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Shield AI, a venture-backed defense-tech company, is seeking a Compensation Director to lead enterprise compensation strategy for its Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing division. This is a strategic leadership role reporting to senior HR/People leadership, responsible for designing and executing compensation programs across manufacturing, production, operations, supply chain, logistics, customer success, and skilled trades populations.
Key responsibilities include:
**Compensation Strategy & Enterprise Leadership**: Develop long-term compensation philosophy and governance for manufacturing and operations. Partner with business leadership to align compensation strategy with growth, workforce planning, and organizational design. Drive initiatives supporting facility expansions, new business models, geographic growth, and workforce transformation.
**Manufacturing & Operations Compensation**: Lead design and evolution of compensation structures for large non-exempt employee populations. Establish wage structures, geographic differentials, shift premiums, and progression frameworks balancing external competitiveness with internal equity. Oversee market pricing using Radford, Mercer, WTW, and specialized manufacturing surveys. Develop innovative compensation approaches to attract and retain manufacturing and technical talent.
**Executive Partnership & Business Consulting**: Serve as trusted compensation advisor to Aircraft executives. Consult on organization design, workforce investments, location strategy, and talent acquisition decisions with significant financial impact. Provide strategic guidance on compensation implications of organizational changes, acquisitions, new facilities, and business expansion. Present recommendations 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 executives. Anticipate market trends and proactively recommend strategies strengthening organizational competitiveness.
**Governance, Compliance & Program Excellence**: Establish governance frameworks, policies, and administration standards for manufacturing compensation. 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 processes and enhance operational efficiency.
**Leadership**: Champion best practices in compensation design, analytics, and operational excellence. Build organizational capability through knowledge sharing, coaching, and development of compensation expertise across the People function.
**Requirements**: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, Economics, or 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.
