Global Compensation Manager – People and Strategy Team – US, UK, Kenya and Nigeria At Mercy Corps

Location: United States, United Kingdom, Kenya or Nigeria

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full-time, Exempt, Regular

Salary:

• US Starting Salary for this role will be $76,800 to $91,200 commensurate on experience.
• Based on local benchmark for candidates outside of the United States.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have a long-term impact.

The Department

The People and Strategy Team ensures that Mercy Corps has the people, strategies and learning that will enable it to be a world-class, cutting edge, humanitarian organization, creating transformational change in the world. We do this through the recruitment, retention and development of the best global talent. Our aim is to drive strategic thinking and planning at all levels of the organization; create a robust body of research to guide us internally and externally and steward the organizational culture. To achieve this, we align conversations on learning; keep the organization focused on what has the greatest impact; leverage our comparative advantages in the crowded and competitive international relief and development landscape; and assure we are constantly learning from our work and the external environment.

The Position

The Global Compensation Manager develops, deploys, and leads compensation efforts ensuring Mercy Corps the unique support needs of team members in 40+ global locations.

This position will ensure alignment with the organization’s business objectives through strategic compensation initiatives, programs, policies, processes and systems. This individual will support the Director of Compensation and Benefits by researching, designing and implementing compensation strategies and programs that are aligned and integrated with business plans, which will enhance our talent attraction, retention, performance, and development initiatives globally. This position is also responsible for ensuring Mercy Corps’ compensation programs are consistently administered in compliance with internal policies and government regulations with a strong emphasis on diversity and equity.

The Global Compensation Manager will be a leading strategic partner in developing a comprehensive strategy for global compensation on an international scale. The individual will work with leadership in our 40+ countries to strategically define and implement international compensation practices and policies with a keen equity lens. A key element of this role focuses on building, maintaining and strengthening relationships to support a well-integrated and resilient service delivery model.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Advocate for and represent all areas of Mercy Corps’ People strategy.
• Work with the Director of Compensation and Benefits to guide the People Team’s overall vision and approach, delivering clear actionable plans to achieve department priorities.
• Influence agency priorities, country and regional strategies, based on compensation practical experience and understanding of MC compensation needs, focused on impact and growth.
• Identify and implement a vision for a comprehensive Compensation Strategy with support for global team members, ensuring coherence across regional teams and the People Team; strategically engage to advance implementation of those plans.
• Advise country/program teams on compensation best practices, supported through a global compensation philosophy.
• Strategically develop and manage cross-departmental and cross-functional relationships and activities to ensure the compensation function is well integrated into wider agency objectives.
• Build and maintain external partnerships agency-wide and serve as key external communicator for Mercy Corps in a wide range of public forums.
• In collaboration with others on the People Team, identify areas of opportunity to strengthen compensation operations and proactively offer recommendations to management.
• Develop and implement project management tools and processes, providing training as needed/requested.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

• Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under challenging or difficult In-country t circumstances.
• Promote Mercy Corps’ culture by promoting the development and advancement of ideas allowing for new and unique approaches to problem-solving within existing policy and procedural requirements.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Demonstrate an awareness of his/her personal strengths and development needs.
• Provide leadership in all areas of compensation and benefits; establish policies and strategy in support of Mercy Corps’ Total Rewards philosophy.

GLOBAL COMPENSATION

• Create and monitor salary structures and classifications while ensuring practices comply with applicable laws and regulations and align with the organization’s overall strategic objectives and vision.
• Recommend/implement changes to practices to establish & maintain competitive compensation programs.
• Manage pay structures through salary survey analysis to ensure appropriate and competitive compensation programs and standards are in place.
• Manage and develop global compensations policies.
• Provide management oversight for base pay and bonus programs globally including merit pay, bonus plans, promotions and salary changes.
• Manage and conduct job evaluations and evaluate new position descriptions/classifications for FLSA and EEO implications using market data and internal evaluations.
• Advise and partner with department leaders, HR Officers, and recruiters on compensation-related matters such as benchmarking new positions, job offers, promotions, internal transfers and department restructures.
• Report on, and ensure compliance with, applicable regulations such as Fair Pay Affirmative Action, EEO, Oregon Equal Pay Act, etc.

TEAM MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

• With support from the Vice President, develop the capacity of the People Team as it relates to the Total Rewards function.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and continued learning.
• Participate within the larger People Team, and agency, to share ideas, develop standard practices and implement best practices across Mercy Corps programs.
• Design and streamline processes with others on the People Team to develop an improved Total Rewards experience across the global Mercy Corps team.
• Supervise the Compensation and Benefits Analyst by providing coaching, development opportunities and performance evaluations.

REPRESENTATION, COMMUNICATION AND INFLUENCE

• Track key initiatives, identify appropriate metrics and track progress towards meeting established objectives, with an eye towards constant improvement.
• Support in maintaining collaborative relationships with Mercy Corps’ managers to ensure clear mutual understanding of People Team priorities.
• Collaborate with Mercy Corps Europe’s Human Resource Team to ensure a mutually supportive approach to compensation and benefits.
• Communicate Compensation strategy and overall benefits more broadly internally, and work with the Talent team to incorporate into the employment brand strategy.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Global Compensation Manager will supervise the Compensation and Benefits Analyst.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director, Compensation and Benefits.

Works Directly With: People team, Local and Regional leadership teams.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• 5+ years of experience managing compensation programs, international experience is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field, preferred.
• In-country experience managing compensation in a developing market is required.
• English proficiency required; proficiency in Arabic/French/Spanish is a plus.
• Demonstrated history of providing excellent customer service and a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to recognize and demonstrate sensitivity to team members’ personal situations.
• A historically demonstrated ability to maintain confidential information.
• Must have strong analytical, mathematical and problem-solving skills, effective organizational and interpersonal skills; strong written and verbal communication.
• Excellent time management skills and attention to detail.
• Project management skills including the ability to create and execute plans within established deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills paired with strong process-orientation (able to develop / implement systems).
• Strong analytical skills and a thorough knowledge of compensation and benefit plan designs.
• Ability to understand how to leverage compensation programs to align with industry duty of care best practices.
• Proven experience and intermediate skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, M365, and project management tools. Market Pay experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of all pertinent federal and state regulations, filing and compliance requirements, both adopted and pending, affecting compensation programs.
• Experience with UltiPro, or comparable HRIS, human resources information system.
• Experience in the healthcare industry, nonprofits and or international NGOs is preferred.

Success Factors

The successful team member will be an avid learner, self-directed, innovative and action orientated. Furthermore, they must have the ability to work independently, employ effective time management skills, handle frequent interruptions and shift priorities, exhibit effective customer service skills and work effectively with a wide variety of individuals including team members based overseas.

They will be able to work onsite and collaborate with team members, deliver compelling designs within the guidelines of specific project objectives and interact professionally and productively with HQ and other global staff. Additionally, the individual will thrive in a fast-paced environment prone to rapid change and be willing to increase his/her responsibility level in the assigned areas.

The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a positive approach, a strong commitment to teamwork and personal accountability, and the ability to be flexible and ensure effective communication is a priority in all situations.