Manager, Compensation Operations

ameriprise; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 105,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ameriprise is hiring a Manager of Compensation Operations in Minneapolis to lead and develop a team responsible for compensation administration, annual cycles, audits, and system support.

You will partner across Compensation, Payroll, HR Systems, and Finance to drive efficiency, risk management, and accurate execution, while building a scalable operations function.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in Compensation Operations, HR Operations, Payroll Operations, HR Systems, or a related operational function.
• Experience leading teams, coaching employees, managing workloads, and delivering results in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• Experience supporting annual compensation cycles and leading operational initiatives, projects, or workstreams.
• Strong workload management, prioritisation, capacity planning, and stakeholder management skills.
• Knowledge of operational risk management, controls, and compliance practices.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day compensation operations activities to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent execution.
• Coach and develop the Compensation Operations team, manage workload distribution and capacity planning.
• Oversee workload planning, cross-training, and continuity readiness across compensation activities.
• Support audit, SOX, compliance, validation, and governance to maintain a strong control environment.
• Lead readiness and execution for annual compensation cycles and year-end programs.
• Build cross-functional partnerships with Payroll, HR Systems, HR Services, Finance and other stakeholders.
• Drive process documentation, standardization, and continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and execution quality.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Operational risk management

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

SOX/compliance

Job description

About Our Company

We're a diversified financial services leader with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management, administration and advisement as of year-end 2024. Our team of 22,000 people across 19 countries, serves more than 3.5 million individual, small business and institutional clients. We are a longstanding leader in financial planning and advice, a global asset manager and an insurer. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our unique businesses - Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance and Annuities. Here, we foster meaningful careers, invest in the future, and make a difference for clients, institutions and communities around the world.

Job Description

Ameriprise has an exciting opportunity for a Manager of Compensation Operations to join our team! In this role, you will lead the day-to-day execution of Compensation Operations while providing hands-on leadership, coaching, workload management, and development for a team of Compensation Operations professionals. You will oversee the delivery of compensation administration, annual compensation cycles, audits and controls, compensation systems support, operational readiness, and issue resolution, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant execution. This role is responsible for driving operational excellence through effective capacity planning, continuity readiness, process improvement, and team development while building a scalable, sustainable, and high-performing Compensation Operations function.

Key responsibilities

Compensation Operational Leadership & Daily Oversight

Lead and participate in compensation operations activities, ensuring accurate, timely, and consistent execution while reinforcing operational standards and resolving complex issues. Partner across Compensation, Payroll, HR Systems, and business stakeholders to drive operational efficiency and execution excellence.

Team Leadership, Coaching & Employee Development

Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development for Compensation Operations team members. Manage workload distribution, capacity planning, performance, and prioritization to maintain service levels and support operational excellence across workstreams.

Workload Management & Operational Continuity

Oversee workload planning, resource allocation, cross-training, and continuity readiness across Compensation Operations activities. Identify and mitigate capacity risks to ensure sustainable service delivery and high-quality execution.

Controls, Audits & Operational Risk Management

Support a strong control environment through audit, SOX, compliance, validation, and operational risk activities. Ensure documentation, approvals, and governance requirements are met while maintaining accuracy and compliance across compensation processes.

Annual Compensation Cycle & Year-End Support

Lead operational readiness and execution activities for annual compensation cycles and year-end programs. Coordinate resources, validations, issue resolution, and key operational dependencies to ensure timely and accurate delivery.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Issue Resolution

Build strong relationships across Compensation, Payroll, HR Systems, HR Services, Finance, and other stakeholders. Coordinate dependencies, support issue resolution, communicate effectively, and escalation risks as appropriate to ensure seamless execution.

Documentation, Process Improvement & Operational Excellence

Drive process consistency, documentation standards, training, and continuous improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, and execution quality through standardization, knowledge sharing, and process enhancements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience in Compensation Operations, HR Operations, Payroll Operations, HR Systems, or a related operational function
• Experience leading teams, coaching employees, managing workloads, and delivering results in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities
• Experience supporting annual compensation cycles and leading operational initiatives, projects, or workstreams
• Strong workload management, prioritisation, capacity planning, and stakeholder management skills
• Knowledge of operational risk management, controls, and compliance practices
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
• Advanced Excel skills

Preferred Qualifications

• 7-10 years of Compensation Operations, HR Operations, or related experience
• Experience leading teams through change, process improvement, and operational transformation initiatives
• Workday and/or compensation systems expertise
• Experience with annual compensation cycles, aud