Senior Manager, Compensation, North America

The Senior Manager, Compensation, North America is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and administration of compensation programs that attract, motivate, and retain top talent while aligning with the organization's strategic goals. Reporting to the Sr Director, Total Rewards, this role serves as a compensation leader for North America, partnering closely with HR leadership, HRBPs, business leaders, and Finance to ensure competitive, equitable, and compliant pay practices across a complex, post-merger environment.

Following the combination of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock, this role is critical to the ongoing harmonization of legacy compensation structures, pay philosophies, and incentive programs into a unified North American framework. The person in this seat will bring both strategic vision and hands-on execution to ensure Smurfit Westrock's compensation programs are market-competitive, internally equitable, and positioned to support the company's owner-operator culture.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock

Compensation Strategy and Design

Lead the development and ongoing refinement of the North American compensation strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives and the global Reward function

Design and administer base pay structures and local/regional variable pay programs

Conduct regular market analysis and benchmarking using published surveys and custom studies to ensure competitive positioning across salaried, hourly, and union populations

Evaluate and recommend salary structures and pay ranges, incorporating post-merger harmonization priorities

Program Management

Partner with the broader Reward team and HR leadership to execute the annual compensation planning cycle, including merit increases, bonus payouts, and equity distribution

Manage the job offer process to ensure compensation recommendations for new hires, promotions, and internal moves are consistent, compliant, and aligned with the global job architecture framework

Assess new and existing roles against the global job architecture, managing job evaluations and maintaining internal equity across roles and functions

Develop and deliver communication and training programs to educate managers, employees, and HR partners on compensation policies, practices, and program changes

Ensure programs are scalable, data-driven, and aligned to performance outcomes

Partnership and Advisory

Act as a strategic advisor to HRBPs and business leaders on all compensation matters, including offers, promotions, organizational changes, and retention strategies

Provide expert guidance on complex compensation decisions, ensuring consistency and compliance across a matrixed, multi-site organization

Collaborate with Talent, Finance, and Legal teams to ensure alignment on compensation actions, regulatory compliance, and cost management

Conduct regular reviews and audits of compensation programs and recommend improvements to ensure effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals

Analytics and Reporting

Leverage compensation data and analytics to inform decision-making, identify trends, and proactively surface risks or opportunities

Develop dashboards and reporting to support leadership insights into market competitiveness, pay equity, and program effectiveness

Support compensation remediation efforts where needed, partnering with Legal and HR leadership on approach and execution

Compliance and Governance

Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, provincial (Canada), and local compensation laws and regulations

Maintain governance over compensation policies and practices across the North American footprint

Support audits, regulatory reporting, and internal reviews

Leadership

Lead, develop, and mentor a team of compensation professionals, building bench strength and functional capability within the Reward function

Drive continuous improvement in compensation processes, tools, and systems

Stay current on emerging compensation trends, legislative changes, and best practices in the manufacturing and packaging sector

Promote a culture of fairness, transparency, and accountability in all compensation decisions

What You Need to Succeed

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business, Finance, or related field

7–10 years of progressive compensation experience, with demonstrated ownership of compensation strategy and program design

Experience in a large, matrixed, or global organization with both salaried and hourly populations

Deep expertise in compensation program design, market benchmarking, job evaluation methodologies, and pay analytics

Strong knowledge of compensation-related laws and regulations (FLSA, Equal Pay Act, state/provincial pay transparency laws)

Advanced skills in Excel and experience with HRIS and compensation systems (Workday preferred)

Strategic thinking and business acumen with the ability to translate data into actionable recommendations for leaders

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Demonstrated ability to influence at all levels of the organization

Attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy

Preferred

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) strongly preferred

Master's degree in HR, MBA, or related advanced degree

SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent professional certification

Experience in manufacturing (Paper, packaging, or forest products industries preferred)

Experience managing direct reports

Familiarity with post-merger compensation harmonization, including integration of disparate pay structures and incentive programs

Active participation in professional organizations such as WorldatWork

What We Offer

Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence

Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities

An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential

A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety, and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work