Compensation Lead

Benchling; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 169,129 - 247,127; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive total rewards package

Broad range of medical, dental, and vision plans

Four months of fully paid parental leave

401(k) with employer match

Monthly wellness stipend

Generous vacation policy

Job summary

A leading biotechnology firm in San Francisco is seeking a Compensation Professional to manage their global compensation programs. The role involves designing compensation frameworks, conducting market analysis, and advising on pay decisions. Applicants should have over 5 years of compensation experience and strong technical skills, with a competitive salary range of $169,129 – $247,127. This position offers a flexible hybrid work arrangement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on compensation experience required.
• Experience in a high-growth tech company preferred.
• Ability to operate independently and drive projects.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain global compensation framework.
• Manage budget and ensure consistency in compensation planning.
• Conduct market analysis for competitive positioning.

Skills

Compensation experience

Excel/Google Sheets proficiency

Data analysis

Technical communication

Detail-oriented

Tools

HRIS systems

Compensation survey tools

Job description

Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. Moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.

Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market.

Come help us bring modern software to modern science.

Role Overview

We're looking for a sharp, execution-focused compensation professional to join our growing People team. This role reports to our VP of People Operations and works closely with People Partners, Recruiting, and Finance to design and operate Benchling's global compensation programs.
You'll have meaningful ownership over compensation strategy and programs while partnering across the business.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain Benchling's global compensation framework, including job architecture, leveling, and pay bands across all functions.
• Lead merit, promotion, and off‑cycle compensation planning cycles—partnering with Finance and leadership to manage budget and ensure consistency.
• Conduct market analysis and benchmarking using survey data to inform competitive positioning and make recommendations on pay structure adjustments.
• Partner with Recruiting and hiring managers on offer strategy, competitive market intelligence, and compensation for new roles.
• Serve as subject matter expert for People Partners and managers—advising on pay decisions, equity grants, job evaluations, and policy interpretation.
• Build reporting and analytics that surface compensation trends, pay equity insights, and risks or opportunities across the organization.
• Own compensation communications and enablement—translating complex programs into clear guidance for employees and managers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands‑on compensation experience including job leveling, market pricing, merit planning, and data analysis.
• Strong technical skills—comfortable working in Excel/Google Sheets, HRIS systems, and compensation survey tools (Radford, Pave, or similar).
• Experience at a high‑growth tech, ideally Series C through pre‑IPO stage.
• Ability to operate independently and drive projects end‑to‑end with minimal oversight.
• Clear, direct communicator who can translate technical compensation concepts for non‑technical audiences.
• Detail‑oriented with strong judgment on when to elevate and when to decide.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities—you build the plane while flying it.

How We Work

We offer a flexible hybrid work arrangement that prioritizes in‑office collaboration. Employees are expected to be on‑site 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday).

#BI-Hybrid

Salary Range

Benchling takes a market‑based approach to pay. The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and work location. For this role the base salary range is $169,129 – $247,127.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package
• Broad range of medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their dependents
• Fertility healthcare and family‑forming benefits
• Four months of fully paid parental leave
• 401(k) + employer match
• Commuter benefits for in‑office employees and a generous home‑office set‑up stipend for remote employees
• Mental health benefits, including therapy and coaching, for employees and their dependents
• Monthly wellness stipend
• Learning and development stipend
• Generous and flexible vacation
• Company‑wide winter holiday shutdown
• Sabbaticals for 5‑year and 10‑year anniversaries

Benchling welcomes everyone.

We believe diversity enriches our team, so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.

We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Please be aware that Benchling will never request personal information, payment, or sensitive details outside of Greenhouse or via email. All official communications will come from an @benchling.com email address or from an approved vendor alias. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent Benchling and are unsure of their legitimacy, please reach out to us at [e-mail] to verify the communication.