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Airwallex is an AI-native financial operating system serving over 675,000 businesses globally, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok. The company operates as a regulated backbone for global payments with 85+ licenses and presence across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. With 2,300+ employees across 27 offices and co-headquarters in San Francisco and Singapore, Airwallex is building the infrastructure for global commerce.
As the first Total Rewards team member based in the Americas region, you will build and own the operating model for Total Rewards across the US, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. This is a foundational role establishing local processes and strategy while partnering with a small, globally distributed team.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning the complete Americas Total Rewards program with end-to-end accountability for compensation, benefits design, and equity programs
- Leading compensation planning, benchmarking, and pay decisions including salary structures, geographic differentials, market positioning, merit cycles, and offer guidance
- Designing benefits programs and managing plan renewals, broker negotiations, and transition projects with local People Operations partners
- Partnering with the global Total Rewards team on US stock plan administration (RSUs, ISOs, ESPP), vesting, taxation, grant execution, and employee communications
- Leading global and regional Total Rewards projects, including the Americas rollout of the equity framework and IPO-readiness initiatives
- Using market data, benchmarking, and financial modeling to influence decisions and communicate complex analysis to leaders, managers, and employees
- Collaborating with Talent Acquisition, People Partners, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Equity, and executive leadership on compensation strategy and compliance
- Building practical processes and documentation for Americas Total Rewards while working independently across time zones
You will work from the San Francisco office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
REQUIREMENTS:
Essentials:
- 10+ years of experience in total rewards, compensation, or benefits, including supporting employee populations across the Americas
- Experience owning or building a complete Total Rewards program spanning compensation, benefits, and equity
- Experience designing benefits programs and managing plan renewals, including broker and insurance carrier negotiations
- Strong compensation analytics capability, including market benchmarking, salary range architecture, geographic pay differentials, compensation cycles, modeling, and projections
- Experience making and communicating compensation decisions with senior leaders, People Partners, recruiters, and employees
- Working knowledge of US equity compensation and stock plan administration, including RSUs, ISOs, ESPP, vesting mechanics, and ability to explain these concepts to non-specialists
- Experience at a late-stage private, pre-IPO, or recently public company, particularly through changes to equity programs or increased governance requirements
- Track record of leading complex Total Rewards projects from design through implementation, bringing stakeholders along and influencing without formal authority
- Strong business partnering, judgment, and communication skills with confidence to challenge decisions when misaligned with strategy, data, or compliance
- Builder mindset and ability to work independently across time zones without an established local playbook
Preferred:
- Experience supporting multi-region Total Rewards programs where the global framework is set outside your own time zone
- Familiarity with compensation, equity, and HR systems such as Carta, Shareworks, BambooHR, or Workday
- Experience using survey and benchmarking sources such as Radford, Compensia, Mercer, or Aon
- Experience with 401(k), ERISA, US pay transparency, benefits compliance, or related US rewards requirements
- Experience supporting IPO readiness, equity plan governance, tax reporting, or SEC-related considerations
- Experience building a Total Rewards function or major program from the ground up in a high-growth technology, fintech, or payments company
