Director, Compensation

Job Description:

The Director of Compensation provides university-wide strategic leadership and oversight of Brown University’s non-union staff compensation programs. As a visionary leader and member of the University Human Resources leadership team, the Director is responsible for the design, implementation and execution of competitive compensation initiatives that attract, motivate, and retain a talented workforce.

Reporting to the Vice President for Human Resources, the Director serves as a high-level consultant to University leaders and governing bodies. The role focuses on data-driven insights and emerging technologies to ensure rigorous pay equity, internal transparency, and a competitive market position that supports the University’s mission and high-performing culture.

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Design of Compensation Programs

Direct the design, development, implementation, administration and communication of compensation strategies and programs

Lead the evolution of Brown’s compensation philosophy and framework to drive employee engagement and performance

Direct the execution of the annual performance increase cycle and other compensation programs

Proactively leverage market intelligence and industry trends to develop and enhance the University’s ability to attract, retain, and reward top talent

Collaborate with the Director of Benefits to ensure a holistic Total Rewards approach that enhances the University’s value proposition

Executive Advisory & Partnership

Prepare and present data-driven narratives and materials for the Executive Compensation Committee and other governing bodies regarding institutional compensation health

Serve as the primary subject matter expert and trusted advisor to the Vice President for Human Resources, University executives, Human Resources Business Partners, senior leaders, and key stakeholders on complex workforce planning and the application of solution-oriented compensation best practices

Provide strategic consultation on high-impact reorganizations and senior-level classifications, partnering with unit leaders to ensure organizational designs are sustainable, equitable, and optimized for performance

Operational Excellence and Change Management

Lead the strategic roadmap for compensation technology, ensuring data integrity, seamless data flow and utilization of visualization tools to communicate pay narratives to University stakeholders

Partner with Human Resources Business Partners, Finance, HRIS, and business owners to enhance and implement processes, systems and tools to improve compensation administration, communication, and analysis

Design and lead the integration of Artificial Intelligence and data modeling into the compensation ecosystem to enhance analytics, automate high-volume benchmarking, and deliver real-time insights that inform proactive talent retention and working planning strategies

Proactively identify knowledge gaps and areas of opportunity across the University to design and facilitate targeted training programs and resources; foster a culture of transparency, education and compensation acumen

Lead change management efforts related to new compensation initiatives to ensure transparency across the University

Compensation Compliance and Pay Equity

Ensure rigorous compliance with federal and state regulations, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Rhode Island Pay Equity Act

Lead the implementation of staff pay equity studies

Serve as the final escalation point for complex job classification reviews and organizational design challenges

Team Development

Foster and promote a supportive, collaborative, and growth-oriented culture within the Compensation team; inspire, mentor, develop and lead a high-performing team

Ensure the team operates with a solutions-focused compensation mindset to proactively address the compensation and organizational needs of unit leaders and their teams, while also ensuring internal equity and market competitiveness to attract, retain and motivate talent at Brown

Other Special Projects

Other duties and/or special projects assigned by the Vice President for Human Resources

Job Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and 10+ years of experience in compensation and organizational design required or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and a minimum of 3 years’ experience successfully leading a compensation team.

Experience in higher education is preferred.

Must possess a strategic, solutions-oriented and continuous improvement mindset.

Expert knowledge of compensation and total rewards strategy, job classification, FLSA, compensation theory, practices, and the ability to translate to a variety of audiences.

Expertise developing strategic solutions to a broad range of classification, compensation and organizational challenges.

Experience with design, implementation, and maintenance of compensation software systems, including leveraging technology to streamline and/or enhance compensation processes.

Strong human resources, project management, problem-solving and analytical skills.

Ability to effectively manage large scale, complex projects in a fast-paced environment.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work across a complex organization with various levels of staff, faculty, students and outside constituents.

Ability to engage and influence senior leadership.

Ability to synthesize complex data and present it in a clear and actionable manner.

Strong coaching and team building skills to successfully lead a team.

CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) or PHR/SPHR (preferred).

Strong proficiency and knowledge of Excel, Workday, Payscale, PowerPoint and Data Visualization tools (preferred).

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Benefits of Working at Brown:

Please review additional information on the Benefits of Working at Brown.

Recruiting Start Date:

2026-05-26

Job Posting Title:

Director, Compensation

Department:

University Human Resources

Grade:

Grade 13

Worker Type:

Employee

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular

Time Type:

Full time

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

37.5

Position Work Location:

Hybrid

Submission Guidelines:

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any staff position at Brown University you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Brown University is a registered employer in the following states: Rhode Island, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Washington, D.C. All remote work must be performed in a state in which Brown is registered to do business.

Still Have Questions?

If you have any questions you may contact employment@brown.edu.

Brown is an E-Verify Employer.