Senior Compensation Consultant

Western National Group & Umialik Insurance; Edina (MN); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

HSA / FSA

401(k) matching

Tuition reimbursement

Bonuses

Job summary

Western National Insurance Group seeks a Senior Compensation Consultant. You will lead the design, administration, and continuous improvement of compensation programs, using market data and internal equity to support the talent strategy.

The role blends in-office work with remote days, with a focus on commutable Twin Cities office collaboration. You will partner with HR and finance, run annual market reviews, manage incentive programs, and translate complex data into strategic recommendations

Qualifications

• Five-plus years of compensation experience including base pay, incentive compensation, market pricing, and job evaluation.
• Experience administering compensation processes in Workday, including Workday Advanced Compensation.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data and advise executives.
• Experience leading large, detail-intensive annual processes across HR, Finance, Payroll, and business functions.
• Ability to present to executives and leadership groups and influence decisions.

Responsibilities

• Leads design, administration, and improvement of compensation philosophy, salary structures, and related programs.
• Partners with HR Business Partners and leaders to benchmark, assign job levels, and guide pay decisions.
• Leads annual market review, salary surveys, and recommendations for adjustments.
• Maintains internal equity analyses and educates leaders on equitable pay practices.
• Administers incentive programs and supports program design, modeling, and governance.
• Leads merit review cycle from planning to payroll coordination.
• Supports executive compensation analyses including base salary and incentives.
• Configures and improves Workday Advanced Compensation processes and reports.
• Collaborates on annual budgeting with compensation analyses and forecasting.
• Prepares compensation dashboards and executive-ready materials.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Presentation skills

Influence without authority

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, finance, or related field

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation

Tools

Workday Advanced Compensation

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Teams

Job description

Description

Who are we?

Western National Insurance Group is a private mutual insurance company with over 120 years of experience serving customers' property-and-casualty insurance needs in the Midwestern, Northwestern, and Southwestern United States. Known as “The Relationship Company®,” we define success as a measure of the relationships we’ve built over time. In everything that we do, we know that delivering a friendly and helpful interaction makes for a better experience for everyone involved. That’s the power of “nice”. At Western National, nice is something we work to bring to every person and organization with whom we partner and serve.

Does this opportunity interest you?

Western National is seeking a Senior Compensation Consultant to join our team!

The individual in this role will have the opportunity to lead the design, administration, and continuous improvement of Western National Insurance Group’s compensation programs. This individual will leverage market data, internal equity analysis, and business insight to deliver competitive, equitable, and sustainable pay practices that support the organization’s talent strategy and long-term business objectives.

Work Schedule:

This position will begin with an in-office training period, averaging approximately three months. Following training, the role will transition to a hybrid schedule with three days in the office and two days working from home each week. Candidates should be within a commutable distance of our Twin Cities office.

What are the responsibilities and opportunities of this role?

• Leads the design, administration, and continuous improvement of the organization’s compensation philosophy, salary structures, job architecture, and related programs to support market competitiveness, internal equity, and sound compensation governance.
• Partners with HR Business Partners and business leaders to evaluate new and existing positions, conduct market benchmarking, recommend job levels and pay grades, and provide guidance on compensation decisions.
• Leads the annual market review process, including participation in salary surveys, analysis of market movement and competitive positioning, and recommendations for salary structure and employee pay adjustments.
• Develops and oversees a consistent approach to internal equity analysis, identifies areas of concern, recommends appropriate actions, and educates leaders on equitable pay practices.
• Administers companywide incentive compensation programs, including short-term and long-term incentive plans, and supports program design, modeling, communication, and governance.
• Leads the annual merit review cycle from planning through completion, including system configuration, leader education, communications, data validation, approvals, employee communications, and payroll coordination.
• Partners with senior HR leadership and the CEO support executive compensation, including base salary, short-term and long-term incentives, and related compensation analyses and recommendations.
• Configures, maintains, and continuously improves Workday Advanced Compensation processes, reporting, and controls.
• Collaborate with HR leadership and Finance on the annual budgeting process by providing compensation analyses, workforce cost projections, salary increase modeling, incentive forecasting, and financial recommendations.
• Prepares compensation analyses, dashboards, models, and executive-ready materials that translate complex data into actionable recommendations.
• Maintains compensation policies, procedures, documentation, and employee-facing communications, including Total Rewards communications and annual Total Rewards statements.
• Monitors compensation-related laws and regulations, partners with HR and Legal to assess impacts, and supports compliant implementation and ongoing audits.
• Builds trusted relationships across the organization and provide responsive, practical, and customer-focused compensation consultation.

Requirements

What are the must-have qualifications for a candidate?

• Five-plus years of progressively responsible compensation experience, including experience with base pay, incentive compensation, market pricing, and job evaluation.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, finance, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Experience administering compensation processes in Workday, including Workday Advanced Compensation.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data, develop recommendations, and communicate findings to business leaders and executives.
• Experience managing large, detail-intensive annual processes and partnering across HR, Finance, Payroll, and business functions.
• High attention to detail, accuracy, confidentiality, and follow-through.
• Ability to balance analytical rigor with an approachable, consultative style.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including experience presenting to executives and leadership groups.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and build credibility with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, project management, prioritization, and time management skills.
• Collaborative, responsive, and solutions-oriented approach with a strong customer focus.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Ability to create and interpret compensation models, reports, dashboards, and data visualizations.

What will our ideal candidate have?

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation.
• Experience supporting executive compensation and long-term incentive programs.
• Experience with compensation survey platforms, job architecture, pay equity analysis, and compensation analytics.
• Experience working in multi-state organizations.

Compensation overview

The targeted hiring range for this role is $104,300 - $143,440, annually. However, the base pay offered may vary depending on the job-related knowledge, skills, credentials, and experience of each candidate, as well as other factors such as the scope and location of the role. Candidates looking for compensation outside of the posted range are encouraged to apply and will be considered based on their individual qualifications and / or may be considered for other positions.

Culture and Total Rewards

Western National has long been known as “The Relationship Company®” and caring for our employees is part of that relationship commitment. We value connectiveness, empowerment, and accountability, and we believe that our employees are our biggest asset.

Currently ranked as the 41st largest private company by revenue in Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal), Western National has earned accolades year-over-year as an employer of choice and garnered multiple awards for wellness in the workplace. Western National has also been named a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune for consecutive years. In addition, the Group is consistently recognized as a Ward’s 50 property-and-casualty insurance company for its outstanding financial results.

Western National offers full-time employees a significant Total Rewards Package, including:

• Medical insurance plan options and other standard employee benefits, including dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and more!
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) Plan (participants are eligible for 100% matching on the first 6% of their contributions)
• Wellbeing Program, including onsite fitness studio
• Paid Time Off – including holiday, vacation, and volunteer
• 100% company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework and access to The Institutes (Risk and insurance education)
• Paid parental leave
• Bonus opportunities

Western National believes in supporting balance between work and life by providing a flexible work environment, which includes a variety of hybrid and remote work arrangements designed to balance individual, job, department, and company needs.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Western National provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.