Senior Compensation Manager

OpenGov is the leader in AI and ERP solutions for local and state governments in the U.S. More than 2,000 cities, counties, state agencies, school districts, and special districts rely on the OpenGov Public Service Platform to operate efficiently, adapt to change, and strengthen the public trust. Category-leading products include enterprise asset management, procurement and contract management, accounting and budgeting, billing and revenue management, permitting and licensing, and transparency and open data. These solutions come together in the OpenGov ERP, allowing public sector organizations to focus on priorities and deliver maximum ROI with every dollar and decision in sync. Learn about OpenGov’s mission to power more effective and accountable government and the vision of high-performance government for every community at OpenGov.com.

Job Summary

As the Senior Compensation Manager, you will lead the evolution and scale of OpenGov's compensation programs in alignment with our business objectives, combining hands-on program ownership with strategic analytics and AI-enabled operations. You'll serve as a trusted compensation advisor to HRBPs, People Managers, Talent Acquisition, and cross functional partners across the business — helping them navigate compensation decisions with clarity and confidence. You'll own the full compensation toolkit — program design, cycle execution, equity planning, and manager enablement — while building the data-driven infrastructure and automated workflows that let compensation scale ahead of the business, not behind it. This is a player-coach role: you'll do the work yourself building models, running benchmarks, owning cycles, while also setting direction and raising the bar for other professionals on the team.

Responsibilities

Compensation Advisory & Program Management

• Administer and evolve OpenGov's compensation programs - comp cycles, promotions, and variable pay - serving as project lead across each program

• Maintain the integrity of compensation data and systems, including internal job architecture, career paths, salary scales, and comp ranges aligned with our compensation philosophy

• Serve as a strategic advisor to HRBPs, People Managers, and FP&A, providing business-relevant compensation guidance and recommendations for new and existing employees to ensure internal equity, external competitiveness, and budget alignment

• Build trusted, consultative relationships with cross-functional partners, helping them apply compensation philosophy confidently to real business decisions

Equity Planning

• Own equity planning and administration, including new-hire and refresh grant guidelines, vesting structures, and equity budget modeling

• Partner with Finance and Legal on equity program design, plan changes, and compliance requirements

• Advise HRBPs and business leaders on equity-related questions for offers, promotions, and retention scenarios

Strategic Analytics

• Design and build compensation metrics, reports, and tools that inform program decisions and forecast/analyze compensation outcomes

• Lead competitive intelligence on market trends and talent movement, particularly for premium and fast-moving job families (e.g., AI/ML, engineering, data science)

• Analyze compensation data to surface trends, outliers, and risk areas, translating findings into clear, actionable recommendations for HR and business leaders

Enablement

• Create and deploy compensation content and training for HRBPs, Talent Acquisition, Managers, and Employees, spanning foundational and complex compensation topics

• Promote understanding of OpenGov's compensation philosophy and practices across the organization, building relationships that result in trusted partnership

AI-Enabled Compensation Operations

• Design and build AI-powered workflows and tools that automate recurring compensation work — benchmarking, offer modeling, job description generation, and comp cycle reporting — operationalizing and automating so compensation scales with our growth

• Integrate AI tools directly into daily compensation work to increase speed and consistency of deliverables, including market analysis, manager communications, and data summarization

• Evaluate where AI can responsibly replace manual steps, with clear judgment on where human review must stay in the loop, and bring recommendations forward proactively to the broader People Team

Requirements and Preferred Experience

• 10+ years of experience in compensation, consulting, or a related field in a high-growth, fast-paced environment

• Experience building compensation programs, managing projects, and scaling processes with company growth

• Experience with equity program design and administration, including grant guidelines, vesting structures, and equity budget modeling preferred

• Advanced proficiency with Workday Advanced Compensation strongly preferred

• Strong analytical and Excel/Google Sheets skills required to analyze data and build meaningful, understandable models and reports; ability to see beyond the numbers to drive sound decision-making

• Demonstrated, hands-on experience building AI-powered tools or workflows in a compensation/HR context (e.g., automating benchmarking, modeling, or reporting tasks)

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws impacting people operations and compensation

• Experience working with base pay and incentive plans required

• Experience with global compensation strongly preferred

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required; a strong background in data/quantitative analysis such as Finance, Statistics, or Economics preferred

• Ability to present and distill complex topics in a concise and meaningful manner to diverse stakeholders

• Strong consultative and advisory skills, with a track record of building trusted partnerships with cross-functional stakeholders

• Must be able to independently problem-solve and work under pressure in a deadline-driven, rapidly changing organization

• Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in maintaining confidential and sensitive information

• Ability to gain alignment and represent a common point of view across multiple stakeholders

Compensation:

Chicago, IL: $160,000 - $180,000

On target ranges above include base plus a portion of variable compensation that is earned based on company and individual performance.

The final compensation will be determined by a number of factors such as qualifications, expertise, and the candidate’s geographical location.

Why OpenGov?

A Mission That Matters.

At OpenGov, public service is personal. We are passionate about our mission to power more effective and accountable government. Government that operates efficiently, adapts to change, and strengthens public trust.  Some people say this is boring.  We think it’s the core of our democracy.

Opportunity to Innovate

The next great wave of innovation is unfolding with AI, and it will impact everything—from the way we work to the way governments interact with their residents. Join a trusted team with the passion, technology, and expertise to drive innovation and bring AI to local government. We’ve touched 2,000 communities so far, and we’re just getting started.

A Team of Passionate, Driven People

This isn’t your typical 9-to-5 job; we operate in a fast-paced, results-driven environment where impact matters more than simply clocking in and out. Our global team of 800+ employees is united in our commitment to challenge the status quo. OpenGov is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dubuque, Dallas, and Pune.

A Place to Make Your Mark

We pride ourselves on our performance-based culture, where every employee is encouraged to jump in head-first and take action to help us improve. If you have a great idea, we want to hear it. Excellent performance is recognized and rewarded, and we love to promote from within.

Benefits That Work for You

Enjoy an award-winning workplace with the benefits to match, including:

• Comprehensive healthcare options for individuals and families

• Flexible vacation policy and paid company holidays

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid parental leave, wellness stipends, and HSA contributions

• Professional development and growth opportunities

• A collaborative office environment with weekly catered lunches.