Senior Compensation Manager (Rockville, MD, or Cambridge, MA)

Job Description

Opportunity

Abt Associates seeks a qualified Senior Compensation Manager to support the Human Resources team at our office in Rockville, MD, or Cambridge, MA. Reporting to the Abt’s Director Total Rewards, the Senior Manager of Compensation assumes responsibility for the compensation systems, policies, and procedures. S/he is the subject matter expert who is able to partner with Abt’s HR and business leaders to provide advice on compensation strategy and solutions for a variety of complex compensation issues. S/he leads and directs the compensation staff in the planning, administration, and implementation of various global compensation programs, and activities. S/he works cross‐organizationally with HR Business Partners and business leaders to ensure compensation plans are internally equitable, externally competitive and practices support Abt’s business strategy and objectives.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Leads analysis of compensation programs and practices and recommends solutions to ensure programs are competitively and consistently administered in compliance with all applicable regulations and are in alignment with Abt’s business strategy
• Manages the broad-based compensation program for the Company including the development and maintenance of base salary ranges and incentive targets globally for US domestic, third country nationals, expatriates and cooperating country national employees in regional/country offices. Ensures compensation structures that are robust, appropriate and tailored to the needs of the business and the country. Routinely assesses the market appropriateness of the pay scales in concert with the business needs and strategic goals for the Company’s various business lines/market segments
• Leads/manages complex global compensation projects including annual salary planning, grade/range movement, and annual bonus plan calculation and administration. Lead the compensation team in the analysis and recommendations for annual merit pool and labor escalation. Partner with Finance and Contracts to implement escalations after Compensation Committee and Board approval
• Oversees, enhances and manages the administration of company short-term incentive programs including the corporate annual Variable Incentive Compensation and the Spot Bonus Award Programs. Model overall program payouts and various planning scenarios. Administer and update plan documents and communication annually
• Partner with a diverse group of global stakeholders to assess needs and build capability in managing global compensation activities. Provide cost impact assessment for potential program changes, building flexible models and user-friendly documentation and tools to aid in decision making. Support Abt’s strategy and change agenda through the development of actionable insights, recommendations, and innovations
• Work with Business Development/Pricing teams to map jobs and individuals to appropriate MOBIS and GSA schedule labor categories ensuring a competitive yet affordable bid position. Lead the annual MOBIS and GSA schedule mapping for all employees. Draft and update (in partnership with the BD team) the annual Total Compensation Plan template for use in all RFPs
• Oversees Service Contract Act (SCA) compliance including ensuring accurate calculation of prevailing wage and Health and Welfare payments. Ensures current Wage Determinations are administered accordingly
• Team with HR Business Partners and Learning & Development to develop and deliver employee education sessions to help employees and managers understand Abt’s compensation philosophy, policies and practices to ensure they are maximizing the offerings available to them
• Partner with HR Data Analytics team to develop and manage compensation analytics and insights that will be regularly shared with HR/Executive Management and Business
• Partner with HR Business Partners, internal communications team and other stakeholders to develop employee communications regarding compensation programs and policies
• Oversee the job evaluation process to ensure the appropriate market benchmarking and evaluation of new and existing jobs are appropriate. Responsible for ensuring complete and current inventory of job descriptions and position profiles and provide updates as necessary. Leads participation in relevant annual compensation surveys and industry associations to stay abreast of market trends. Lead proactive competitive analysis and recommend program updates as necessary in line with market trends and findings
• Manages staff directly; provides direction, mentoring and sets appropriate development goals for direct reports. Maintains knowledge of best practices in compensation by attending conferences/seminars and through independent research
• Oversees the development of budget assumptions and recommendations for the Company salary expense budget. Collaborates with Director Total Rewards and Finance and business leaders on budget tracking and addressing variances and recommending corrective action where appropriate
• Participates in special projects teams in support of various HR Initiatives

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• A Bachelor’s degree in finance, mathematics, human resources or a related field required
• Minimum of eight (8) years’ of increasing responsibility and experience in global compensation and at least three years supervisory experience required. Previous Compensation management experience a must
• Previous experience in government contracting and a solid working knowledge of FAR and SCA regulations and compliance required. International Development industry experience and knowledge greatly preferred and helpful to the success of this role
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) strongly preferred
• Experienced user of Microsoft office products including advanced experience in Excel and intermediate experience with PowerPoint. Experience with PayFactors is a plus
• Financial acumen, strong analytics, problem-solving and attention to detail. Detail oriented with keen sense of accuracy particularly in time-sensitive situations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to interface, collaborate, and proactively communicate effectively with internal HR business partners, business clients, as well as external sources. Strong presentation skills with the ability to communicate proposed initiatives to senior leadership
• Highly adaptable to change and ability to adapt to shifting priorities, customer concerns, and management objectives. Excellent change management and project management skills
• Expert knowledge of compensation principles and practices. Experience with market pricing methodologies, variable compensation plans, and FLSA compliance
• Collaborative, team player who is analytical and comfortable using intuition and experience to complement data
• Strong project management skills: Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities
• Good time management skills and the ability to organize and prioritize own workload

Minimum Qualifications

• 8 years of experience and BS degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience

About the Organization

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1965, Abt Associates was built on the concept that sound information and empirical analysis are the best foundations for effective decision making. The firm blends the subject matter expertise of our staff with technical capabilities in applied research, program implementation, and data collection to shape policy, strengthen systems, measure performance, and deliver other solutions to our public and private sector clients. Examples of Abt Associates’ work include nationally recognized research, evaluation, and technical assistance to improve the efficiency of healthcare systems, the effectiveness of government housing programs, the production of food, and the measurement of public opinion. Abt’s staff of more than 2000 includes national and international experts who are known for their understanding of communities and governments worldwide, innovative research techniques, and insightful—and often groundbreaking—analyses and recommendations. Approximately 51 percent of our staff has graduate degrees; one in six has a doctorate. Our staff’s educational and professional disciplines include economics, engineering, environmental analysis, epidemiology, food security, health, housing, international development, psychology, social science, statistics, and survey methodology. Abt’s research staff is experienced with prominent statistical software packages, including SPSS, SAS, and STATA, along with qualitative software such as NVIVO and Atlas. In 2011, Abt Associates was ranked among the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 development innovators. Abt has offices in Atlanta, Ga.; Rockville, Md.; Cambridge, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Durham, N.C.; and New York City and program offices in nearly 40 countries in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. www.abtassociates.com