Interim Director of Compensation Consultant

The Recruitment Alliance by HRKS; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HR Knowledge Source has been retained by a confidential higher education institution in the Washington, DC region to identify an experienced Total Rewards leader for a critical interim consulting engagement. The Director will lead a team that primarily supports staff, collaborating with other departments to meet compensation objectives.

The engagement requires expertise in salary structures, market pricing, merit planning, and executive compensation analysis, with a strong focus on regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, finance or related field required.
• 8+ years of progressive compensation leadership experience or equivalent.
• Experience with Workday and advanced compensation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the compensation function and team.
• Lead a compensation team of 3 Analysts.
• Manage compensation consulting for executive leadership and department leaders.
• Design, administer, and evaluate compensation programs supporting recruitment and retention.
• Lead annual compensation initiatives including merit and market adjustments.
• Establish salary structures, job analyses, and market pricing methods.
• Conduct executive compensation benchmarking and higher education market analysis.
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, IT, and business leaders to administer programs.
• Advise on job architecture, workforce planning, and reorganizations.
• Ensure compliance with federal/state/local compensation laws.
• Develop and deliver compensation training for leaders and HR partners.
• Support labor relations and union negotiations when applicable.

Skills

Executive leadership

Excel

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Workday

Payscale/MarketPay

JDXpert

Job description

DIRECTOR OF COMPENSATION CONSULTANT

Independent Contractor (1099) • 4–6 months • Washington, DC Region • Hybrid (3 Days On-Site)

About Us

Headquartered in the US Southeast region, HR Knowledge Source (HRKS) is a woman-owned, minority-owned business consulting firm specializing in delivering quality Human Resources (HR) solutions. With over three decades of HR talent management and inclusive workplace culture experience across multiple industries, we are committed to helping our clients design, establish, and deliver premiere HR functions within their own organizations. We offer dedicated support and guidance in every HR functional area.

The Engagement

HR Knowledge Source has been retained by a confidential higher education institution in the Washington, DC region to identify an experienced Total Rewards leader for a critical interim consulting engagement. The client serves approximately 2,900 faculty, staff and retirees and requires an execution-ready consultant to provide immediate leadership of its comprehensive compensation function. The Director will lead a team that primarily supports the staff population (approx. 1,700 employees) and collaborates with other departments and teams in support of other employee populations to include faculty, student employees, and retirees.

Essential Functions

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the compensation function, including supervision, prioritization of work, and escalation support for compensation matters.


• Lead and direct a compensation team of 3 Analysts.


• Manage compensation consulting for executive leadership, HR, cabinet-level stakeholders, and department leaders regarding compensation actions, reorganizations, position management, and organizational design.


• Design, administer, and evaluate compensation programs that support recruitment, retention, engagement, and organizational objectives.


• Lead annual compensation initiatives, including merit planning, salary reviews, market adjustments, and budget projections.


• Establish and maintain salary structures, job analyses, market pricing methodologies, compensation policies, and procedures.


• Conduct executive compensation benchmarking and higher education market analysis utilizing CUPA and other compensation data sources.


• Partner with HR, Finance, Information Technology, and business leaders to ensure effective administration of compensation programs and systems.


• Provide guidance on job architecture, workforce planning, and organizational restructuring efforts.


• Monitor and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and compensation regulations.


• Develop and deliver compensation-related training and communication programs for leaders, managers, and HR partners.


• Support labor and employee relations initiatives, including compensation analysis related to union negotiations when applicable.


• Drive process improvements, maintain documentation, and facilitate knowledge transfer throughout the engagement.

Requirements

Key Competencies

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.


• At least 8 years of progressively responsible compensation leadership experience or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.


• Demonstrated expertise in compensation program design, implementation, administration, market pricing, salary structures, and executive compensation analysis.


• Strong consultation, stakeholder management, executive coaching, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.


• Advanced financial analysis, modeling, budgeting, data analysis, and Microsoft Excel capabilities.


• Experience leading merit cycles, organizational design efforts, and executive compensation analyses.


• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws and compensation compliance requirements.


• Experience with Workday preferred; Advanced Compensation experience preferred.


• Experience with compensation systems and tools such as Payscale/MarketPay, JDXpert, or similar platforms strongly preferred.


• Experience supervising compensation professionals and building effective teams.


• Higher education experience preferred


• Experience supporting unionized workforces or labor negotiations preferred.


• Ability to build credibility quickly and operate with urgency and responsiveness.

Contract Details

• Engagement: Independent Contractor (1099)


• Duration: 4–6 months


• Location: Washington, DC region — Hybrid (3 days on-site; Tuesday is a core in-office day)


• Hours: Standard 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM


• Reports To: Interim HR Executive Consultant (solid line), and Associate Vice President of Financial Operations (dotted line)


• Client: Confidential higher education institution, Washington, DC region (disclosed to qualified candidates)

Offers must be contingent on the successful completion of professional reference and background checks.

Confidentiality is strictly maintained.

HR Knowledge Source (HRKS) is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.