Vice President, Global Compensation Strategy & Incentive Design

Stagwell; New York (NY); On-site; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

PTO

401k

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Stagwell is seeking a highly strategic Vice President, Global Compensation Strategy & Incentive Design to architect and manage compensation programs across a global organization. You will partner with senior leaders to design incentives aligning with business strategy and growth.

You will lead executive and broad-based compensation design, ensure internal equity, and maintain governance with Finance, Legal, and HR in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in compensation design, including incentive plans and executive compensation.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles related to compensation and equity programs.
• Proven ability to operate in a complex, global, matrixed organization.
• Advanced analytical and financial modeling skills.
• Experience partnering with senior executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Knowledge of global compensation practices and regulatory considerations.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex concepts into clear recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement short-term and long-term incentive plans (cash, equity, hybrid) aligned to company performance and strategic priorities.
• Partner with the President and senior leadership to ensure compensation programs drive measurable business outcomes.
• Develop tailored compensation structures across different business units, geographies, and roles within a complex organization.
• Support design and governance of executive compensation programs, including annual incentives and long-term equity plans.
• Lead compensation frameworks for revenue-generating and performance-based roles.
• Ensure internal equity and external competitiveness across all compensation programs.
• Apply strong understanding of compensation-related accounting principles (e.g., accruals, equity accounting, expense recognition).
• Partner closely with Finance to ensure compensation plans are financially sound and properly accounted for.
• Work with Legal and HR to ensure compliance with global regulatory requirements and governance standards.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, HR, and business leaders to design and implement compensation programs.
• Operate effectively across a matrixed global organization, balancing central strategy with local market needs.
• Provide guidance and support to HR and leadership teams on compensation-related decisions.
• Build and maintain financial models to assess cost, impact, and ROI of compensation programs.
• Conduct market benchmarking and analysis to inform compensation strategy.
• Establish strong governance, documentation, and audit readiness across all programs.

Skills

Compensation design

Executive compensation

Financial modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Stagwell is a global marketing and communications network built for the digital-first era. We combine creative, media, and technology capabilities to help brands drive measurable business outcomes. Our network includes leading agencies across digital transformation, performance media, communications, data, and experiential marketing, partnering with many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies.

Unlike traditional holding companies, Stagwell operates as an integrated operating platform — bringing together strategy, technology, and marketing execution to help clients grow revenue, build brands, and modernize their marketing organizations.

Overview

Stagwell is seeking a highly strategic and analytically rigorous Vice President, Global Compensation Strategy & Incentive Design to design and manage complex compensation programs across a global, matrixed organization.

This role will partner closely with the President of Stagwell, senior business leaders, HR, Legal, and Finance to architect and implement short- and long-term incentive structures that directly drive company performance, align with business strategy, and support growth across diverse markets and operating companies.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in compensation design, strong financial and accounting acumen, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment.

Responsibilities

Incentive Design & Strategy

• Design and implement short-term and long-term incentive plans (cash, equity, hybrid) aligned to company performance and strategic priorities
• Partner with the President and senior leadership to ensure compensation programs drive measurable business outcomes
• Develop tailored compensation structures across different business units, geographies, and roles within a complex organization

Executive & Broad-Based Compensation

• Support design and governance of executive compensation programs, including annual incentives and long-term equity plans
• Lead compensation frameworks for revenue-generating and performance-based roles
• Ensure internal equity and external competitiveness across all compensation programs

Financial, Accounting & Compliance Alignment

• Apply strong understanding of compensation-related accounting principles (e.g., accruals, equity accounting, expense recognition)
• Partner closely with Finance to ensure compensation plans are financially sound and properly accounted for
• Work with Legal and HR to ensure compliance with global regulatory requirements and governance standards

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, HR, and business leaders to design and implement compensation programs
• Operate effectively across a matrixed global organization, balancing central strategy with local market needs
• Provide guidance and support to HR and leadership teams on compensation-related decisions

Analytics, Modeling & Governance

• Build and maintainfinancial models to assess cost, impact, and ROI of compensation programs
• Conduct market benchmarking and analysis to inform compensation strategyEstablish strong governance, documentation, and audit readiness across all programs

Qualifications

• Significant experience in compensation design, including incentive plans and executive compensation
• Strong understanding of accounting principles related to compensation and equity programs
• Proven ability to operate in a complex, global, matrixed organization
• Advanced analytical and financial modeling skills
• Experience partnering with senior executives and cross-functional stakeholders
• Knowledge of global compensation practices and regulatory considerations
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex concepts into clear recommendations

Compensation

In order to comply with equal pay and salary transparency laws in various locations, we believe the target range of base compensation for this role is $200,000 - $225,000 with bonus added on top. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and location.

• In addition to medical, dental and vision coverage, we offer a generous PTO plan, 401k program, comprehensive family planning benefits (including paid parental leave), tuition reimbursement, and pre-tax commuter benefits. Benefits/perks may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Stagwell and the location where you work.