Director, Executive Compensation

Unity; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 206,000 - 309,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Stock ownership

Retirement plans

Generous vacation

Parental leave

Mental health support

ERGs

Training programs

Volunteer program

Job summary

Unity is seeking a Director of Executive Compensation to lead how we design, govern, and deliver compensation for our top leadership. You will partner with the C-Suite, Finance, and Legal to ensure competitive, defensible programs aligned with shareholders.

You will translate technical concepts into plain language for business leaders and the Board, balancing attraction with fiscal discipline while maintaining governance across equity designs, disclosures, and Say-on-Pay readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, finance or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 12+ years in compensation, with 3+ years in leadership.
• Strong knowledge of compensation principles, market analysis, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to analyze data and make strategic decisions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance and strategic narratives for executive compensation with the HCCC and senior leadership.
• Draft CD&A and manage Say-on-Pay readiness and SEC compliance.
• Design and govern executive short- and long-term incentive plans, including SBC discipline.
• Manage external compensation consultants and benchmarking for C-Suite.
• Collaborate with Executive Recruiting on competitive offers and transitions.
• Lead, mentor, and develop team members.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive communication

Policy interpretation

Stakeholder influence

Analytical decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Finance

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

The opportunity
Unity is dedicated to fostering an innovative and inclusive workplace. Reporting to the VP of Total Rewards, the Director of Executive Compensation will lead how we design, govern, and deliver compensation for Unity's top leadership.

This role goes far beyond running market data. We are looking for a strategic leader who can navigate complex equity designs, proxy disclosures, and Compensation Committee governance. You will partner directly with our C‑Suite, Finance, and Legal teams to ensure our executive pay programs are competitive, defensible, and aligned with our shareholders.

We are looking for someone who leads with strong judgment, values clarity over complexity, and can translate highly technical compensation concepts into plain English for our business leaders and the Board.

What you'll be doing

• Board & Committee Governance: Lead the preparation of materials and strategic narratives for the Human Capital and Compensation Committee (HCCC). Partner directly with the VP of Total Rewards, CEO, CFO, and CLO on executive pay strategy and approvals.
• Proxy & Disclosures: Own the drafting of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) for the annual proxy statement. Ensure compliance with SEC regulations, manage Say-on-Pay readiness, and stay ahead of external governance trends.
• Executive Plan Design: Design and govern executive short-term and long-term incentive plans (including our PSU and RSU programs). You will balance the need to attract and retain top‑tier executive talent with strict fiscal discipline around Stock-Based Compensation (SBC) expense and burn rate.
• Benchmarking & Consultant Management: Manage the relationship with our external compensation consultant. Lead executive benchmarking, peer group selection, and competitive pay analysis for the C‑Suite and senior leadership.
• Executive Offers & Transitions: Partner with Executive Recruiting to build competitive, compelling offer packages for VP+ external hires. Manage the compensation mechanics for executive promotions, transitions, and separations.
• Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop other members of the team, elevating their technical expertise and business partnership skills.

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum twelve (12) years of experience in compensation management, with at least three (3) years in a leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of compensation principles, market analysis, and regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to analyze data and make strategic decisions based on findings.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.

Additional information

• Relocation support is not available for this position
• Work visa/immigration sponsorship is not available for this position

Benefits

At Unity, we want our team members to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support well‑being and work‑life balance.

Please note: Benefits eligibility, specific offerings, and coverage vary based on the country and employment status.

• Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance
• Commute subsidy
• Employee stock ownership
• Competitive retirement/pension plans
• Generous vacation and personal days
• Support for new parents through leave and family‑care programs
• Office food snacks
• Mental Health and Wellbeing programs and support
• Employee Resource Groups
• Global Employee Assistance Program
• Training and development programs
• Volunteering and donation matching program

Life at Unity

Unity [NYSE: U] is the world’s leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D — closing the gap between ideas and reality. For more information, please visit www.unity.com.

Unity is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment and celebrate our employees across age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Our differences are strengths that enable us to support the growing and evolving needs of our customers, partners, and collaborators. If you have a disability that means there are preparations or accommodations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please fill out this form to let us know.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

This position requires the incumbent to have a sufficient knowledge of English to have professional verbal and written exchanges in this language since the performance of the duties related to this position requires frequent and regular communication with colleagues and partners located worldwide and whose common language is English.

Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this Web site or directly to managers. Unity does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. Unity will not pay fees to any third‑party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with Unity.

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*Note: This range reflects the anticipated base salary for this position. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for equity awards and participation in our company incentive plans (such as annual discretionary bonuses or sales commissions). The final offer amount will depend on several factors, including geographic location and the candidate’s relevant experience, professional background, and skill set.

Gross pay salary $205,800—$308,600 USD