THE POSITION:We are seeking a seasoned compensation professional to serve as the architect of STACK's compensation function. This role carries end-to-end accountability for support and management of our full-scale compensation programs-from philosophy and strategy through design, execution, and governance-and for running them with operational excellence as the organization scales.
Reporting to the Director, Total Rewards, you will operate in a hands-on, individual contributor role who manages and provides expertise around the compensation function. You will be a subject matter expert and decision-shaper on compensation, advising leadership and partnering across teams to ensure our pay programs are market-competitive, internally equitable, compliant, and clearly understood.
Compensation Strategy, Program Design & Job Architecture- Advise on STACK's enterprise compensation strategy: support the evolution of the compensation philosophy and set the multi-year roadmap for how pay programs evolve as the organization scales.
- Evolve & maintain STACK's compensation infrastructure, including salary structures, pay ranges, geographic differentials, and career-level frameworks aligned to our job architecture and maintained within Workday.
- Establish job evaluation and leveling methodology, ensuring consistent application of levels, titles, and salary grades across corporate and site-based roles.
- Build compensation programs that scale, anticipating the needs of an organization projected to grow annually across multiple markets.
Market Pricing & Benchmarking- Own survey participation, market data strategy, and benchmarking across compensation survey sources, including data center, construction, technology, and general industry cuts.
- Conduct market pricing for new and existing roles, including hard-to-price critical facilities, engineering, and development positions.
- Monitor labor market trends in the data center and critical infrastructure sector and proactively advise leadership on emerging pay pressures, skill premiums, and retention risks.
- Perform range penetration, compa-ratio, and internal equity analyses; recommend structure movement and off-cycle adjustments where warranted.
- Partner with Talent Acquisition to develop competitive, consistent offer strategies and support offer approvals.
Annual Compensation Cycle & Administration- Support and eventually administer the annual compensation review cycle end-to-end, including merit, promotion, bonus and market adjustment budgeting, manager guidance, calibration support, and executive reporting.
- Oversee administration of day-to-day compensation operations: new hire offers, promotions, internal transfers, equity reviews, and exception requests to ensure pay consistency and accuracy.
- Leverage Workday to administer compensation programs, improve data integrity, and streamline compensation business processes.
Incentive & Variable Pay Programs- Document and administer variable pay programs, including annual bonus plans, spot bonus and recognition programs, and role-specific incentives.
- Model plan costs and payout scenarios in partnership with Finance; support accrual, funding, and payout processes.
- Evaluate program effectiveness and recommend design changes that strengthen the link between pay and performance.
Compliance & Governance- Ensure compensation programs comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including FLSA classification, pay transparency, and pay equity laws across all STACK locations.
- Establish compensation governance, including approval authorities, documentation standards, and audit routines.
- Conduct periodic pay equity reviews and support remediation planning.
Analytics, Reporting & Executive Support- Build and maintain compensation dashboards and analytics that inform workforce planning, budgeting, and organizational design decisions.
- Serve as a strategic advisor on the compensation implications of organizational design, workforce planning, new market entry, and new entity formation.
- Educate managers and employees on compensation programs, building understanding of and trust in how pay decisions are made.
THE DETAILS:- Travel: 10%
- Benefits: Healthcare, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Paid Leave Programs
- Must be eligible to work in the United States
- Must pass comprehensive background and drug screening
MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 5-10 years of progressive compensation experience, including ownership of broad-based compensation program design, administration, and governance.
- Demonstrated experience building a compensation function or major program suite from the ground up-compensation philosophy, salary structures, job architecture, leveling frameworks, and incentive plans-not solely administering established programs.
- Demonstrated ability to operate autonomously as a sole practitioner: personally executing survey submissions, modeling, cycle administration, and executive materials without analyst or administrative support.
- Hands-on experience with market pricing and salary survey management (e.g., Radford, Mercer, WTW, or similar sources).
- Experience owning an annual compensation cycle end-to-end, including merit and promotion budgeting, calibration, executive approval, and communication.
- Experience designing or administering variable pay programs, including annual bonus and recognition programs.
- Working knowledge of FLSA, pay transparency, and pay equity requirements in a multi-state environment.
- Advanced Excel skills, including complex modeling and large-dataset analysis; highly proficient in MS Word and MS PowerPoint.
- Experience with HCM compensation modules, preferably Workday.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills, with high attention to detail and data accuracy.
- Executive presence and advisory skill: a track record of presenting compensation strategy and recommendations directly to C-level leadership and influencing decisions.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to explain complex compensation concepts to executives, managers, and employees.
- High degree of discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential information.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS- Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or comparable certification (strongly preferred).
- Exposure to executive compensation, including benchmarking, incentive design, or compensation committee support.
- Experience in data centers, construction, real estate, critical infrastructure, or another asset-intensive, high-growth industry.
- Experience with Workday Advanced Compensation and compensation reporting.
- Experience supporting compensation integration through organizational restructuring, new entity formation, or M&A.
- Experience in fast-paced, high-growth, or rapidly evolving organizations.
Successful candidates will be known for:
- Owning a function end-to-end-setting strategy, building foundations, and personally delivering flawless execution without a team behind them.
- Bringing analytical rigor and market insight to every pay recommendation.
- Serving as a trusted, pragmatic advisor to the ELT, managers, and People & Culture partners-comfortable being the final word on compensation matters.
- Balancing structure and governance with the speed and flexibility a high-growth business demands.
- Communicating clearly about pay in ways that build employee trust and manager capability.
- Handling sensitive information with uncompromising discretion and professionalism.
This role offers the opportunity to own compensation for a rapidly scaling organization outright-defining the strategy, building the programs, and leaving a durable imprint on how STACK pays, rewards, and retains its people for years to come.
Compensation Range: $128,260.00 - $146,017.59
THIS MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU IF:- You are a strong communicator, you are persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision-making.
- You do not get flustered easily. You can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables.
- You are a team builder. You take the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long-term plans for the growth and success of the team.
- You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. While you celebrate your successes, you take time to review and analyze campaigns for future learning.
