Global Compensation Lead — Tools & Strategy

Watershed; New York (NY); On-site; USD 167,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Watershed is seeking a hands-on compensation leader to own and evolve our global compensation program across the U.S., EMEA, Australia, and Mexico City. You will build models, benchmark data, run cycles, and help employees understand their pay while partnering with Finance, Recruiting, and People Operations.

You will mentor stakeholders, implement scalable tools, and advance compensation education across time zones, contributing to competitive hiring and retention in a fast-growing tech company.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in compensation, including ownership of programs and cycles.
• Experience managing compensation programs at technology/SaaS companies with cash and equity.
• Strong fundamentals: market pricing, survey participation, job matching, salary ranges, and budget modeling.
• Experience implementing compensation planning tools, including configuration, testing, rollout, and adoption.
• Advanced spreadsheet skills to build and audit complex models.
• Hands-on US compensation practice with experience in at least one other country (Mexico a plus).
• Ability to translate complex concepts into clear education, guidance, and leadership recommendations.
• Familiarity with AI tools and prompt engineering to improve analysis and workflows.
• Discretion, project management, and ability to work with cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve compensation planning and tools; develop and improve planning models and workflows.
• Run compensation cycles end to end: timelines, eligibility, budgeting, and data validation.
• Lead global benchmarking: market data, job matches, survey participation, and ranges.
• Build compensation understanding: educate employees, managers, and recruiters on programs.
• Advise on offers, promotions, and role changes with data-backed recommendations.
• Maintain accurate compensation records and implement automation while protecting data.

Skills

Compensation leadership

SaaS experience

Cash & equity modeling

Advanced spreadsheets

AI tools familiarity

Global compensation

Cross-functional partnering

Job description

Watershed is seeking a hands-on compensation leader to own and evolve our global compensation program across the U.S., EMEA, Australia, and Mexico City. You will build models, benchmark data, run cycles, and help employees understand their pay while partnering with Finance, Recruiting, and People Operations.

You will mentor stakeholders, implement scalable tools, and advance compensation education across time zones, contributing to competitive hiring and retention in a fast-growing tech company.