Total Rewards Lead

Decagon

• $200K — $260K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in compensation, benefits, or total rewards at a high-growth tech or SaaS company; leadership experience preferred
  • Experience building or significantly rebuilding compensation structures and job architecture, ideally in a pre-IPO environment
  • Deep expertise in equity compensation, including option plans and RSUs, with experience in employee education
  • Ability to design and manage competitive benefits programs and vendor relationships
  • Data-driven approach using market data to inform compensation decisions
  • Experience collaborating with Finance on headcount planning and compensation modeling
  • Strong communication skills to simplify complex compensation concepts for various audiences

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement Decagon's total compensation philosophy, including salary bands and equity guidelines
  • Build and maintain a job architecture and leveling framework for consistency across the company
  • Lead annual and mid-year compensation review cycles in collaboration with Finance and People Business Partners
  • Administer all equity programs, including grant processes and employee communications
  • Manage benefits programs, including open enrollment and ongoing plan design
  • Serve as the expert on compliance related to compensation and benefits
  • Collaborate with Recruiting to create competitive offers that attract top talent
  • Develop clear communications to help employees understand their total compensation package

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits for employees and their families
  • Life Insurance and Disability Benefits
  • Retirement Plan options, including 401K
  • Parental Leave
  • Fertility and family building benefits through Carrot
  • Monthly wellness stipend for lifestyle and work-life balance
  • Daily lunches and snacks provided in the office
  • Flexible vacation policy allowing employees to take what they need
Full Job Description
About the Role

Decagon is looking to hire our first Total Rewards leader to build and own the foundation of how we attract, reward, and retain world-class talent as we scale. This is a high-impact, zero-to-one role: you'll design the compensation and benefits architecture from the ground up, bring structure and rigor to our equity programs, and serve as the strategic authority on all things total rewards across the company. You'll partner directly with our founders, People leadership, and Finance to ensure our programs are competitive, equitable, and built to scale with us.

You May Be a Good Fit If You:
  • Have 6+ years of experience in compensation, benefits, or total rewards at a high-growth tech or SaaS company - leadership experience is a plus
  • Have built or significantly rebuilt compensation structures, job architecture, and leveling frameworks - ideally in a fast-moving, pre-IPO environment
  • Have deep expertise in equity compensation (option plans, RSUs, refresh cycles) and experience supporting equity education and communications for employees
  • Understand how to design and administer competitive benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and ancillary programs, while managing vendor relationships and renewals
  • Are data-driven - you use market data (Pave, Levels.fyi, etc.) to anchor decisions and can build clean, defensible comp models
  • Have experience partnering with Finance on headcount planning, comp accruals, and total compensation cost modeling
  • Are a strong communicator who can distill complex comp concepts for employees, managers, and executives alike
  • Thrive in ambiguity and can move quickly without sacrificing rigor

Even Better If You:
  • Have worked at a company that scaled from ~100 to 500+ employees and navigated the total rewards complexity that comes with that growth
  • Have experience with executive compensation and board-level reporting
  • Have supported international expansion and understand how to structure compensation across multiple geographies
  • Are familiar with HR tech and compensation tooling (Carta, Pave, Radford, Workday, Rippling, etc.)

What You'll Own:
  • Design and own Decagon's total compensation philosophy, including salary bands, equity guidelines, bonus structures, and benefits programs
  • Build and maintain a job architecture and leveling framework that creates consistency and clarity across the company
  • Lead annual and mid-year compensation review cycles, partnering closely with Finance and People Business Partners
  • Own all equity program administration - from grant processes and refresh cycles to employee education and vesting communications
  • Manage our benefits programs end-to-end, including open enrollment, broker relationships, and ongoing plan design
  • Serve as the internal expert on comp and benefits compliance (FLSA, ACA, state-level requirements, etc.)
  • Partner with Recruiting to build compelling, competitive offers and ensure we're winning top talent at every level
  • Develop clear communications that help employees understand and value their total compensation package


Comp: $200,000 - $260,000 + Equity

Benefits

We proudly offer the following benefits for our full-time employees:
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits for you and your family
  • Life Insurance and Disability Benefits
  • Retirement Plan (e.g., 401K, pension)
  • Parental Leave
  • Fertility and family building benefits through Carrot
  • Monthly stipend to support your wellness, lifestyle, and work-life balance
  • Daily lunches and snacks in the office to keep you at your best
  • Take what you need vacation policy (subject to local requirements; UK employees receive 25 days of statutory leave)

These benefits are described in more detail in Decagon's policies, may vary by location, and can change at any time according to applicable compensation and benefits plans.

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