Senior Director, Compensation

Royal Caribbean Group; Miami (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global cruise and travel company based in Miami is seeking a Director of Shoreside Compensation. This leadership role involves designing and managing compensation programs while ensuring regulatory compliance and internal equity. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in compensation design and be proficient in data analysis tools. This full-time position offers an opportunity to lead a high-performing team and collaborate across various functions to drive strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in compensation, including 5 in a senior role.
• Experience managing global compensation programs in a multinational environment.
• Ability to analyze market data and present findings to executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual compensation cycles and manage compensation budgets.
• Ensure internal equity and drive compensation analytics.
• Manage relationships with vendors and ensure compliance with regulations.

Skills

Global compliance and change management

Compensation design expertise

Leadership and team management

Data analysis and interpretation

Strategic thinking

Project management

Excellent communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance

Master’s degree or relevant certification

Tools

Workday

SAP SuccessFactors

Oracle HCM

Excel

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Lead, Executive Recruiter at Royal Caribbean Group | Ex-Amazon

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Director, Shoreside Compensation is a leadership role responsible for the design, governance, and administration of all shoreside compensation programs across Royal Caribbean Group. The Senior director will lead a team of compensation professionals, collaborate with cross‑functional partners worldwide, and drive initiatives to ensure market competitiveness, internal equity, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency for our global shoreside populations. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in compensation design, global compliance and change management aimed to attract, retain, and motivate top talent while optimizing compensation spend to advance the company’s strategy with a strong focus on delivering innovative and competitive solutions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead annual and ongoing compensation cycles (merit, promotions, market adjustments)
• Manage the base salary and incentive budgets, and forecast compensation costs in collaboration with Finance.
• Ensure internal equity and external competitiveness through robust job evaluation, market benchmarking, and governance of pay grades and pay ranges across jurisdictions.
• Lead analytics and reporting: build dashboards, provide insights on market competitiveness, internal equity, pay‑for‑performance alignment, and total rewards ROI.
• Maintain a scalable job architecture and leveling framework for all shoreside roles across geographies and brands.
• Ensure regulatory and policy compliance across multiple jurisdictions (labor laws, tax considerations, data privacy, etc.) and maintain audit readiness for compensation programs.
• Manage relationships with external vendors (compensation surveys, consultancies) and internal HRIS partners (e.g., SAP/Oracle) to ensure data integrity and process efficiency.
• Drive change management, communications, and training related to compensation policies and programs; collaborate with HRBP, Finance and Legal, and Compliance on policy enforcement.
• Partner with Payroll, Finance, Legal, IT, Talent Acquisition, and HR Operations to support M&A activities, integrations, and large‑scale people initiatives.
• Manage and develop a high‑performing team of compensation professionals; set goals, provide coaching, and build succession plans.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or a related field. Master’s degree or relevant certification preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in compensation, with a minimum of 5 years in a senior leadership or director‑level role managing global programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading global base pay, incentive, and total rewards programs in a large, multi‑brand, multinational environment.
• Proven expertise with HRIS and compensation systems (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM) and advanced data analysis tools (Excel, Tableau, Power BI); ability to interpret data and translate into actionable strategy.
• Advanced capability to analyze market data, build business cases, model compensation scenarios, and present findings to executives.
• Familiarity with multi‑jurisdictional labor laws, tax implications, pay equity, and data privacy requirements (e.g., GDPR considerations for EU data).
• Proven ability to lead diverse teams, influence senior stakeholders, implement change, and communicate complex concepts clearly.
• Excellent business acumen and strategic thinking; ability to align compensation with talent strategy and financial objectives. Strong leadership and people management skills; experience coaching and developing teams.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and influencing skills; ability to partner with executives and cross‑functional leaders.
• Strong project management and change management capabilities; proven ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Customer‑focused and results‑oriented with a bias toward action; comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• A clear, global compensation strategy that supports business growth, diversity, and pay equity.
• Competitive market positioning for all major shoreside roles with improved retention and attraction metrics.
• Efficient and accurate compensation processes with strong data governance and analytics.
• Strong collaboration with Finance, Legal, HRBPs, and Talent teams to enable strategic workforce planning and organization design.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Human Resources

Industries

• Travel Arrangements