Director of Compensation

Human Capital Solutions, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Human Capital Solutions, Inc. is partnering with a global retailer to recruit a Director of Compensation to build and lead a scalable, data-driven function in the greater Boston area.

This senior role reports to the VP of Total Rewards and will shape compensation practices for a large, multi-state workforce across retail and corporate populations. The ideal candidate brings 8–12 years in compensation with deep experience in salary design, market pricing, and analytics, plus CCP certification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (Finance, HR, or related); advanced degree preferred.
• 8–12 years of experience in compensation, finance, or HR with a strong analytical focus.
• Deep expertise in salary structures, incentive design, job architecture, and market pricing.
• Advanced Excel and data modeling capabilities.
• Experience with compensation tools, HRIS platforms, and survey data.
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into business decisions.
• Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Strong communication skills with experience advising senior leadership.
• Compensation experience in retail or hourly workforce environments.
• Exposure to executive compensation and/or global compensation programs.
• Experience with survey platforms such as Willis Towers Watson or Mercer preferred.
• Experience supporting M&A or complex organizational changes.
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) certification.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter expert for all compensation-related decisions across retail stores and corporate functions.
• Design and manage base salary structures, job architecture, and pay bands at scale.
• Lead the annual compensation cycle (merit, market adjustments), including modeling, analytics, and execution.
• Administer and interpret market data and salary surveys to ensure competitive positioning.
• Partner with senior leadership on compensation strategy, benchmarking, and decision-making.
• Design and manage short-term incentive programs across multiple employee populations.
• Provide compensation guidance to HR, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders on offers and pay decisions.
• Develop reporting and analytics to deliver actionable insights to leadership.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local compensation regulations.
• Support compensation-related activities tied to M&A and organizational changes.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Executive communication

Leadership

Strategic partnership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, HR, or related

Advanced degree preferred

CCP certification

Tools

Excel

HRIS systems

Willis Towers Watson

Mercer

Job description

Our client, a global, multi-site retail and consumer services organization, is seeking a Director of Compensation to build and lead a scalable, data-driven compensation function. This role reports to the VP of Total Rewards and is based on-site at the company’s office in greater Boston area.

This is a high-impact leadership role focused on establishing foundational compensation excellence across a large, multi-state workforce, spanning both retail and corporate populations.

Absolute Minimum Must-Have’s / Experience / Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required (Finance, HR, or related); advanced degree preferred
• 8–12 years of experience in compensation, finance, or HR with a strong analytical focus
• Deep expertise in salary structures, incentive design, job architecture, and market pricing
• Advanced Excel and data modeling capabilities
• Experience working with compensation tools, HRIS platforms, and survey data
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into business decisions
• Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
• Strong communication skills with experience advising senior leadership
• Compensation experience in retail or hourly workforce environments
• Exposure to executive compensation and/or global compensation programs
• Experience with survey platforms such as Willis Towers Watson or Mercer preferred
• Experience supporting M&A or complex organizational changes
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) certification

Key Responsibilities:

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the subject matter expert for all compensation-related decisions across retail stores and corporate functions
• Design and manage base salary structures, job architecture, and pay bands at scale
• Lead the annual compensation cycle (merit, market adjustments), including modeling, analytics, and execution
• Administer and interpret market data and salary surveys to ensure competitive positioning
• Partner with senior leadership on compensation strategy, benchmarking, and decision-makingicle>
• Design and manage short-term incentive programs across multiple employee populations
• Provide compensation guidance to HR, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders on offers and pay decisions
• Develop reporting and analytics to deliver actionable insights to leadership
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local compensation regulations
• Support compensation-related activities tied to M&A and organizational changes

Key Desired Business Outcomes

What Success Looks Like

First 6 Months:

• Build strong cross-functional relationships across HR, Finance, and leadership
• Assess current compensation structures, processes, and data sources
• Identify gaps, risks, and opportunities across the compensation landscape
• Begin enhancing survey methodology and market positioning

First 12 Months:

• Successfully execute a full annual compensation cycle
• Establish scalable job architecture and compensation frameworks
• Deliver clear, data-driven insights to leadership
• Be recognized as a trusted advisor on compensation strategy