Senior Compensation Consultant

Merck•Burlington, MA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join our Total Rewards team as a Senior Compensation Consultant and serve as a trusted compensation subject matter expert for HR Business Partners, HR leaders, and business leaders across the United States and Canada. You will provide strategic and analytical guidance on compensation programs, translate market and workforce data into practical recommendations, and support business priorities including talent attraction, retention, pay equity, cost management, and organizational change. The ideal candidate brings at least five years of compensation consulting experience in a large, complex, matrixed organization, along with proven M&A experience and the ability to use AI and automation responsibly to improve compensation insights and processes.

Requirements

BA/BS in Human Resources, Business, or a related field.
Minimum 5 years of compensation consulting experience in a large, complex, matrixed organization.

Nice To Haves

Proven experience advising HR Business Partners, business leaders, and senior stakeholders on complex compensation matters.
Demonstrated experience supporting M&A due diligence, integration, organizational restructuring, or other complex change initiatives.
Strong knowledge of U.S. and Canadian compensation practices; experience supporting both countries is strongly preferred.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, consulting, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly.
Practical experience using generative AI, automation, or advanced analytics in compensation or another data-intensive function preferred.
Ability to handle highly confidential information, work independently, and manage multiple priorities.
CCP or other relevant professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Consult with HR Business Partners and business leaders on salary structures, market pricing, job evaluation, pay positioning, promotions, transfers, pay equity, and short term and long term incentive compensation.
Serve as the compensation subject matter expert for U.S. and Canadian compensation practices, including relevant market dynamics, regulatory considerations, and pay programs.
Conduct market analysis, benchmark roles, evaluate internal equity, and develop clear recommendations using compensation survey data and workforce analytics.
Support the annual compensation cycle, including testing, analysis, governance, HRBP guidance, and communications.
Support short-term incentive and, where applicable, long-term incentive plan design and administration.
Provide compensation expertise for mergers, acquisitions, integrations, reorganizations, and other transformation initiatives, including due diligence, data validation, harmonization, cost analysis, and retention planning.
Use advanced Excel and compensation technology to model scenarios, analyze trends, and present executive-ready insights.
Identify responsible opportunities to apply AI, automation, and analytics to improve compensation analysis, reporting, data quality, and decision support while maintaining confidentiality, privacy, human review, and bias controls.
Partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, HR Shared Services, Talent Acquisition, to implement compensation programs accurately and effectively.
Manage confidential information, multiple priorities, and complex projects with sound judgment and attention to detail.