Senior Compensation Manager

Old Mission•Chicago, IL

4d•$150,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

We're looking for a Senior Compensation Manager to lead compensation strategy and operations for the firm. This role owns the day-to-day design, analysis, and administration of our pay programs - from market benchmarking to pay equity to merit cycles - and serves as the go-to expert on compensation matters for HR and business leaders. You'll have real ownership over how we pay people, with the opportunity to shape and mature our total rewards programs as the firm grows. Just as important, this is a people-facing role. You'll sit across from candidates, employees, and managers to explain and, where appropriate, negotiate compensation directly - listening closely, building trust, and gathering the context that leads to better pay decisions.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in compensation, HR analytics, or a related total rewards function
Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, modeling); advanced HRIS experience (ADP preferred)
Deep familiarity with compensation surveys (Radford, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, etc.) and market pricing methodology
Solid understanding of pay equity principles and pay transparency regulations, with experience implementing related processes
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail
Ability to handle sensitive/confidential data with discretion
Excellent communication skills, ability to translate data into clear recommendations for stakeholders and leadership, and to communicate pay decisions clearly and confidently in direct conversations with employees and candidates
Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to reach outcomes that work for both the individual and the firm
Strategic mindset - able to connect individual pay conversations and offers to the firm's broader compensation strategy and business goals
Strong active listening and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and draw out important information during sensitive conversations
Demonstrated ability to independently own projects from analysis through implementation
Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (or equivalent experience)

Nice To Haves

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification preferred
Designing, benchmarking, and managing competitive, legally compliant compensation structures

Responsibilities

Partner with leadership in designing, benchmarking, and managing competitive compensation structures
Manage bonus and promotion cycles, including budget modeling and analysis
Analyze compensation trends and present findings/recommendations to leadership
Support benefits program administration and vendor relationships (with room to shape broader total rewards strategy over time)
Serve as the primary point of contact for compensation questions from employees, managers, and HR partners, and guide them through pay decisions in direct conversations
Communicate compensation decisions and the reasoning behind them directly to candidates and employees, and help shape how the firm frames and delivers pay conversations
Lead and support compensation negotiations for offers, promotions, and retention, balancing individual expectations against internal budget
Listen for and surface the information gathered during compensation conversations, feeding those insights back into strategy, program design, and market positioning
Own the company's participation in compensation surveys and lead market benchmarking for all roles
Build and maintain dashboards and reporting for compensation and total rewards metrics