Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing (R6270)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Job Description:

The Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing, serves as the strategic compensation leader for the Aircraft division, providing enterprise-level oversight for compensation programs supporting manufacturing, production, operations, supply chain, logistics, customer success, and skilled trades. This role defines compensation strategy for large, complex employee populations while ensuring programs are competitive, scalable, compliant, and aligned with business objectives. 

As the organization's subject matter expert for manufacturing and operations compensation, the Director partners closely with business leaders, Px Business Partners, Finance, and Legal to design compensation programs that enable business growth, talent attraction, workforce scalability, and operational excellence. 

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in manufacturing compensation strategy, non-exempt workforce design, market intelligence, and executive consulting, with a demonstrated ability to influence enterprise decisions and build compensation frameworks that support rapidly growing operations. 

What you'll do:

Compensation Strategy & Enterprise Leadership 

• Develop and lead the compensation strategy supporting Aircraft manufacturing, production, operations, supply chain, logistics, customer success, and skilled trades populations.  
• Serve as the SME on manufacturing and operations compensation, shaping long-term compensation philosophy and governance.  
• Partner with business leadership to align compensation strategy with business growth, workforce planning, organizational design, and operational priorities.  
• Drive compensation initiatives supporting facility expansions, new business models, geographic growth, and workforce transformation.  

Manufacturing & Operations Compensation 

• Lead the design and evolution of compensation structures supporting large non-exempt employee populations.  
• Establish wage structures, geographic differentials, shift premium strategies, progression frameworks, and other compensation programs that balance external competitiveness with internal equity.  
• Oversee market pricing methodologies utilizing Radford, Mercer, WTW, and specialized manufacturing compensation surveys alongside complementary market intelligence.  
• Develop innovative compensation approaches to attract and retain highly competitive manufacturing, technical, and operational talent. 

Executive Partnership & Business Consulting 

• Serve as the trusted compensation advisor to Aircraft executives and business leaders.  
• Consult on organization design, workforce investments, location strategy, and talent acquisition decisions with significant financial and organizational impact in partnership with the Px Business Partner.  
• Provide strategic guidance on compensation implications of organizational changes, acquisitions, new facilities, and business expansion.  
• Present compensation recommendations and analyses to executive leadership with clear business rationale and risk assessments.  

Compensation Analytics & Insights 

• Lead enterprise compensation analyses including market competitiveness, pay equity, workforce cost modeling, and incentive effectiveness.  
• Translate complex compensation data into actionable insights for executive stakeholders.  
• Anticipate market trends and proactively recommend compensation strategies that strengthen organizational competitiveness.  

Governance, Compliance & Program Excellence 

• Establish governance frameworks, policies, and administration standards for manufacturing compensation programs.  
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations while mitigating organizational risk.  
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and People Operations on complex compensation matters and regulatory changes.  
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to simplify compensation processes, improve scalability, and enhance operational efficiency. 

Leadership 

• Champion best practices in compensation design, analytics, governance, and operational excellence.  
• Build organizational capability through knowledge sharing, coaching, and development of compensation expertise across the People function. 

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, Economics, or a related field.  
• 15+ years of progressive compensation experience, including significant leadership supporting manufacturing, production, operations, or supply chain organizations.  
• Deep expertise designing enterprise compensation strategies for large non-exempt employee populations.  
• Extensive knowledge of wage and hour regulations, compensation governance, and manufacturing compensation practices.
• Demonstrated experience designing wage structures, progression frameworks, geographic differentials, and premium pay programs.  
• Advanced analytical, financial modeling, and executive presentation skills.  
• Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive enterprise-wide compensation decisions.  
• Experience leading large, cross-functional compensation initiatives with significant organizational impact. 

Preferred qualifications:

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).  
• Experience supporting both union and non-union manufacturing environments.  
• Experience within global manufacturing or advanced technology organizations.  
• Expertise utilizing Radford, Mercer, WTW, and specialized manufacturing compensation surveys.  
• Experience with Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or enterprise compensation planning systems.  
• Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement experience. 
• Experience leading or mentoring compensation professionals. 

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.