At Fried Frank, we’re a community of 800 lawyers and 500 business services professionals across New York, Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt, and Brussels. We advise leading corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions on high-stakes M&A, securities, regulatory matters, real estate, and litigation. Our culture is grounded in our core values — excellence, integrity and collaboration — and is designed to foster continuous learning, meaningful mentorship, and lasting professional growth. We are firmly committed to pro bono service and social justice, building on a proud legacy in civil rights. Our inclusive talent strategy is a core part of our broader talent management efforts and we remain steadfast in fostering a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to grow, thrive, and become their best professional and personal selves. Our business services professionals are integral to the firm’s success, driving innovation, operational excellence and exceptional client service across all areas of the firm. We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including comprehensive medical coverage, retirement plans and health and wellness initiatives designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing. We welcome passionate, driven individuals to join us, and be part of a team where you’ll be supported, inspired and empowered to build an exceptional career.
Position Summary:
We are seeking a strategic and hands-on Manager of Compensation to lead the design, implementation, and management of our global compensation programs for both attorney and business services populations. Reporting to the Director of HR Operations, you will play a critical part in aligning compensation strategies with the firm’s broader goals and ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape and drive compensation initiatives across our US and Europeans offices in a high-performance and collaborative environment.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Manage the development, implementation and administration of global compensation programs that support the firm’s talent and business objectives.
- Monitor and evaluate regularly the effectiveness of existing compensation practices and recommends cost-effective changes, consistent with trends and the firm’s long-term goals.
- Communicate compensation philosophy, program timelines, and guiding principles to stakeholders; oversee end-to-end execution of attorney and business services compensation cycles.
- Develop and present funding recommendations to executive leadership for approvals.
- Collaborate with HR and finance stakeholders to manage the annual compensation planning process globally and ensure timely execution.
- Support the attorney lock-step compensation cycle, including plan management and modelling, deviation protocols, and special counsel compensation cycles.
- Provide guidance and training to managers and practice group directors on pay decisions, policy interpretations, job pricing and evaluations.
- Oversee participation in salary surveys for business services employees firmwide; monitor salary survey data and market trends to ensure salary competitiveness, supporting recruiting and retention goals.
- Design compensation programs and incentive plans to address evolving business needs, as needed.
- Partner with finance to forecast and adjust as needed, annual compensation fundings to mitigate budgetary risks due to market pressures, business performance, etc.
- Ensure compliance with federal, state and local compensation laws and regulations.
- Lead projects related to further enhance the firm’s compensation philosophy and operational approach, working closely with the HRIS team to enhance system capabilities and reporting.
Qualifications:
Education: College degree required. Advanced degree preferred.
Experience:
- At least 7 years of work-related experience in Compensation management.
- Experience in managing both attorney and business services employees’ compensation process in law firm preferred.
Skills and Abilities:
- Proven experience managing compensation programs in a professional services, legal, or similarly fast-paced environment.
- Deep knowledge of compensation best practices, compliance, and market benchmarking.
- Strong analytical and actuarial skills. Ability to interpret and communicate data into actionable insights.
- Computer proficiency and technical aptitude with the ability to use Microsoft products, including Excel.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to adapt to audience effectively.
- Knowledge of federal, state and local regulations and compliance requirements related to employee compensation.
- Strong interpersonal skills in dealing with senior management.
- Ability to act in a professional manner and with a high degree of integrity at all times.
- Ability to handle and prioritize multiple assignments and work with highly confidential information.
- Must be able to work under pressure with frequent interruptions and tight deadlines.
- Ability to use independent judgment, problem solve, and answer questions.
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What We Do
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP advises the world's leading corporations, investment funds and financial institutions on their most critical legal needs and business opportunities. The firm's more than 650 lawyers are based in North America, the UK and Europe.
