Sr. Director, Compensation

Viant•Irvine, CA

29d•$210,000 - $225,000

About The Position

The Sr. Director, Compensation is the strategic leader responsible for designing, governing, and executing Viant's compensation, benefits, rewards, and workforce planning strategy. This role owns pay philosophy, job architecture, compensation cycles, benefits strategy, headcount forecasting, and internal equity. They partner closely with Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, Finance, and the executive team to build a competitive, equitable, and financially disciplined rewards system. This role is both strategic and hands-on, and is critical to modernizing Viant's HR function.

Requirements

10+ years experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, or related HR specialty.
Deep expertise in comp strategy, job architecture, benchmarking, analytics, and market competitiveness.
Strong understanding of benefits strategy, vendor management, and total rewards communication.
Proven experience partnering with Finance on headcount planning, budgeting, and modeling.
Exceptional analytical and financial modeling skills.
Strong communication, executive presence, and ability to advise leaders at all levels.
Experience operating in a growth-oriented environment with evolving structures.

Nice To Haves

Experience with ChartHop, ADP or Greenhouse a plus

Responsibilities

Define and maintain Viant's compensation philosophy and compensation governance model.
Own job architecture, leveling frameworks, salary bands, and market competitiveness across all job families.
Lead compensation cycles (merit, bonus, equity) with rigor, accuracy, and strong cross-functional partnership.
Build compensation frameworks that align performance, skills, and business objectives to pay.
Evaluate and recommend benefits programs that support attraction and retention.
Ensure benefits packages align with market and business priorities.
Own Viant's headcount and compensation census.
Partner with Finance to run headcount planning, reforecast cycles, and scenario modeling.
Govern position management and ensure all job movement aligns with budget and headcount plan.
Drive compensation analytics, including cost modeling, turnover impact, geographic differentials, and workforce trends to inform executive decisions.
Partner with Talent Acquisition, HR Ops, HRIS, and executives on offers, data integrity, performance alignment, and Compensation Committee deliverables.
Serve as a key member of the 401(k) Committee and drive clear, effective Total Rewards communication and education across the company.
Build strong relationships with senior leaders to ensure rewards programs are understood, trusted, and adopted.
Build and develop a high-performing Total Rewards team, establishing tools and processes that ensure discipline, consistency, and scalability