paid Volunteer Days per year
a three-week Work from Anywhere option