Director, Global Compensation & Strategy (Hybrid)

Zendesk

Washington

Hybrid

USD 196,000 - 294,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Global offices nearby

Job summary

Zendesk is seeking a Director of Compensation to own strategy, governance, and execution of global programs. You will partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and HR to drive pay decisions, budget management, and talent strategy across regions.

This leadership role focuses on data rigor, automation, and scalable processes to support equity and competitiveness. You will lead a team, develop policies, and establish governance to ensure market-aligned compensation decisions while maintaining

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Economics, or related field.
12+ years of experience in global compensation, executive compensation, total rewards, compensation analytics, or enterprise HR leadership.
5+ years of people leadership experience, including managing managers and scaling teams.
Strong experience partnering with senior Finance, Legal, Payroll, HR, and business leaders on compensation strategy and execution.
Demonstrated success building scalable compensation programs, playbooks, and governance frameworks.
Experience with financial forecasting, budgeting, accruals, and compensation planning for enterprise programs.
Deep knowledge of compensation principles, market pricing, pay equity, job architecture, incentive design, and compliance.
Experience leading vendor strategy, including RFPs, negotiations, and contract review.
Strong executive presence and ability to communicate complex compensation issues to senior stakeholders.
Ability to operate in ambiguity while maintaining disciplined accountability.
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
Strong analytical skills with data interpretation for actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

Direct and oversee the global compensation function, including advising, analytics, tools, policy governance, and support.
Develop, modify, and execute global compensation policies and procedures aligned with objectives and values.
Establish strategies and operating models for job architecture, market pricing, and annual cycles.
Serve as authority on complex compensation matters and guidance to leaders and HR partners.
Partner with Finance, Payroll, Legal, Talent Acquisition, and Total Rewards for planning and offers.
Lead compensation analytics, benchmarking, pay equity, and executive-ready reporting.
Own compensation tools and systems, including configuration and automation for scale and accuracy.
Support executive compensation activities including offers, pay reviews, equity, and governance.
Forecast and plan compensation spend, merit cycles, promotions, and equity refreshes.
Identify optimization opportunities through market trends and internal data.