Principal Executive Compensation Consultant

Rocket Mortgage•Detroit, MI

About The Position

As a Principal Executive Compensation Consultant, you serve as a senior technical leader driving the strategy, design, governance, and execution of executive compensation programs for a publicly traded company. You will partner closely with cross-functional leaders including Equity Administration, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, and Investor Relations to ensure executive compensation programs align with business strategy, withstand investor and regulatory scrutiny, and reinforce strong pay-for-performance outcomes. Your expertise in compensation design, public company governance, and incentive plan mechanics will be instrumental in supporting critical executive decisions and maintaining organizational compliance. You will mentor junior team members while managing complex, high-stakes compensation initiatives that directly impact organizational success. Provide deep technical leadership in executive compensation design and analysis, serving as an in-house expert on program mechanics, incentive plan structure, market data interpretation, pay-for-performance alignment, and peer practices. Lead the development of executive compensation analyses and recommendations supporting CEO and senior executive pay decisions, including market pricing, peer group analysis, incentive modeling, and scenario analysis. Lead the Compensation Committee planning and preparation process, including development of agendas and drafting of Committee materials in partnership with leadership and independent compensation consultants. Lead public company disclosure deliverables, including drafting and reviewing CD&A content, compensation tables, and related narratives for the annual proxy statement and other filings (e.g., 8-K, 10-K, 10-Q) in close partnership with Legal and Finance. Provide expert support on executive events such as hiring, promotions, severance, succession planning, and transactions including mergers and acquisitions. Maintain strong governance and risk discipline by ensuring data integrity, documentation quality, and adherence to internal controls, policies, and established executive compensation frameworks. Lead due diligence analysis for mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions while coordinating equity-based compensation activities with Equity Administration and evaluating implementation of new equity-based compensation programs.

Requirements

10+ years of compensation experience, including 5+ years in executive compensation.
Strong technical expertise in executive compensation design, incentive plans, and public company governance.
Demonstrated experience supporting Compensation Committee materials and proxy development (e.g., CD&A, compensation tables).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact at all levels within the enterprise.
Knowledge of federal and state regulations and legislation impacting executive total rewards programs (e.g., Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, Dodd-Frank, Sarbanes-Oxley Act).

Nice To Haves

10+ years of progressive experience in executive compensation with substantial public company exposure.
Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Professional certifications such as Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Executive Compensation Professional (CECP), or Certified Equity Professional (CEP).
Hands-on experience administering equity compensation programs, including stock options, RSUs, PSUs, and ESPPs.
Experience using Human Resources and Compensation systems (e.g., Workday, Morgan Stanley Shareworks/Global Intelligence, Payscale, Payfactors, Equilar).
Experience partnering with proxy advisors and supporting stockholder engagement.

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior technical leader driving the strategy, design, governance, and execution of executive compensation programs.
Partner closely with cross-functional leaders including Equity Administration, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, and Investor Relations.
Ensure executive compensation programs align with business strategy, withstand investor and regulatory scrutiny, and reinforce strong pay-for-performance outcomes.
Mentor junior team members while managing complex, high-stakes compensation initiatives.
Provide deep technical leadership in executive compensation design and analysis.
Lead the development of executive compensation analyses and recommendations supporting CEO and senior executive pay decisions.
Lead the Compensation Committee planning and preparation process.
Lead public company disclosure deliverables, including drafting and reviewing CD&A content, compensation tables, and related narratives.
Provide expert support on executive events such as hiring, promotions, severance, succession planning, and transactions.
Maintain strong governance and risk discipline.
Lead due diligence analysis for mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.
Coordinate equity-based compensation activities with Equity Administration.
Evaluate implementation of new equity-based compensation programs.