Senior Compensation Analyst

Applied Systems•Chicago, IL

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re searching for a Senior Compensation Analyst to join the People team in a remote or hybrid capacity out of our Chicago office. We’re in the middle of a multi-year compensation roadmap built around high-impact, employee-centric initiatives, and you will be a driving force behind it. As a Senior Compensation Analyst, you’ll own meaningful work across our full compensation spectrum: job architecture, market pricing, variable pay programs, and the annual planning cycle. To keep us headed in the right direction, we're looking for people who see compensation as a lever for fairness and retention, not just a formula to administer, someone who welcomes complexity and brings a point of view. If you thrive in a lean, high-visibility environment where your work makes a real impact, we want to hear from you.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive compensation experience covering base pay, variable pay, and job architecture.
Advanced Excel skills: combined functions, pivot tables, queries, and the ability to turn that analysis into a clear, compelling story.
A track record of administering full compensation planning cycles, including system configuration, UAT, reporting, and stakeholder support.
Hands-on experience with third-party compensation surveys (Radford/Aon, Culpepper, WTW) and conducting market pricing analyses.
A natural consultative style. You build trust with People Team partners and leaders and know how to make complex comp topics accessible.
Familiarity with pay equity analysis and evolving multi-jurisdictional pay transparency and reporting requirements (e.g., state pay data reporting, EU legislation).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification preferred.
Proficiency with HRIS and compensation platforms (such as UKG, Bettercomp, Pequity, or similar).
Background in a company that was scaling through a high-growth phase.
Experience supporting or administering compensation programs across multiple countries or regions, including familiarity with international statutory requirements and market dynamics.
Experience building enablement resources and training for HR partners and People Leaders.

Responsibilities

Drive the development and administration of compensation and job architecture frameworks that keep Applied both internally equitable and externally competitive.
Own the annual compensation planning cycle from start to finish, including system configuration, UAT, budgeting, cycle execution, and hands-on training and consultation with People Team Partners and leaders.
Partner with People Team to evaluate roles, navigate job placement, and ensure consistent, accurate job documentation across the organization.
Build compensation models that bring salary grades, pay equity analyses, and variable pay targets to life.
Translate what you find into near- and long-term cost and benefit decisions.
Serve as the team’s compensation systems expert. You will own system administration, identify opportunities to automate, and drive the efficiency gains that free the team up for higher-impact work.
Support the administration of equity programs, including analysis and recommendations to inform grant decisions, refresh cycles, and candidate equity packages.
Conduct compensation benchmarking for international markets, including India, with the ability to independently research statutory requirements, interpret market dynamics, and make data-driven pay recommendations.
Stay ahead of emerging AI and data analytics trends and actively apply them to modernize compensation processes, reduce manual lift, and sharpen accuracy.
Stay current on compensation-related laws and regulations, translating legislative changes into clear guidance and ensuring our programs and practices remain compliant.
Bring others along. Share what you know with junior team members and help build compensation literacy across the People function.