Sr Manager, Compensation

Location: Newton, MA (Hybrid)
Reports To: Director, Compensation

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Compensation is a strategic compensation leader responsible for the design, governance, implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of compensation programs that support Panera's business objectives and talent strategy. This role serves as a trusted advisor to HR, Finance, Talent Acquisition, HR Technology, and business leaders, delivering market-competitive compensation solutions that attract, retain, and motivate talent.

The position is responsible for incentive plan design and administration, compensation analytics, market benchmarking, annual compensation processes, pay governance initiatives, and Workday compensation operations. The Senior Manager leverages data-driven insights, market intelligence, and technology-enabled solutions to ensure compensation programs are competitive, equitable, compliant, and aligned with organizational performance goals. The role builds upon responsibilities currently focused on incentive administration, market pricing, compensation cycles, compliance, and stakeholder support.

Key Responsibilities:

Compensation Strategy & Consulting

• Serve as a trusted compensation advisor to HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition partners, and business leaders on compensation philosophy, pay decisions, program design, and talent-related compensation issues.
• Partner with leadership to develop compensation solutions that support attraction, retention, engagement, and performance objectives.
• Translate compensation principles and market data into practical recommendations for business stakeholders.
• Support the evolution of compensation frameworks, salary structures, job architecture, and career progression models.

Incentive Plan Design & Administration

• Lead the design, modeling, implementation, communication, and administration of short-term incentive programs across retail and field populations.
• Partner with Finance, Operations, and HR leaders to ensure incentive plans align with organizational objectives and performance outcomes.
• Conduct financial modeling and scenario analyses to evaluate plan effectiveness and support decision-making.
• Lead governance and continuous improvement efforts, including process optimization, documentation, controls, communications, and system updates.
• Conduct post-cycle reviews and recommend enhancements based on performance outcomes, participant feedback, and market practices.
• Ensure timely and accurate incentive calculations, approvals, and payouts in partnership with Finance and HR.

Market Pricing & Benchmarking

• Lead market pricing activities and job evaluations to ensure compensation programs remain externally competitive and internally equitable.
• Manage participation in industry salary surveys and maintain strong vendor relationships with market data providers.
• Perform competitive assessments and develop recommendations regarding pay positioning, salary ranges, and compensation structures.
• Maintain the integrity and quality of benchmarking, job matching, and market analysis methodologies.
• Monitor compensation trends and emerging practices across retail, restaurant, hospitality, and service-sector organizations.

Compensation Analytics & Insights

• Develop compensation analytics, dashboards, and executive reporting to support workforce planning and compensation decision-making.
• Analyze compensation data to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and organizational insights.
• Support executive presentations through data-driven recommendations and business case development.
• Measure and evaluate the effectiveness of compensation and incentive programs through quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Leverage reporting and visualization tools to improve compensation transparency and decision support.

Compensation Process Ownership

• Lead the annual merit, promotion, and compensation planning cycles, including Workday configuration, testing, validation, communications, and governance.
• Own semi-annual wage adjustment programs and support enterprise compensation initiatives.
• Ensure compensation processes are scalable, efficient, and aligned with pay-for-performance principles.
• Develop project plans and manage cross-functional stakeholders to ensure successful execution of compensation programs.

Compensation Technology & Process Optimization

• Serve as the compensation subject matter expert for Workday Compensation and related systems.
• Partner with HR Technology teams to identify automation opportunities, streamline workflows, and improve user experience.
• Lead business requirements development, testing strategies, system enhancements, and release support activities.
• Establish process controls and governance frameworks to ensure data accuracy and operational excellence.

Pay Governance, Compliance & Pay Equity

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local compensation regulations and requirements.
• Partner with HR, Legal, and HR Technology teams to support evolving pay transparency initiatives and related compliance requirements.
• Conduct compensation audits and participate in pay equity analyses to identify and address potential risks.
• Support compensation policy development, governance activities, documentation standards, and audit readiness.
• Monitor regulatory developments and recommend program or process changes as needed.

Stakeholder Partnership & Education

• Provide compensation guidance and consultation to HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition partners, and business leaders.
• Develop and deliver compensation training, education, and communication materials.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, HRIS, Talent Acquisition, Legal, and Operations teams to ensure alignment across compensation initiatives.
• Build strong relationships across the organization to drive successful adoption of compensation programs and policies.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related field.
• 8–10+ years of progressive compensation experience with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Experience supporting large, geographically dispersed employee populations in retail, restaurant, hospitality, distribution, or similarly labor-intensive industries.
• Demonstrated expertise in compensation program design, market pricing, job evaluation, and compensation administration.
• Advanced Excel skills, including modeling, scenario analysis, and large dataset management.
• Experience with Workday Compensation and enterprise HRIS-driven compensation processes.
• Strong understanding of compensation compliance, pay equity, and compensation governance.
• Proven ability to influence and consult with leaders at multiple organizational levels.

Preferred:

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation.
• Experience with compensation survey platforms such as Mercer, WTW, Aon, Radford, PayFactors, or ERI.
• Experience developing compensation dashboards and compensation analytics tools.
• Experience supporting pay transparency initiatives and multi-state compliance requirements.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional projects.

Competitive pay $136,383 to $163,660 annually.

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.