Director, Compensation

Cook Children's Health Care System is seeking a Director of Compensation to join its Compensation leadership team and help strengthen, modernize, and advance the organization's compensation function during a period of continued growth and transformation. This leader will report to the Assistant Vice President of Compensation and serve as a key thought partner, operational leader, and trusted advisor across the organization. The Director will guide the implementation and administration of employee and provider pay programs, ensuring operational efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment with established compensation design processes, standard operating procedures, and organizational policies. The role will lead Compensation Analysts and Compensation Consultants in delivering high-quality service, resolving complex compensation challenges, and supporting leaders across the organization.


The Opportunity

This is a meaningful opportunity for an experienced compensation leader to help stabilize and elevate a high-impact function. The organization is seeking a leader who can bring structure, improve processes, reduce manual work, and help move the compensation team from a reactive service model toward a more proactive, consultative, and data-driven approach.


Key priorities for the role include strengthening compensation operations, supporting job architecture and Workday redesign efforts, improving workflows and standard operating procedures, and helping create a more strategic and end-user-focused compensation function.


Key Responsibilities
• Lead day-to-day compensation operations and ensure the compensation design process is effectively deployed to meet organizational needs.
• Oversee the activities of compensation team members, including hiring, training, coaching, scheduling, performance management, engagement, and career development.
• Guide market pricing, job analysis, job description development, job placement within the organizational hierarchy, and employee pay program alignment.
• Develop and execute protocols to consistently administer pay across the organization while assessing new and existing pay practices, policies, and market conditions.
• Lead compensation-related projects, including pay equity, automation, HR systems, job architecture development, and other major initiatives in partnership with HR, leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Establish, refine, and execute compensation policies, practices, workflows, and internal assignments to support smooth and effective operations.
• Serve as a backup to the AVP of Compensation and help communicate and manage the compensation function's role, vision, and purpose across the organization.
• Partner with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Benefits, HRIS, and other HR functions to advance HR and compensation strategy.
• Maintain an understanding of applicable state and federal employment and wage-and-hour laws and help ensure compliance.


Ideal Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will bring strong technical compensation expertise, sound operational judgment, and the ability to serve as a credible partner to HR and senior leadership. This individual should be comfortable operating in a change-oriented environment and energized by the opportunity to build structure, improve processes, and modernize a function.


Preferred attributes include:
• Strong compensation technical expertise and experience leading compensation operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop talent, and create clearer operating structure.
• Experience improving processes, workflows, policies, and standard operating procedures.
• Ability to partner effectively with HR, finance, legal, IT, and senior leaders on compensation-related priorities.
• Experience with job architecture, HR systems, automation, or Workday-related compensation initiatives.
• A consultative, data-driven mindset and the ability to translate compensation strategy into practical execution.
• Comfort serving as a thought partner, trusted advisor, and operational leader in a function undergoing transformation.


Qualifications
• 10+ years of experience in compensation administration or a related Human Resources role.
• 5+ years of experience overseeing the operations of a compensation team.
• Bachelor's degree in business administration/management, finance, human resources, psychology, or a related field.
• In lieu of a bachelor's degree, 10 years of progressive experience in a substantially similar role may be substituted for the education requirement.


Why This Role

This is an opportunity to help shape the next chapter of a compensation function that touches every part of the organization. The Director will play a central role in building stronger processes, supporting a growing team, advancing job architecture and systems work, and creating a more strategic, consultative compensation function for the future.

Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.