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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Job Evaluation Manager

💰 $120,000 - $165,000

Human ResourcesCompensationTotal Rewards

🎯 Role Definition

The Job Evaluation Manager is the cornerstone of an organization's structural integrity and compensation philosophy. This role is responsible for establishing and maintaining a fair, equitable, and transparent job evaluation framework that stands up to scrutiny. You're not just assigning grades; you are the architect of the company's internal job structure, ensuring every role is valued correctly, consistently, and in alignment with business strategy. This position is a key strategic partner, collaborating closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders to provide expert guidance on job design, leveling, and overall organizational architecture. Your work directly impacts employee engagement, pay equity, and the company's ability to attract, motivate, and retain top-tier talent in a competitive market.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Compensation Analyst
  • Principal HR Generalist (with a strong compensation focus)
  • HR Business Partner (with specialization in rewards or org design)

Advancement To:

  • Director of Compensation
  • Head of Total Rewards
  • Director of HR Operations / People Operations

Lateral Moves:

  • Total Rewards Manager
  • Compensation Programs Manager
  • HR Analytics Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Spearhead and govern the company's end-to-end job evaluation program, ensuring consistent and rigorous application of the chosen methodology (e.g., Hay, Mercer IPE, or a proprietary framework) across all business units and geographies.
  • Act as the ultimate subject matter expert on all matters related to job analysis, job documentation, and career leveling for the entire organization.
  • Conduct comprehensive job analysis through structured interviews with incumbents, managers, and key stakeholders to accurately capture the scope, complexity, and impact of new and revised roles.
  • Develop, write, and maintain a comprehensive library of clear, concise, and legally compliant job descriptions, ensuring they accurately reflect the essential functions and qualifications of each position.
  • Chair and facilitate the Job Evaluation Committee, guiding members through the evaluation process, fostering consensus, and ensuring all outcomes are objective, defensible, and well-documented.
  • Own the governance and maintenance of the organization's job architecture, including grading structures, job families, career ladders, and titling conventions, to ensure it remains scalable and clear.
  • Partner strategically with Compensation Analysts to benchmark and market price roles, providing the foundational job evaluation data required for robust external competitiveness analysis.
  • Manage the formal process for handling job evaluation appeals, conducting thorough reviews and providing clear, well-reasoned, and empathetic responses to employees and managers.
  • Design and deliver training to empower HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition teams, and line managers on the principles of job evaluation, effective job description writing, and proper use of the job architecture.
  • Serve as a key consultant to business leaders and HR partners during organizational design and restructuring initiatives, providing expert analysis on job design, leveling impacts, and role alignment.
  • Guarantee compliance with relevant legal requirements, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), by accurately determining and documenting the exemption status for all roles based on job content analysis.
  • Lead periodic large-scale audits and reviews of the existing job architecture to ensure it remains aligned with the company's evolving business strategy, market trends, and internal needs.
  • Develop and maintain all process documentation, internal guidelines, and tools to support the job evaluation and job description management processes, ensuring clarity and efficiency.
  • Collaborate with the HRIS/People Technology team to ensure the absolute integrity of job-related data within the system, including job codes, grades, job titles, and FLSA status.
  • Analyze and report on key job evaluation metrics, such as process cycle time, evaluation outcomes, and organizational trends, to identify opportunities for continuous process improvement.
  • Play an integral role in pay equity studies by ensuring the underlying job data and leveling are accurate and consistently applied, providing a solid and defensible foundation for the analysis.
  • Guide the complex integration of job architectures and leveling frameworks during merger and acquisition activities, leading the effort to map roles from an acquired entity into the parent company structure.
  • Research and recommend enhancements to the job evaluation methodology and overall framework to adapt to future-of-work trends, agile roles, and evolving skill requirements.
  • Manage relationships with third-party vendors for job evaluation methodologies, salary surveys, and related compensation tools, ensuring the organization receives maximum value.
  • Provide consultative support on international job leveling, understanding and applying principles in a global context while accounting for local market nuances and legal requirements.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to organizational structure, span of control, and headcount planning.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader Total Rewards strategy and roadmap, providing critical insights from a job architecture and internal equity perspective.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate future organizational design needs and capability gaps into clear job architecture requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies if the HR team operates within an agile project management framework.
  • Assist in developing and delivering communication materials to help employees and leaders understand the company's compensation philosophy and career framework.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Job Evaluation Methodologies: Deep, hands-on expertise with established point-factor job evaluation systems such as Hay Group (Korn Ferry), Mercer IPE, or Willis Towers Watson's Global Grading System.
  • Compensation Principles: Strong and applied understanding of compensation theory, including base pay management, salary structure design, market pricing, and internal equity analysis.
  • Quantitative Analysis: Proficiency in statistical and data analysis, with the ability to analyze job content, survey data, and internal metrics to formulate defensible recommendations.
  • Advanced Excel/Spreadsheets: Mastery of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, including complex formulas, pivot tables, and data modeling to manage and analyze large, complex datasets.
  • HRIS & Compensation Software: Experience working with major HR Information Systems (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors) and specialized compensation management software (e.g., Payfactors, MarketPay, Radford).
  • Legal Compliance: Thorough knowledge of employment laws related to compensation, particularly FLSA exemption testing, Equal Pay Act provisions, and emerging pay transparency legislation.
  • Job Description Writing: Exceptional ability to craft clear, concise, and legally sound job descriptions that accurately capture role responsibilities and differentiate levels.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: The ability to dissect complex, ambiguous roles, identify key differentiators, and apply a systematic evaluation framework with objectivity and consistency.
  • Stakeholder Management & Influence: Proven skill in building credibility and trust, navigating competing priorities, and influencing senior leaders, managers, and HR partners without direct authority.
  • Exceptional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a talent for explaining complex compensation and evaluation concepts simply and persuasively to a non-expert audience.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A precise and thorough approach, ensuring absolute accuracy in job analysis, documentation, and data management, where small errors can have significant consequences.
  • Problem-Solving & Sound Judgment: Strong ability to handle ambiguity, navigate sensitive and confidential situations (like re-leveling a role), and exercise sound, defensible judgment under pressure.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
  • Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) designation.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources
  • Business Administration
  • Finance
  • Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7-12 years of progressive Human Resources experience.

Preferred: A minimum of 5+ years in a role dedicated specifically to compensation, including significant, direct, hands-on experience with formal job evaluation methodologies and managing a corporate job architecture.

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