Associate Director of Compensation

Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our strategic plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting Faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.

About Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's Faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and is No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.

2. We strive for excellence.

3. We thrive on diversity.

4. We celebrate collaboration.

5. We champion innovation.

6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.

7. We nurture the well-being of our community.

8. We act ethically.

9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good, breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Department Information

Compensation and Classification Department

Define and maintain job structures by evaluating roles to ensure accurate job titles, levels, and classifications aligned with organizational needs, governance requirements, and market context. Establish and manage market-driven salary structures that support talent attraction and retention while maintaining internal consistency and alignment with Georgia Tech and the University System of Georgia requirements. Support talent attraction and retention by applying competitive, sustainable, and data-informed compensation practices. Monitor parity and compression to identify pay concerns and inform data-driven recommendations. Advise leaders, managers, and employees on job classification and compensation practices.

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Classification and Compensation provides leadership and subject matter expertise to design, administer, and continuously improve compensation and classification programs that support institutional goals and enable talent attraction, retention, and workforce effectiveness. This role operates with analytical rigor, strong business judgment, and a consultative approach to deliver data-driven recommendations on pay positioning, job evaluation, market competitiveness, and internal alignment. The Associate Director leads and develops a team, sets priorities and goals, and ensures high-quality execution across compensation and classification activities.

Working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, the Associate Director partners closely with Human Resources Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Finance, Legal, and senior leaders to navigate complex issues, manage competing priorities, and deliver timely, defensible outcomes. The role requires executive presence, strong communication skills, and the ability to translate complex analyses into clear decision options, while maintaining compliance, internal controls, and audit-ready documentation. This role ensures compensation and classification practices align with applicable University System of Georgia policies and guidance, and collaborates with peer institutions across the USG to benchmark practices, share insights, and advance consistent, high-quality outcomes.

Responsibilities

Job Duty 1

Lead day-to-day compensation and classification service delivery, including request intake, analysis, documentation, and escalation support to ensure accurate, consistent, and timely outcomes across the Institute.

Job Duty 2

Serve as a consultative advisor to leaders and Human Resources partners by providing data-driven guidance on pay decisions, market competitiveness, internal alignment, parity/compression considerations, and risk tradeoffs.

Job Duty 3

Lead job evaluation and leveling activities and partner with classification stakeholders to support consistent job documentation, job family alignment, and career level placement within the established governance framework.

Job Duty 4

Lead compensation and classification initiatives using program management practices (scope, milestones, risks, stakeholder updates) and leverage technology and AI-enabled analysis to improve cycle readiness, decision support, and process efficiency.

Job Duty 5

Lead and/or support compensation cycle planning and execution, including calendars, guidelines, range updates, planning support, and insights that inform salary increase budgeting and decisions.

Job Duty 6

Lead improvements to compensation-related guidance, procedures, controls, and standard work to strengthen compliance, consistency, and audit-ready documentation.

Job Duty 7

Lead compensation reporting, analytics, dashboards, and executive-ready summaries; translate findings into clear decision options and recommendations for leaders.

Job Duty 8

Partner with human resources information system stakeholders to optimize tools supporting compensation and classification processes; perform data validation and audits to ensure data integrity and internal controls.

Job Duty 9

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team through goal setting, delegation, quality review, performance feedback, training, and development planning aligned to Institute priorities.

Job Duty 10

Other Duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in a related discipline or equivalent, with related experience. Required Experience: 6+ years of relevant experience, including 3+ years of supervisory experience

Additional Requirements:

Experience leading compensation or classification programs in a complex organization (for example, salary structure development, maintenance, job architecture modernization, or system/process improvements).

Experience using analytics and data visualization to support executive decision-making (including exposure to AI-enabled tools for analysis, forecasting, or workflow improvement).

Experience managing projects or multi-workstream initiatives, including planning, stakeholder communication, and delivery timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Professional certification (for example, Certified Compensation Professional, SHRM Senior Certified Professional, Senior Professional in Human Resources, or similar).

Experience working in higher education, private sector, or public sector environment

Knowledge

Knowledge of compensation strategy, salary structures, pay positioning, and salary administration practices.

Knowledge of job evaluation, leveling, and job documentation practices that support consistent classification outcomes.

Knowledge of market pricing, job matching, and compensation survey interpretation.

Understanding of governance, compliance concepts, and documentation practices that support audit readiness.

Skills

Skill in quantitative analysis, modeling, and developing clear decision support materials for leaders.

Skill in applying program and project management practices to deliver work across multiple stakeholders and timelines.

Skill in using technology to improve reporting, streamline processes, and enhance service delivery (including AI-enabled analysis where appropriate).

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts into plain language.

Abilities

Ability to exercise sound judgment and present options that explain cost, risk, and workforce impact.

Ability to influence and partner effectively across Human Resources, finance, legal, and senior leadership.

Ability to lead and develop teams with varied perspectives and experiences through coaching, feedback, and performance support.

Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining accuracy and quality.