Principal Compensation Analyst

InnovAge•Denver, CO

8h•Remote

About The Position

The Principal Compensation Analyst is a senior individual contributor and the organization’s go-to technical expert across executive compensation, equity, incentive design, and broad-based compensation. Reporting to the VP, Total Rewards, the role delivers executive-ready analysis, modeling, and recommendations that inform pay decisions for the executive team and the broader organization, and supports the governance processes that underpin InnovAge’s compensation program. Working without direct reports, the Principal Compensation Analyst partners closely with Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Payroll, HRIS, Talent Acquisition, and external compensation consultants to translate complex compensation questions into clear, defensible guidance. The Principal Compensation Analyst also partners closely with the business to understand their needs and create meaningful, productive outcomes. The role carries high visibility with senior HR, Finance, and Legal leaders and contributes to materials and analyses that reach executive leadership and the Compensation Committee. The Principal Compensation Analyst operates independently, exercises sound judgment with highly confidential information, and brings rigor, structure, and a market-informed point of view to every recommendation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Economics, Business, Accounting, Mathematics, Data Analytics, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
8–10+ years of progressive compensation experience, including meaningful experience in executive and broad-based compensation, incentive / long-term incentive plan design, equity compensation partnership, market pricing, and compensation analytics.
8–10+ years of progressive experience with public-company compensation processes, including proxy / CD&A support, NEO compensation, and Compensation Committee materials.
8–10+ years of progressive experience partnering on equity / stock plan administration with Legal, Finance, Payroll, HRIS, and external vendors (e.g., enterprise stock-plan platforms).
Demonstrated experience leading or supporting annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, and equity).
Experience preparing executive-ready analysis and presentation materials and supporting senior stakeholders.
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, including multi-sheet, scenario-based models.
Executive presence and the ability to communicate complex compensation analysis clearly to senior HR, Finance, Legal, and executive audiences.
High level of discretion, confidentiality, and judgment when handling sensitive executive and Board-related information.
Strong financial and business acumen; comfortable reasoning from financial and operating data.
Advanced analytical rigor and attention to detail; able to build and defend complex models.
Strong written communication and storytelling skills, including executive- and Committee-ready PowerPoint.
Working knowledge of compensation governance and regulatory frameworks (e.g., FLSA, pay equity, pay transparency); familiarity with public-company disclosure and securities considerations is a plus.
Strong stakeholder management; able to influence without authority and partner effectively across functions.
Ability to manage multiple priorities independently and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Certified Equity Professional (CEP), Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), or Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) certification.
Experience with compensation planning / market-pricing tools.
Experience partnering with external compensation consultants.

Responsibilities

Partners with our external compensation consultant to conduct executive and NEO compensation analysis, including base, annual incentive, and long-term incentive benchmarking against an approved peer group.
Maintain executive peer groups and market data sets; analyze competitive positioning and pay-for-performance alignment.
Build executive-ready scenario models (e.g., pay mix, target-setting, vesting, and realizable pay) to inform recommendations.
Support the design and governance of executive compensation frameworks, guidelines, and documentation that are consistent, defensible, and audit-ready.
Prepare and quality-check analyses, exhibits, and presentation materials that support Compensation Committee meetings and executive decision-making.
Support the annual proxy / CD&A process, including data preparation and review of compensation tables, pay-versus-performance, and related disclosures, in partnership with Legal, Finance, and external advisors.
Help maintain the executive compensation calendar, tracking key decisions, approvals, and filing milestones to ensure governance continuity.
Partner with external compensation consultants to validate methodology, benchmarking, and recommendations.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Payroll, and external stock-plan vendors on stock plan administration including equity grants, reporting, controls, reconciliation, and employee and executive equity matters.
Support equity grant modeling, annual award planning, vesting schedules, dilution and burn-rate modeling, and equity reporting.
Help ensure equity data integrity across stock-plan, HRIS, payroll, and financial systems through reconciliation and review.
Support controls and audit readiness for equity programs (e.g., approval documentation and SOX support), with understanding of related SEC filings and Section 16, in partnership with Legal and Finance.
Contribute to clear participant and executive communications and education on equity programs.
Support the design, modeling, and governance of annual short- and long-term incentive plans, including metric selection, target-setting, and payout structures.
Model plan costs, payout scenarios, and funding outcomes to inform plan design and business planning.
Perform and review incentive payout calculations and support plan documentation and governance.
Evaluate plan effectiveness and competitiveness and recommend refinements.
Lead market pricing, job evaluation, and salary-structure development across the organization, ensuring internal equity and external competitiveness.
Manage participation in compensation surveys and maintain accurate job matching and market data.
Support annual merit, bonus, and equity planning cycles, including budgets, guidelines, tools, modeling, and analytics.
Provide compensation recommendations for offers, promotions, transfers, reclassifications, and other pay actions.
Determine FLSA classifications and grade assignments through job analysis and consistent evaluation methodology.
In partnership with Analytics, build models, dashboards, and reporting that give leaders clear, timely visibility into pay competitiveness, cost, and program outcomes.
Support pay equity, internal equity, and regulatory compliance analyses (e.g., FLSA, pay transparency, minimum wage).
Perform regular audits to ensure pay actions are within guidelines and properly approved.
Identify and implement process, control, and automation improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
Maintain compensation plan documents, policies, and procedures.
Serve as a trusted compensation advisor to HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders, translating complex analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.
Partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and HRIS on compensation processes, data integrity, and cross-functional initiatives.
Support the development of compensation communications and leader/manager education.
Contribute to total rewards projects, ad hoc studies, and continuous improvement initiatives.