Position Summary
CME Group is seeking an experienced Executive Director, Compensation to lead our global compensation function, driving the strategy, design, governance and execution of our base pay, annual bonus, and equity programs for our global workforce. This role serves as the senior-most compensation partner to leadership and HR and oversees a competitive, performance-based rewards framework that attracts, retains and motivates top talent, while managing a team of compensation professionals.
Key Responsibilities
- Compensation Strategy: Designs and implements competitive pay strategies aligned with organizational goals, drives a pay-for-performance culture and fosters an engaged and productive global workforce.
- Program Management: Directs the administration of the company’s compensation programs, policies and processes. Leads the execution of base pay, bonus and equity award planning across the organization. Oversees the promotion process and job evaluation framework. Develops and executes communication strategies that enhance employees’ understanding of and appreciation for compensation programs and pay decisions.
- Business Partnership: Provides thought leadership and counsels management on pay practices and decisions that incorporate company philosophies. Provides expert guidance on executive compensation matters. Serves as an advisor to leadership, managers, HR business partners and recruiters. Communicates with candidates as necessary.
- Team Management: Provides effective management, leadership and mentorship to compensation team members. Manages third party vendors/consultants/data providers.
- Market Intelligence & Analytics: Translates data and insights into clear, actionable recommendations. Researches issues, analyzes market trends, develops cost models, prepares materials and presents to leadership.
- Governance & Compliance: Manages the support for and liaises with the Compensation Committee of the Board in the fulfillment of their duties. Manages the production of the executive compensation disclosure in the proxy statement as well as other HR-related public disclosures. Ensures compliance with country- and entity-specific regulatory requirements and alignment with best practices. Partners with Legal, Compliance, Tax, Payroll, Accounting and other internal functions as necessary.
Qualifications
- Experience: 10+ years of progressive compensation experience in a global organization, including executive compensation experience at a U.S. public company. 5+ years of experience managing a compensation function / team. Financial services, fin tech or technology industry experience is strongly preferred. Prior experience with M&A due diligence and integration for the compensation function is a plus.
- Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in compensation analytics (Google Sheets / Microsoft Excel). Experience with market pricing software (Payfactors), HRMS (Workday) and compensation planning software (Peoplefluent).
- Strategic Advisory: Strong communication and influencing skills required. Proven track record of consulting with leadership to solve complex compensation challenges. Experience interfacing with members of the Board of Directors preferred.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree.
CME Group: Where Futures are Made
CME Group is the world’s leading derivatives marketplace. But who we are goes deeper than that. Here, you can impact markets worldwide. Transform industries. And build a career by shaping tomorrow. We invest in your success and you own it – all while working alongside a team of leading experts who inspire you in ways big and small. Problem solvers, difference makers, trailblazers. Those are our people. And we’re looking for more.
At CME Group, we embrace our employees' unique experiences and skills to ensure that everyone’s perspectives are acknowledged and valued. As an equal-opportunity employer, we consider all potential employees without regard to any protected characteristic.
Important Notice: Recruitment fraud is on the rise, with scammers using misleading promises of job offers and interviews to solicit money and personal information from job seekers. CME Group adheres to established procedures designed to maintain trust, confidence and security throughout our recruitment process. Learn more here.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of progressive compensation experience in a global organization
- Executive compensation experience at a U.S. public company
- 5+ years managing a compensation function or team
- Advanced proficiency in compensation analytics using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel
- Experience with market pricing software such as Payfactors
- Experience with HRMS platforms such as Workday
- Experience with compensation planning software such as Peoplefluent
- Strong communication and influencing skills
- Proven experience consulting with leadership on complex compensation challenges
- Bachelor's degree
- Financial services, fintech, or technology industry experience
- Prior experience with mergers and acquisitions compensation due diligence and integration
- Experience interfacing with members of the Board of Directors
CME Group Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about CME Group and has not been reviewed or approved by CME Group.
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Retirement Support — U.S. offerings include both a 401(k) and a company-funded cash-balance pension, strengthening long-term financial security. This dual-track structure is highlighted as a notable differentiator among private employers.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO and holiday schedules are described as generous, with ample time off and carryover commonly highlighted. This breadth of leave meaningfully enhances perceived total rewards.
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Flexible Benefits — A flexible, hybrid work model applies to many roles, increasing day-to-day usability of the package. Flexibility is framed as a standard feature rather than an exception.
CME Group Insights
What We Do
As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate. CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its trading facilities in New York and Chicago. CME Group also operates CME Clearing, one of the world’s leading central counterparty clearing provider in the world, which offers clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts, as well as for over-the-counter derivatives transactions through CME ClearPort®. These products and services ensure that businesses everywhere can substantially mitigate counterparty credit risk in both listed and over-the-counter derivatives markets.


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