Sr Manager, Compensation

PennEngineering®•Plumstead Township, PA

About The Position

The Senior Compensation Manager leads the design, implementation, and administration of company-wide compensation programs, including base pay, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, and executive compensation. This role partners with HR Business Partners to develop compensation strategies that support employee attraction and retention while managing fiscal resources responsibly. The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise in compensation methodology, strong business partnership skills, and the ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects in our global organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or a related field
10-12 years of progressively responsible experience in compensation, executive compensation, broad-based compensation with global experience
Recent experience using the Mercer (or other 3rd party) compensation methodology and survey participation
Experience designing and administering short term and long term (equity) incentive programs.
Strong knowledge of job evaluation methodologies, salary structure design, and market pricing
Solid understanding of U.S. federal, state, and local laws governing base and incentive compensation
Advanced Excel skills, plus strong Word and PowerPoint proficiency
HRIS and payroll system knowledge
Excellent analytical, project management, interpersonal, and influencing skills
Strong communication skills (written and verbal), business judgement and the ability to manage highly sensitive confidential information
Ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment with a strong sense of urgency
Demonstrated ability to drive and sustain operational excellence, including process automation

Nice To Haves

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification
Skills to design and administer executive compensation (including long term incentive/equity) programs
Prior experience working directly with a Board Compensation Committee
Experience leveraging modern analytics, data and AI-enabled tools to drive insights, improve efficiency, and support compensation decision-making.
Experience with compensation planning tools (e.g., Decusoft Compose, ADP)

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and administration of compensation programs, including incentive programs and executive compensation — covering benchmarking, salary structures, job evaluation, job grading, salary increase administration, short-term bonus design, long-term incentives (equity), metric tracking, and equity ownership guidelines
Prepare materials, analyses, and recommendations for the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors
Partners with Finance on the design and administration of equity programs (stock options, RSUs, performance shares) for executives and broader eligible populations
Partner with Finance/Legal on equity plan share reserve management, grant approvals, and accounting/expense implications
Monitor the effectiveness of existing compensation practices and recommend changes that are cost-effective and consistent with market trends and business objectives
Participate in global and local compensation benchmark surveys (e.g., Mercer) to ensure market competitiveness in base pay and short-term incentives, and use market data to maintain grade and range structures
Provide guidance to HR business partners and people managers on compensation decisions, policy interpretation, and job evaluations
Develop, compile, and present compensation data, analyses, and proposals to senior leadership
Oversee compensation tools and processes to improve data quality, efficiency and employee experience
Proactively analyze market trends, compensation practices and economic conditions to develop recommendations that support talent and business objectives.
Develop communication and education strategies that enable leaders and employees to understand and effectively leverage compensation programs
Provide expert counsel on the design, development, and financial/budget impact of compensation programs
Maintain and improve compensation-related systems, tools, and data (e.g., ADP Lyric and Decusoft Compose)
Support executive onboarding related to compensation packages and serve as an ongoing point of contact for executive compensation inquiries
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local compensation laws and regulations, including FLSA and pay equity requirements (performs pay equity analysis)