Director, Compensation

VP, Global Compensation Administration & Governance Let's be unstoppable together! Circana is a leading provider of technology, AI, and data solutions for consumer-packaged goods companies, manufacturers, and retailers. Our predictive analytics and Liquid Data® platform help clients measure market share, uncover consumer behavior, and drive growth--powered by six decades of expertise and an expansive, high-quality data set. At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives. We're a global company dedicated to fostering inclusivity and belonging. We value and celebrate the unique experiences, cultures, and viewpoints that everyone brings. By embracing a wide range of backgrounds, skills, expertise, and beyond, we create a stronger, more innovative environment for our employees, clients, and communities. With us, you can always bring your full self to work. Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana. Learn more at Role Overview The VP, Global Compensation Administration & Governance is responsible for the operational excellence, governance, compliance, and continuous improvement of the organization's broad-based compensation programs. This role serves as the primary owner of global compensation administration processes, salary structures, market pricing and survey participation, job architecture, compensation policies, pay equity and transparency reporting, compensation technology, and compensation planning execution. Working closely with Compensation Design, Total Rewards, HR Technology, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Payroll, HR Business Partners, and business leaders, this role ensures compensation programs are administered consistently, equitably, and in alignment with organizational strategy, market practices, and regulatory requirements across a global workforce. The role provides operational leadership and subject matter expertise while driving effective governance, scalable processes, technology adoption, automation, and data-driven decision making across the compensation function. As a newly established capability within Circana, this role will build and scale foundational compensation administration processes, technology, governance, and operating models that support the organization's future growth and modernization efforts. Initially operating as an individual contributor, the role is expected to establish the foundation for and ultimately build and lead a compensation administration team as the function matures. Job Responsibilities Compensation Administration, Planning & Market Governance Lead administration of broad-based compensation programs, including salary increases, promotional increases, market adjustments, and other compensation actions. Lead preparation, execution, and administration of annual compensation planning cycles, including planning timelines, governance processes, operational procedures, system configuration, testing, validation, reporting, and stakeholder support. Manage compensation workflows, approvals, governance processes, and compensation planning system administration. Maintain and administer salary grades, salary bands, salary range structures, and market pricing methodologies. Conduct salary structure reviews, market movement analyses, and evaluate geographic differentials and compensation structures as appropriate. Lead participation in compensation surveys and market benchmarking activities, including survey submissions, data validation, vendor relationships, and survey governance. Analyze market trends, compensation competitiveness, and internal pay relationships while providing market intelligence and recommendations that support broader compensation strategy. Conduct post-cycle analyses and identify opportunities to improve compensation processes, efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness. Job Architecture & Governance Serve as steward of the organization's job architecture framework. Govern job families, career levels, job classifications, organizational job structures, and enterprise job catalogs. Evaluate requests for new jobs, job modifications, and job retirements while ensuring consistency across job levels, salary structures, career paths, and organizational design. Maintain and govern the organization's job description library, standards, templates, and documentation practices. Partner with Talent Management, HR Business Partners, and Talent Acquisition to support career architecture initiatives and organizational consistency. Pay Equity, Transparency & Compliance Lead and support pay equity analyses, pay transparency initiatives, regulatory reporting, and compensation-related disclosures. Identify and investigate potential pay disparities, compensation trends, and compliance risks, developing recommendations in partnership with Compensation Design, People Analytics, HR, Legal, and business leaders. Maintain salary range disclosure processes, governance standards, pay equity reporting, and compensation metrics. Monitor emerging compensation regulations and reporting requirements while developing related guidance and educational materials. Ensure compensation outcomes align with compensation philosophy, fairness objectives, and regulatory requirements. Compensation Governance & Controls Own the review, maintenance, and governance of compensation policies, guidelines, operating procedures, and governance documentation. Establish and maintain compensation governance frameworks, operational controls, and audit readiness practices. Conduct compensation audits and compliance reviews while ensuring alignment with internal controls and regulatory requirements. Manage policy exception review processes, track compensation-related risks, and support internal and external audit activities. Recommend policy and governance enhancements based on business needs, market trends, and regulatory developments Reporting, Analytics & Technology Develop recurring compensation dashboards, scorecards, executive reporting, and operational performance metrics. Analyze compensation trends, market competitiveness, workforce impacts, and pay relationships to provide data-driven insights and recommendations. Partner with HR Technology teams to support compensation system functionality, enhancements, implementations, upgrades, testing, and configuration changes. Maintain compensation data integrity, governance standards, quality controls, and reporting accuracy. Identify automation opportunities and leverage advanced analytics, Power BI, AI-enabled tools, and data visualization capabilities to improve compensation administration, reporting, decision making, and user experience. Evaluate and recommend compensation technology, workflow automation, and AI solutions that improve efficiency, scalability, governance, and data quality. Cross-Functional Partnership & Program Implementation Serve as a key operational partner to Compensation Design and the broader Total Rewards team. Evaluate operational, governance, compliance, system, and implementation impacts of compensation program changes. Support the design, implementation, and ongoing administration of compensation initiatives. Collaborate closely with Benefits, Talent Management, Executive Compensation, HR Technology, Payroll, Recruiting, Finance, and HR Business Partners. Translate compensation program designs into sustainable operational processes and governance frameworks. Lead implementation planning, change management, communication support, testing, and operational readiness activities. Design compensation processes and services with a customer-centric mindset, reducing friction for HR, Talent Acquisition, managers, and employees while maintaining strong governance and compliance standards. Ensure strong alignment between compensation strategy and compensation operations. Requirements 10-12 years of progressive compensation experience, with demonstrated expertise in global compensation administration, compensation planning, governance, job architecture, market pricing, and compensation technology. Experience supporting compensation programs across multiple countries and regions, with a strong understanding of global compensation practices, market dynamics, and regulatory considerations. Expertise in broad-based compensation programs, including salary structures, market pricing, annual compensation planning, pay equity, pay transparency, policy administration, and compensation governance. Strong knowledge of job architecture, job evaluation, career frameworks, and organizational job governance. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate compensation data, market trends, and workforce insights into actionable recommendations. Experience leveraging compensation planning systems, HRIS platforms, advanced analytics, Power BI or similar business intelligence tools, automation solutions, and emerging AI capabilities to improve efficiency, scalability, reporting, and data quality. Demonstrated success implementing process improvements, automation, and scalable solutions that strengthen governance, improve accuracy, and enhance the employee and manager experience. Proven ability to influence and build effective partnerships across Compensation, Total Rewards, HR Business Partners, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Finance, Payroll, HR Technology, Legal, and business leadership. Excellent communication and consultation skills, with the ability to simplify complex compensation concepts for diverse audiences. Experience leading others, directly or through project leadership, with demonstrated leadership capability and the ability to drive outcomes across cross‑functional teams. Circana Behaviors Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions. Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action. Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices. Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers. Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement. Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity. Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone. Location: Remote, US. The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $200,000 USD. This role is also eligible for bonus pay. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees. An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission. This role is subject to AI-assisted screening. Circana uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess resumes for alignment with job requirements by helping locate details in resumes that relate to the job description. This position is expected to remain open for approximately 30 days and may close earlier if sufficient qualified candidates are identified. #J-18808-Ljbffr