Senior Manager, Compensation Strategy & Equity

CarGurus; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 151,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Daily free lunch

New car discount

Meditation and fitness apps

Commuting cost coverage

Equity for all employees

Job summary

CarGurus is seeking a Senior Manager of Compensation to elevate and scale our compensation programs. You will shape strategy, oversee base pay, incentives, equity, and long-term plans, and lead a small team with enterprise responsibility for total rewards.

You'll partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and People & Talent to ensure compliance and operational excellence, guiding executives and HRBP on pay structures and changes across the business.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation, including 3-5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven success designing, enhancing, and scaling compensation programs within a high-growth or mature technology environment.
• Deep expertise in compensation design, benchmarking, incentive structures, and market analysis.
• Strong knowledge of equity plan administration and regulatory compliance considerations.
• Experience supporting executive compensation and Compensation Committee processes.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate data into strategic recommendations.
• Experience with HRIS and compensation systems; ability to optimize tools to improve workflow and scalability.
• Experience with Sales compensation plans is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree required; CCP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, strategy, planning, governance, and communication of broad-based and executive compensation programs, including base pay, annual incentives, equity, and long-term incentive plans.
• Refine and advance our compensation philosophy to align with business priorities, market competitiveness, internal equity, and evolving workforce needs.
• Conduct ongoing market research and benchmarking to ensure pay practices remain competitive and aligned with technology sector trends.
• Remain current on compensation best practices and the evolving legal and regulatory landscape; assess risk and proactively recommend solutions to ensure compliance with wage and hour regulations and plan requirements.
• Oversee equity plan administration, ensuring accurate recordkeeping of vesting schedules, plan compliance, and coordination of settlements in accordance with plan rules and payroll tax requirements.
• Lead the annual merit, bonus, and equity planning cycles, ensuring process excellence, clear communications, and optimized technology workflows that create a seamless experience for leaders and employees.
• Provide support for executive compensation programs and the Compensation Committee, ensuring governance, rigor, and alignment with company objectives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executives, HR Business Partners, and business leaders on company pay structures, pay change recommendations, new hire offers, promotions, and complex compensation matters.
• Provide expert counsel on compensation-related risks and opportunities, translating analytics into actionable business insights.
• Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and People & Talent to ensure compliance, operational rigor, and process excellence.
• Develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies that effectively articulate the value of our compensation programs and support talent attraction and retention.
• Build awareness and education initiatives across all levels of the organization to strengthen understanding of total rewards and collective value.
• Inspire and manage a high-performing compensation team, fostering growth, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Assess team structure and operating model, set priorities, allocate resources, and ensure high-quality execution across all compensation processes.

Skills

Compensation design

Market benchmarking

Executive pay governance

Stakeholder influence

HRIS proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree required

CCP certification preferred

Tools

HRIS platforms

Equity plan administration software

Job description

CarGurus is seeking a Senior Manager of Compensation to elevate and scale our compensation programs. You will shape strategy, oversee base pay, incentives, equity, and long-term plans, and lead a small team with enterprise responsibility for total rewards.

You'll partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and People & Talent to ensure compliance and operational excellence, guiding executives and HRBP on pay structures and changes across the business.