Global Compensation Lead — Build scalable, data-driven pay

Watershed; Town of Vernon (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Watershed is seeking a senior compensation leader to own and evolve the global compensation program across the US, EMEA, Australia, and Mexico City. You will build and validate models, run planning cycles, and partner with Finance and People Operations to implement decisions with rigor.

You’ll drive benchmarking, educate managers and employees about compensation, and streamline workflows with automation and AI while protecting confidential data.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in compensation, including hands-on ownership of programs and cycles.
• Experience managing compensation programs at technology companies, including SaaS, with cash and equity implications.
• Strong fundamentals: market pricing, survey participation, job matching, salary ranges, cash and equity compensation, budget modeling.
• Experience implementing or improving compensation planning tools, including configuration, testing, rollout, adoption.
• Advanced spreadsheet skills for building and auditing complex models.
• Hands-on experience with U.S. compensation practices and at least one other country; Mexico a plus.
• Ability to translate complex compensation concepts into clear employee education and leadership guidance.
• Fluency with AI tools and prompt engineering; validate outputs and protect sensitive data.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve compensation planning tools, models, and workflows for reliability and efficiency.
• Run compensation cycles end-to-end: timelines, eligibility, budgeting, approvals, data validation, handoffs.
• Lead global benchmarking and ensure market data reflects talent markets across regions.
• Build employee education materials to explain compensation and equity decisions.
• Advise partners on offers, promotions, role changes, and compensation questions with data-backed recommendations.
• Maintain accurate records and improve reporting; reduce manual work with automation and AI.

Skills

Compensation strategy

Market benchmarking

Excel modeling

SaaS experience

US compensation practices

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tools & prompts

Job description

Watershed is seeking a senior compensation leader to own and evolve the global compensation program across the US, EMEA, Australia, and Mexico City. You will build and validate models, run planning cycles, and partner with Finance and People Operations to implement decisions with rigor.

You’ll drive benchmarking, educate managers and employees about compensation, and streamline workflows with automation and AI while protecting confidential data.