Senior Manager, Compensation

CarGurus • Boston, MA

7h • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Manager of Compensation to elevate and scale our compensation programs. This leader will shape and operationalize our compensation strategy, ensuring our philosophy, programs, and practices are competitive, equitable, compliant, and aligned with our business strategy and organizational goals.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic influence—someone who can guide the business through complex compensation decisions while leading a small team of compensation professionals with enterprise responsibility for base pay, short-term incentives, and equity/long-term incentive programs.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation, including 3–5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven success designing, enhancing, and scaling compensation programs within a high-growth or mature technology environment.
• Deep expertise in compensation design, benchmarking, incentive structures, and market analysis.
• Strong knowledge of equity plan administration and regulatory compliance considerations.
• Experience supporting executive compensation and Compensation Committee processes.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate data into strategic recommendations.
• Experience with HRIS and compensation systems; ability to optimize tools to improve workflow and scalability.
• Bachelor’s degree required; CCP certification preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Sales compensation plans is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, strategy, planning, governance, and communication of broad-based and executive compensation programs, including base pay, annual incentives, equity, and long-term incentive plans.
• Refine and advance our compensation philosophy to align with business priorities, market competitiveness, internal equity, and evolving workforce needs.
• Conduct ongoing market research and benchmarking to ensure pay practices remain competitive and aligned with technology sector trends.
• Remain current on compensation best practices and the evolving legal and regulatory landscape; assess risk and proactively recommend solutions to ensure compliance with wage and hour regulations and plan requirements.
• Oversee equity plan administration, ensuring accurate recordkeeping of vesting schedules, plan compliance, and coordination of settlements in accordance with plan rules and payroll tax requirements.
• Lead the annual merit, bonus, and equity planning cycles, ensuring process excellence, clear communications, and optimized technology workflows that create a seamless experience for leaders and employees.
• Provide support for executive compensation programs and the Compensation Committee, ensuring governance, rigor, and alignment with company objectives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executives, HR Business Partners, and business leaders on company pay structures, pay change recommendations, new hire offers, promotions, and complex compensation matters.
• Provide expert counsel on compensation-related risks and opportunities, translating analytics into actionable business insights.
• Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and People & Talent to ensure compliance, operational rigor, and process excellence.
• Develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies that effectively articulate the value of our compensation programs and support talent attraction and retention.
• Build awareness and education initiatives across all levels of the organization to strengthen understanding of total rewards and collective value.
• Inspire and manage a high-performing compensation team, fostering growth, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Assess team structure and operating model, set priorities, allocate resources, and ensure high-quality execution across all compensation processes.

Benefits

• We reward our Gurus’ curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us.
• Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways.
• A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being.
• Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager