SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Perplexity AI is seeking a Compensation Lead to build and own the company's compensation function from the ground up. This is a hands-on role that bridges strategic program design with day-to-day execution, establishing the processes and frameworks that support hiring, recognition, and retention across the organization.
Key Responsibilities:
You will assess existing compensation practices, data, and tools to identify gaps and develop recommendations on compensation philosophy, market positioning, and cash and equity guidelines. You'll establish consistent salary ranges and market benchmarks across functions and locations, partnering with People and business leaders on job scope and leveling while critically evaluating where market data is most useful.
As the primary partner for offers, promotions, pay adjustments, and compensation questions, you'll evaluate recommendations against market data, internal equity, and budget constraints, with clear approval paths for exceptions. You'll design and run compensation reviews—building calendars, planning models, manager guidance, and approval processes while coordinating with Finance, People Operations, Payroll, and equity partners to ensure accurate implementation.
You'll inform leadership decisions by modeling the cost and employee impact of proposed changes to salary and equity programs, presenting recommendations with clear trade-offs and owning execution once approved. You'll identify and address pay compression and potential inequities across teams, levels, and locations, partnering with People leadership and Legal on appropriate reviews and recommended actions.
A critical part of this role is building processes that scale: establishing decision records, recruiter and manager guidance, and clear explanations of compensation programs. You'll improve recurring workflows so consistent decisions don't depend on individual knowledge or one-off conversations. You'll also own the data and tools infrastructure—establishing reliable compensation records, selecting and managing benchmarking resources, improving reporting and quality checks, and using approved automation and AI tools where appropriate while protecting employee information.
Requirements:
- Proven experience building compensation programs: You've established or substantially rebuilt compensation frameworks and processes with limited infrastructure and stayed accountable for running them after launch.
- Technical compensation depth: Hands-on experience with market pricing, salary ranges, cash and equity programs, compensation reviews, and individual pay recommendations.
- Strong analytical judgment: Ability to build and audit models, reconcile imperfect data, and explain assumptions. You know when a benchmark is a useful comparison and when it misses the role.
- Ability to influence decisions: Can turn analysis into clear recommendations, discuss trade-offs with leadership, and constructively challenge approaches that aren't working.
- Independent, hands-on execution: Can set priorities, build workable processes, and manage urgent requests without losing progress on longer-term work. Comfortable being both the program designer and the person checking the data.
- Discretion and clear communication: Handle sensitive information carefully and explain compensation decisions in language that recruiters, managers, and employees understand.
About Perplexity AI
AI / Data / Infrastructure — AI answer engine and search product for consumers and enterprises.
