Compensation Partner

Komatsu; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k plan

Paid time off

Employee assistance

Disability benefits

Life insurance

Learning & development

Job summary

Komatsu is seeking a Compensation Partner in Chicago to advise business leaders on compensation strategy, market pricing, and pay equity. You will partner with HR and Talent Acquisition to ensure competitive offers and equitable pay practices while maintaining regulatory compliance.

You will develop reports and insights, support annual planning, and drive process improvements across compensation programs, partnering with HRIS, Payroll, and Finance to ensure data integrity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, finance, economics, statistics or a related field.
• Seven years of progressive compensation experience across broad programs.
• Strong knowledge of market pricing, job evaluation, salary structures and equity.
• Experience with compensation regulations (FLSA, Equal Pay, pay transparency).
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills; experience with HRIS/compensation systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic compensation guidance to leaders and HR partners.
• Conduct market pricing, benchmarking, and internal equity analyses.
• Recommend job levels, salary grades, and market alignment.
• Collaborate on offers for hires, promotions, transfers, and retention.
• Analyze data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities and present insights.
• Develop compensation reports, dashboards and executive-ready presentations.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local pay regulations.
• Maintain compensation data integrity with HRIS, payroll, and finance teams.
• Develop and maintain compensation policies, tools and communications.
• Lead or contribute to annual compensation planning and market studies.
• Support base pay and variable compensation programs.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Market pricing

Job evaluation

Salary structures

Incentive programs

Pay equity

FLSA/regulations knowledge

Communication & consulting

Project management

HRIS experience

SuccessFactors

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

HRIS platforms

SuccessFactors

Job description

Job Overview

The Compensation Partner serves as a trusted advisor to business leaders and HR partners, delivering strategic compensation guidance that supports talent attraction, retention, and organizational effectiveness. This role partners across the business to evaluate jobs, analyze market trends, develop competitive compensation recommendations, and ensure equitable and compliant pay practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with business leaders and HR Business Partners to provide strategic guidance on compensation matters, including job evaluations, salary recommendations, promotions, organizational changes, and market competitiveness.
• Conduct market pricing, salary benchmarking, and internal equity analyses to support competitive, equitable, and business-aligned compensation decisions.
• Evaluate positions and recommend appropriate job levels, salary grades, and market alignment while ensuring consistency with the company's compensation philosophy.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and HR partners to develop competitive offers for new hires, promotions, transfers, and retention situations.
• Analyze compensation and workforce data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, providing actionable recommendations to business and HR leadership.
• Develop compensation reports, dashboards, presentations, and insights to support executive decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local compensation regulations, including FLSA, Equal Pay, and pay transparency requirements.
• Partner with HRIS, Payroll, Finance, and HR Operations to maintain compensation data integrity, improve processes, and enhance compensation systems.
• Develop and maintain compensation policies, guidelines, tools, and communication materials that support consistent application of compensation programs.
• Lead or contribute to compensation-related initiatives, including annual compensation planning, market studies, policy development, organizational redesigns, system implementations, acquisitions, and process improvement efforts.
• Support the administration and continuous improvement of base pay and variable compensation programs.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven years of progressive compensation experience supporting broad-based compensation programs.
• Strong knowledge of compensation principles, including market pricing, job evaluation, salary structures, incentive programs, and pay equity.
• Working knowledge of compensation regulations, including FLSA, Equal Pay, and pay transparency requirements.
• Advanced analytical skills with strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working with HRIS platforms and compensation planning systems (SuccessFactors preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex compensation data and translate findings into actionable business recommendations.
• Excellent communication, consulting, relationship-building, and project management skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a high level of accuracy and confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification.
• Experience leading annual compensation planning cycles.
• Experience administering incentive compensation programs.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, or organizational redesign initiatives.
• Experience with HR analytics and compensation reporting.

Hiring Range

At Komatsu, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. This role pays $90,000 - $115,000. The actual offer will consider a wide range of factors, including experience and location.

Company Benefits

• Health benefits: Medical, dental, vision, HSA, wellness programs, etc.
• 401k and/or employee savings programs
• Employee time off (vacation and designated holidays)
• Employee and family assistance programs
• Disability benefits
• Life insurance
• Employee learning and development programs

Diversity & Inclusion Commitment

At Komatsu, we come from diverse backgrounds, with unique perspectives, experiences and contributions. We believe that our people are part of our shared purpose. Connected by our core values of ambition, perseverance, collaboration and authenticity, we are committed to continually advancing in our support of diversity and inclusion. United, we are on a journey towards a sustainable future that creates value together.

EEO Statement

Komatsu is an Equal Opportunity Workplace and an Affidative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.