Senior Compensation Manager

Old Mission; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

On-site meals

Job summary

Old Mission, a global proprietary trading firm with offices in Chicago, seeks a Senior Compensation Manager to lead compensation strategy and operations. You will own pay programs from benchmarking to merit cycles, and advise HR and leadership while negotiating pay with candidates and employees.

You will design competitive structures, manage bonus cycles, analyze trends, and shape broader total rewards as the firm grows, sitting across from executives and teams to drive informed decisions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in compensation, HR analytics, or total rewards.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, modeling).
• Deep familiarity with compensation surveys (Radford, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson).
• Knowledge of pay equity principles and regulations.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to handle confidential data with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Design, benchmark, and manage compensation structures.
• Lead bonus and promotion cycles, including budgeting and modeling.
• Analyze compensation trends and present recommendations to leadership.
• Support benefits program administration and vendor relationships.
• Explain and negotiate compensation with candidates and employees.

Skills

Excel advanced

HR analytics

pay equity

communication

negotiation

data interpretation

confidential data handling

stakeholder management

Bachelor's degree

CCP certification

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics

Tools

ADP

Job description

Old Mission is a global proprietary trading firm that leverages state-of-the-art technology and research to identify and execute profitable trading strategies across multiple asset classes around the world. Our offices in Chicago, New York, and London are all composed of naturally-curious individuals who thrive in a team environment and constantly strive for improvement.

Old Mission does not seek capital from outside investors, allowing us the flexibility to aggressively invest in our team members and keep them engaged in the firm’s growth.

About This Role

We're looking for a Senior Compensation Manager to lead compensation strategy and operations for the firm. This role owns the day-to-day design, analysis, and administration of our pay programs - from market benchmarking to pay equity to merit cycles - and serves as the go-to expert on compensation matters for HR and business leaders. You'll have real ownership over how we pay people, with the opportunity to shape and mature our total rewards programs as the firm grows. Just as important, this is a people-facing role. You'll sit across from candidates, employees, and managers to explain and, where appropriate, negotiate compensation directly - listening closely, building trust, and gathering the context that leads to better pay decisions.

What You'll Do

• Partner with leadership in designing, benchmarking, and managing competitive compensation structures
• Manage bonus and promotion cycles, including budget modeling and analysis
• Analyze compensation trends and present findings/recommendations to leadership
• Support benefits program administration and vendor relationships (with room to shape broader total rewards strategy over time)
• Serve as the primary point of contact for compensation questions from employees, managers, and HR partners, and guide them through pay decisions in direct conversations
• Communicate compensation decisions and the reasoning behind them directly to candidates and employees, and help shape how the firm frames and delivers pay conversations
• Lead and support compensation negotiations for offers, promotions, and retention, balancing individual expectations against internal budget
• Listen for and surface the information gathered during compensation conversations, feeding those insights back into strategy, program design, and market positioning
• Own the company's participation in compensation surveys and lead market benchmarking for all roles
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting for compensation and total rewards metrics

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of experience in compensation, HR analytics, or a related total rewards function
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, modeling); advanced HRIS experience (ADP preferred)
• Deep familiarity with compensation surveys (Radford, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, etc.) and market pricing methodology
• Solid understanding of pay equity principles and pay transparency regulations, with experience implementing related processes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail
• Ability to handle sensitive/confidential data with discretion
• Excellent communication skills, ability to translate data into clear recommendations for stakeholders and leadership, and to communicate pay decisions clearly and confidently in direct conversations with employees and candidates
• Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to reach outcomes that work for both the individual and the firm
• Strategic mindset - able to connect individual pay conversations and offers to the firm's broader compensation strategy and business goals
• Strong active listening and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and draw out important information during sensitive conversations
• Demonstrated ability to independently own projects from analysis through implementation
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification preferred
• Designing, benchmarking, and managing competitive, legally compliant compensation structures

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to lead and shape total rewards strategy at a growing firm, with real visibility into leadership decisions and a clear path to expand scope as the function matures.

Benefits And Perks

• Fully paid Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
• Fully stocked kitchen; free breakfast and lunch every day on-site
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid Vacation, Sick, and Parental leaves
• Commuter and Flexible Spending Programs

Base Salary Range

$150,000 - $250,000 - Salaries are based on numerous factors such as skills, experience, and education. Our compensation package also includes a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits program for full-time employees.