Manager, Compensation

Acrnet; Fort Worth, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel perks

Health benefits

Wellness programs

401(k)

Job summary

American Airlines is seeking a Manager of Compensation to lead daily operations of broadbased pay programs and oversee market benchmarking. You will partner with HR and business leaders to ensure fair, competitive pay decisions and guide policy governance.

The role reports to higher-level compensation leadership and requires strong analytical skills, experience with complex projects, and excellence in crossfunctional collaboration across HR teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources or other related field or equivalent related experience
• 5 years work experience in a compensation/analytical role
• 3 years experience with complex project management

Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations of broadbased compensation programs, including job leveling, salary structures, annual merit processes, compensation policies, budgeting inputs, salary survey participation, and market research
• Build collaborative, consultative relationships with business leaders and HR partners to support business needs while ensuring equitable, consistent, and competitive compensation practices
• Partner closely with the broader People organization—including Talent Acquisition, People Business Partners, Compliance, and HRIS—to support compensation decisions, resolve issues, and maintain alignment with policies and governance
• Conduct and review comprehensive compensation analyses to evaluate pay issues, recommend solutions, and ensure market competitiveness using internal and external benchmarking data
• Provide guidance and recommendations on offers, promotions, job leveling, pay grade assignments, range placements, and retention actions while ensuring decisions align with compensation philosophy and governance
• Support the development, administration, and communication of compensation programs, policies, and job architecture updates in partnership with crossfunctional Compensation teams
• Represent the Compensation team in crossfunctional discussions; provide backup coverage for peers as needed and elevate complex items to the Director when appropriate
• Collaborate closely with other Compensation team members to share insights, ensure consistency in recommendations, and drive continuous improvement in compensation processes and tools
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

Skills

Leadership

Excel proficiency

Compensation tools

Market pricing

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, HR or related field

Tools

Excel

Job description

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

The Manager, Compensation is part of the Global Compensation, Mobility, and People Support team within the People Division. This people leader reports to the Director, Compensation and is responsible for leading and developing a team while overseeing compensation programs and initiatives. The role partners closely with HR and business leaders to support compensation decisions and ensure alignment with pay philosophy, governance, and market competitiveness.

What you'll do

This list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non essential job functions) that are not referenced. Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.

• Manage daily operations of broadbased compensation programs, including job leveling, salary structures, annual merit processes, compensation policies, budgeting inputs, salary survey participation, and market research
• Build collaborative, consultative relationships with business leaders and HR partners to support business needs while ensuring equitable, consistent, and competitive compensation practices
• Partner closely with the broader People organization—including Talent Acquisition, People Business Partners, Compliance, and HRIS—to support compensation decisions, resolve issues, and maintain alignment with policies and governance
• Conduct and review comprehensive compensation analyses to evaluate pay issues, recommend solutions, and ensure market competitiveness using internal and external benchmarking data
• Provide guidance and recommendations on offers, promotions, job leveling, pay grade assignments, range placements, and retention actions while ensuring decisions align with compensation philosophy and governance
• Support the development, administration, and communication of compensation programs, policies, and job architecture updates in partnership with crossfunctional Compensation teams
• Represent the Compensation team in crossfunctional discussions; provide backup coverage for peers as needed and elevate complex items to the Director when appropriate
• Collaborate closely with other Compensation team members to share insights, ensure consistency in recommendations, and drive continuous improvement in compensation processes and tools
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources or other related field or equivalent related experience
• 5 years work experience in a compensation/analytical role
• 3 years experience with complex project management

Preferred Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• 5+ years of progressive compensation experience
• Experience supporting large, complex, or multifunctional business groups
• Experience designing and administering incentive plans
• Experience working in aviation, transportation, or similarly large operational environments

Skills, Licenses, and Certifications

• Ability to manage competing projects and priorities and identifying ways to efficiently complete projects and analyses accurately and on-time
• Ability to build relationships and provide advice/internal consultation to corporate leaders and team members
• Experience managing or leading others (directly or indirectly)
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and compensation tools
• Experience conducting market pricing and managing annual compensation processes
• Ability to communicate highly sensitive information effectively to employees and management at all levels of the company
• Expert knowledge in compensation structures, job grading, job slotting, HR policy and reporting requirements
• Attention to detail and strong analytical skills
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) or progress toward certification

What you'll get

• Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer:
• Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that’s just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more.
• Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself – that’s why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
  Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Employee Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more.

Feel free to be yourself at American

From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Team Member Business Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.

Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life’s journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.