Compensation Architect - Total Rewards

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 206,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Compensation & Equity Expert (Total Rewards) for remote engagement as a contract role. You will build compensation bands, ranking systems, and the overall job architecture from the ground up, and run the annual compensation cycle including merit, promotions, and bonus programs.

You will benchmark against peers, defend recommendations to executives, and design simple, credible incentive structures. Equity programs, including RSUs and options, are also part of this role.

Qualifications

• Depth in compensation design and architecture or equity program management.
• Experience with compensation philosophy, benchmarking, pay equity, and transparency.

Responsibilities

• Build salary bands, leveling frameworks, and job architecture from the ground up.
• Own an annual compensation cycle, including merit planning, promotions, and bonuses.
• Benchmark against a peer set and defend to an executive team.
• Design incentive structures that are simple, credible, and behavior-changing.
• Manage equity programs, including options and RSUs, grant guidelines, and pool planning.
• Oversee 409A valuations, plan governance, and grant administration.

Skills

Compensation design

Equity program management

Tools

HRIS

Compensation tooling

Job description

About the job

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark, General Catalyst, Peter Thiel, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.

Position: Compensation & Equity Expert (Total Rewards)
Type: Contract
Compensation: $50–$200/hour
Location: Remote

Role Responsibilities

• Build salary bands, leveling frameworks, and job architecture from the ground up.


• Own an annual compensation cycle, including merit planning, promotion decisions, and bonus programs.


• Benchmark against a peer set and defend to a skeptical exec team.


• Design incentive structures that are simple, credible, and behavior-changing.


• Manage equity programs, including option and RSU programs, grant guidelines, and pool planning.


• Work through 409A valuations, plan governance, and grant administration at a venture-backed company.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Depth in compensation design & architecture or equity program management.

Preferred

• Experience in compensation philosophy, benchmarking methodology, pay equity, and pay transparency.


• Compensation design for a global or contractor workforce at scale.


• Benefits program design, HRIS, and compensation tooling.


• Executive compensation, plan governance, or equity through IPO readiness.

Interview Process

• Short screen followed by a paid conversation about a live question.

Compensation & Legal

• Hourly contractor


• Paid for each engagement

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome


• For any help or support, reach out to: [e-mail]