Compensation Operations Specialist

Dow Jones; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

PTO

Retirement plans

Insurance

Wellness resources

Education benefits

Family care

Commuter transit

Employee discounts

Financial health

Cybersecurity protection

Job summary

Dow Jones seeks a Compensation Operations Specialist in New York City to lead compensation operations, drive process simplification, and collaborate across HRIS and payroll. You will manage initiatives with a focus on accuracy, data quality, and scalable solutions.

You will oversee annual salary planning, incentives, promotions, and market adjustments, while mentoring a Compensation Coordinator and fostering cross-functional teamwork. Emphasis on automation and AI-enabled improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Advanced Excel and HRIS experience (Workday preferred).
• Experience leading compensation programs and driving process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead compensation operations and cross-functional processes across HR systems.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate compensation workflows.
• Apply problem-solving to optimize efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Data analysis

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance or related field

Tools

Workday

HRIS

Excel

Job description

Job Description:

About the Team:

The People team at Dow Jones is dedicated to attracting, developing, and retaining world-class talent that drives our mission forward. As strategic partners, we provide comprehensive support across the entire employee lifecycle. Our team includes Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, People Business Partners, Compensation, HR Operations, Workplace, and Security—all working together to create an exceptional employee experience. We champion a culture of inclusion, innovation, and excellence, ensuring our people have the resources, support, and opportunities they need to thrive and do their best work.

About the Role:

Dow Jones is hiring a Compensation Operations Specialist to join our People Team in New York City. Reporting to the Compensation Director, this position combines compensation analysis with core HR operations oversight. In this role, you will drive the evolution of the Compensation function by simplifying processes, improving data and systems, and leveraging automation and technology to make compensation programs more efficient, scalable, and employee- and business-friendly.

You Will:

• Lead compensation operations and cross-functional processes, ensuring accurate data, consistent execution, strong controls, and seamless administration across HR systems.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate compensation processes, evaluating existing workflows to eliminate manual work, reduce process friction, improve accuracy, and create more scalable solutions.
• Apply creative problem-solving to complex operational challenges, exploring alternative approaches, challenging existing ways of working, and developing practical solutions that improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Proactively identify opportunities to rethink how compensation processes are designed and delivered, leveraging technology, cross-functional collaboration, and innovative approaches to address recurring issues and emerging business needs.
• Project manage key Compensation initiatives and annual cycles, coordinating timelines, requirements, stakeholder alignment, testing, communications, and execution across the People Team.
• Partner closely with HRIS to optimize Workday and other compensation-related systems, translating business requirements into system enhancements, workflow improvements, and automation opportunities.
• Develop and maintain compensation processes, documentation, controls, and operating procedures, ensuring clear ownership and consistent execution across the organization.
• Build and maintain reporting and tracking that provides visibility into compensation activity, process performance, workload, data quality, and key operational metrics.
• Partner with Compensation, HRBPs/PBPs, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and People Operations to resolve operational issues and improve end-to-end compensation processes.
• Support the administration of compensation programs, including annual salary planning, incentive programs, promotions, market adjustments, recognition, and other compensation processes.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI and emerging technologies to simplify compensation processes, improve the employee and manager experience, and enable the Compensation team to operate more efficiently.
• Supervise and mentor one Compensation Coordinator, providing direction on day-to-day compensation operations, data validation, HRIS maintenance, reporting, and other operational activities.

You Have:

• 7 to 10 years of prior experience in compensation, HR operations, or a closely related generalist role within an enterprise environment.
• Proven track record of managing compensation routines, auditing HR data, and identifying workflow automations.
• Strong project management capabilities with experience leading major HR programs from planning through execution.
• Direct or indirect leadership experience guiding junior team members or operational coordinators.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and HRIS platforms (ideally Workday, or similar enterprise HR databases).
• An undergraduate degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field of study, or equivalent experience.

Our Benefits

• Comprehensive Healthcare Plans
• Paid Time Off
• Retirement Plans
• Comprehensive Insurance Plans
• Lifestyle Programs & Wellness Resources
• Education Benefits
• Family Care Benefits & Caregiving Support
• Commuter Transit Program
• Subscription DiscountsEmployee Referral Program
• Financial Health Programs
• Cybersecurity Protection

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. EEO/Disabled/Vets

Reasonable Accommodation

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application and/or interview process. If you need assistance or accommodation in completing your application or participating in an interview due to a disability, email us at [e-mail]. Please put “Reasonable Accommodation” in the subject line and provide a brief description of the type of assistance you need. This inbox will not be monitored for application status updates.

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Business Area:

Dow Jones - People

Job Category:

Human Resources

Union Status:

Non-Union role

Base Pay Range: $120,000 - $150,000

We’re committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation to attract top talent. This pay range reflects our good faith estimate for the role and may vary based on a candidate’s experience, skills, location, and other relevant factors.

For bonus-eligible roles, targets are determined based on multiple considerations, including market benchmarks and individual contributions.

For benefits-eligible roles, we offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package covering health, retirement, wellbeing, and more, along with optional benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees.