Deputy Director of Compensation Practices at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – Boston, Massachusetts

The Deputy Director, Compensation Practices leverages deep expertise in compensation strategy, analytics, and industry knowledge to lead the design, delivery, and communication of the MBTA’s compensation framework and programs. The role ensures alignment between role definitions, leveling, and compensation structure to meet complex business needs, and is responsible for designing, building, and/or re-building job family architecture to support organizational structure. The role collaborates across all levels of the organization, including HR and senior leadership, to gain alignment and support for market-competitive strategies. The Deputy Director oversees data collection and analysis related to market trends, pay equity, and other compensation studies, and ensures all programs comply with local, state, and federal compensation regulations.

• Lead the analysis, design, and administration of the MBTA’s compensation programs, including base pay strategies to drive recruitment, retention, and employee engagement in alignment with organizational goals.
• Design, execute, and oversee complex compensation analytics, including market pricing models, internal equity analyses, compression studies, and scenario modeling to support strategic decision-making.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and communication of pay structures, salary grades, compensation budgets, and related guidelines.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure pay decisions support employee engagement while aligning with compensation policies and budgetary constraints by evaluating jobs and leading initiatives to develop, maintain, and refine job family architecture, ensuring alignment between role definitions, leveling, job descriptions, and compensation structure.
• Develop and analyze compensation models and salary structures using advanced statistical and market metrics (e.g., compa-ratio, range penetration, demographic and trend analysis) to identify risks, anomalies, and data-driven recommendations for leadership.
• Coordinate compensation survey participation and conduct research and analysis on market competitiveness, pay equity, and industry compensation trends.
• Manage Compensation team performance through setting clear expectations, holding regular 1:1s, providing constructive feedback, and conducting formal performance appraisals.
• Direct and oversee the daily operations of the Compensation team while actively coaching and mentoring staff, and ensuring accurate, timely results; Foster a highly collaborative and accountable team culture by guiding strategy, and setting clear priorities, deadlines, and expectations.
• Serve as the co-administrator for compensation management systems (e.g., Salary.com), overseeing configuration and daily operations.
• Respond to each inquiry, whether from a customer, vendor or co-worker in a courteous and professional manner.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Supervision

• Direct supervision of a team of compensation professionals.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in Human Resources with a specialization in Compensation, which must include:
  1. Developing financial models and compensation analyses to support management decisions;
  2. Designing, building, and/or re-building job family architecture to support organizational structure;
  3. Developing and maintaining compensation structures that align with organizational goals and pay equity principles.
• Two (2) years of managerial, supervisory, and/or leadership experience.
• Experience presenting compensation data and influencing data-driven decision making with stakeholders at all levels.
• Expert knowledge of compensation platforms/systems.
• Advanced analytical skills using large datasets utilizing Tableau and Excel functions including pivot tables and queries for data analysis, look-ups, conditional logic, automation, and effective presentation of insights.
• Demonstrated experience with end-to-end process thinking, including ability to understand holistic approach to achieve optimization, efficiency and strategic goals.
• Experience mentoring and developing compensation staff, including performance management.
• Excellent consulting, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• Understanding of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) as it relates to compensation.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Strong ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to collaborate with hiring managers, labor relations, legal, finance teams to ensure alignment and fiscal responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience navigating complex stakeholder environments with competing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Advanced knowledge of PC applications and Microsoft Office applications.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local compensation-related laws, including pay equity, FLSA, and transparency requirements.

• A High School Diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate degree from an accredited institution and an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one year of experience.

Preferred Experience and Required Skills

• Ten (10) or more years of experience as a compensation professional in a large HR department.
• Master’s degree in HR, Finance, Public Administration, or related field.
• CCP or other professional compensation certification.
• Experience in a large, complex, unionized organization.
• Experience in public sector or quasi-public agencies.