Director of Compensation

Arkansas Talent Group is partnering with a growing, publicly traded organization to identify a Director of Compensation . This is a strategic HR leadership opportunity for a compensation professional who has advanced through progressively responsible roles and is ready to lead, develop, and elevate a mid- to large-sized compensation team. The ideal candidate will bring deep, well-rounded compensation expertise, including executive compensation, sales and commission plans, salary structures, job architecture, market pricing, and compensation analytics, along with the leadership presence to partner directly with executive stakeholders. This person must be a proven people leader who can delegate effectively, guide and develop a team, and remain focused on enterprise compensation strategy rather than personally owning every transactional responsibility. This role is remote (candidates residing in Arkansas will be given priority consideration due to in-office meetings and team collaboration) Job Description:  Lead the overall compensation function, including strategic planning, program design, governance, process improvement, team development, and operational oversight. Manage, mentor, train, and develop a mid-sized compensation team; set clear expectations, delegate work appropriately, build accountability, and ensure consistent delivery of high-quality work. Partner with executive leadership, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Payroll, and operational leaders to develop and execute compensation strategies aligned with organizational goals. Serve as a senior compensation advisor to executives and business leaders, translating complex data, market trends, and business needs into clear recommendations and action plans. Lead compensation planning activities, including annual merit cycles, salary reviews, incentive planning, market adjustments, budgeting, forecasting, and compensation communications. Oversee executive compensation programs within a publicly traded company environment, including benchmarking, incentive plan support, executive pay analysis, governance, and strategic planning. Lead the design, administration, modeling, analysis, and evaluation of sales compensation and commission programs. Evaluate compensation programs for competitiveness, internal equity, financial impact, employee retention, market alignment, and overall effectiveness. Oversee salary structures, job architecture, job descriptions, salary grades, market-pricing practices, pay ranges, and compensation benchmarking. Analyze compensation, workforce, market, and financial data to identify meaningful trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities. Develop compensation forecasts, models, reports, and scenario analyses to support executive decision-making and broader workforce planning. Create practical recommendations and plans of action related to compensation trends, pay compression, retention risk, salary competitiveness, organizational changes, and incentive effectiveness. Partner cross-functionally with managers and business leaders to support job evaluations, compensation decisions, organizational design, talent strategy, and workforce planning. Lead HRIS-related compensation processes, reporting, data integrity efforts, workflow improvements, and system enhancements. Ensure accurate compensation data, strong documentation, appropriate controls, and adherence to internal policies and applicable compliance requirements. Build scalable processes and tools that improve efficiency, data quality, consistency, and the overall employee and manager experience. Experience:  Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Analytics, or a related field required ; advanced degree and/or professional certification is a plus. Significant progressive compensation experience, with a demonstrated history of increasing leadership responsibility. Proven experience leading and managing a compensation team, preferably a mid-sized team. Strong leadership skills with the ability to successfully delegate, coach, train, oversee, and hold team members accountable. Experience in a publicly traded organization is required. Significant executive compensation experience, including executive pay analysis, benchmarking, incentive programs, governance, and executive-level communication. Strong experience with sales compensation and commission plan design, administration, analytics, modeling, and performance evaluation. Deep knowledge of broad-based compensation, including salary structures, salary grades, job architecture, job descriptions, market pricing, and benchmarking. Experience leading annual compensation planning, merit cycles, incentive planning, compensation budgeting, and forecasting. Advanced Excel skills, including complex formulas, pivot tables, lookup functions, data modeling, reporting, and analysis of large data sets. Strong HRIS experience, including compensation modules, reporting, data integrity, workflow management, and system/process improvement. Demonstrated ability to analyze reports and workforce data, identify trends, and turn findings into sound strategic recommendations. Strong financial and business acumen, with the ability to understand the impact of compensation decisions on budgets, workforce plans, and business performance. Excellent communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder-management skills. Ability to work effectively across HR, Finance, Legal, Payroll, executive leadership, and operational teams. High level of discretion, judgment, organization, and attention to detail when handling confidential compensation information. Compensation & Benefits: Base salary range of $140,000–$160,000 , depending on experience + bonus potential Remote work environment, with a strong preference for a candidate who can work in a hybrid capacity in Central Arkansas. Comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and other company-sponsored benefits. Opportunity to lead a high-impact function and influence enterprise-level compensation strategy within a publicly traded organization. Collaborative, strategic leadership environment with room to build, improve, and develop the compensation function and team. Please apply directly to Stephanie Shine or any of your ATG recruiters for more information. Arkansas Talent Group is an Executive Permanent Placement Recruitment Firm. All considerations will be held confidential.