Senior Compensation Analyst (Principal)

Department: Human Resources

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category:Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type:Full-Time

Work Schedule:Full-time (1.0 FTE 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax VA

Workplace Type:Remote Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility:Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary:Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check:Yes

Financial Background Check:Yes

About the Department:

GMU Human Resources is dedicated to creating a people-centered environment where every employee feels valued supported and empowered to thrive. Our mission is to attract engage and retain talented faculty and staff through meaningful programs and practices that foster connection growth and well-being.

As a trusted strategic partner our team champions an all-inclusive and innovative culture that prioritizes community and belonging. We play a vital role in advancing the universitys goals by designing and delivering services that support each employees professional and personal journey.

Serving close to 10000 employees and retirees our HR team continuously evolves to meet the needs of a dynamic diverse and dedicated workforce building a workplace where people can do their best work and feel a strong sense of purpose.

As part of that commitment George Mason University is proud to offer a wide range of benefits including:

• Work-life Balance and Benefits;
• Generous leave benefits including paid annual leave paid holidays paid sick leave and paid two-week winter break (subject to annual approval);
• Tuition exemption benefitscovering up to 12 credit hours each academic yearfor eligible courses at Mason and professional development. Yes you can earn a college education while earning a salary!;
• Commuter Choice Transit Benefit;
• Health/dental/vision benefits;
• Tuition dependent benefit (restrictions apply);
• Virginia Retirement System Hybrid Plan or Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education; and
• Patriot Perks discounts to restaurants events and more!

About the Position:

The Senior Compensation Analyst (Principal) serves as a senior subject matter expert within the Total Rewards team. Under the leadership of the Sr. Director of Total Rewards this role leads advanced compensation analysis modeling and program design initiatives that support the universitys strategic and operational goals. This role partners with HR and institutional leaders to deliver sophisticated data-informed compensation solutions that align with George Mason Universitys mission values and workforce strategy.

This position navigates complex data environments conducts high-level quantitative analysis and develops methodologies to evaluate and shape compensation policy pay practices and financial planning. The Principal Analyst contributes to the modernization of Masons market-based compensation framework and provides expert consultation on salary structures career architecture job evaluation and pay equity. This role requires advanced analytical capability compensation acumen cross-functional collaboration and strategic influence.

Responsibilities:

Advanced Compensation Analysis and Modeling

• Leads the design and execution of advanced compensation analyses including salary modeling scenario forecasting and pay distribution studies across a broad range of employee populations;
• Establishes compensation modeling methodologies to assess employee- and cost-impact of base pay changes merit processes job architecture refinements and incentive strategies;
• Delivers regular and ad hoc compensation reports dashboards and visualizations to support university decision-making;
• Analyzes trends in internal mobility turnover pay equity and competitiveness; and
• Serves as a compensation analytics lead for senior-level reporting needs in coordination with HR leadership.

Compensation Program Strategy and Governance

• Contributes to the development and evolution of the universitys job architecture pay structures and career frameworks to ensure alignment with market competitiveness internal equity and institutional workforce goals;
• Collaborates with the compensation team to refine the universitys compensation philosophy job leveling methodology and pay practices that support a merit-based and market-informed culture;
• Conducts comprehensive market benchmarking using national compensation surveys;
• Provides strategic guidance on the positioning of new and existing roles across academic and administrative areas;
• Maintains and updates George Masons university-wide job classifications and salary structures ensuring accuracy across systems and alignment with strategic workforce design;
• Supports annual merit equity and market adjustment cycles in partnership with HR Finance and academic leadership including budgeting modeling and compliance review; and
• Provides strategic consultation on compensation decisions for complex roles including high-demand executive research clinical or grant-funded positions.

Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Consultation

• Collaborates with HR Partners Talent Acquisition and Finance to provide high-level compensation guidance and ensure alignment with business objectives;
• Acts as a strategic advisor to unit leaders and HR stakeholders supporting role design hiring retention reclassifications and workforce planning; and
• Leads and facilitates training sessions and toolkits to promote manager and stakeholder understanding of compensation policies and practices.

Compliance Policy and Audit Support

• Ensures compensation programs comply with applicable federal state and institutional laws and regulations including FLSA and OFCCP;
• Partners with HRIS audit teams and others to maintain documentation data accuracy internal controls and audit readiness for all compensation-related activity; and
• Serves as a lead advisor on policy interpretation and compensation governance contributing to institutional accountability and risk mitigation efforts.

Program Innovation and Process Improvement

• Identifies and leads improvements to compensation tools systems and processes to enhance efficiency and user experience;
• Stays current with national trends best practices and regulatory developments in compensation and total rewards;
• Recommends strategic enhancements to keep George Mason competitive and compliant; and
• Serves as a thought leader in compensation modernization and equity advancement contributing to a merit-based market-aligned pay philosophy.

Special Projects and Institutional Initiatives

• Supports institution-wide HR initiatives and cross-functional projects requiring compensation expertise;
• Represents the compensation function in strategic planning sessions task forces and ad hoc executive inquiries; and
• Contributes to the elevation of George Masons total rewards strategy through research policy proposals and data storytelling.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Business Finance Economics Data Science or a related field;
• Substantial progressively responsible experience in compensation analysis salary structure design and strategic consultation (generally seven or more years);
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel HRIS systems and analytics or visualization tools (e.g. Tableau Power BI SAS R Python);
• Demonstrated experience conducting complex compensation modeling benchmarking and regulatory compliance reviews;
• Proven ability to interpret and apply federal and state compensation regulations (e.g. FLSA pay transparency laws) and support institutional audit readiness;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to present insights to leadership;
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal with the ability to convey technical information to non-technical audiences;
• Demonstrated collaboration with HR Finance and department leadership to support strategic workforce planning;
• Compensation Analytics & Reporting: Expertise in developing dashboards and conducting in-depth pay analysis trend forecasting and decision support for leadership;
• Compensation Modeling: Ability to design and build cost models forecast the impact of pay programs and evaluate multiple scenarios at scale;
• Job and Pay Structure Maintenance: Ability to maintain complex salary bands and job classifications across diverse employee populations ensuring consistent application and strategic alignment;
• Market Benchmarking: Proficiency in sourcing and interpreting salary survey data performing market pricing and making competitive pay recommendations;
• Compliance & Governance: Deep knowledge of compensation laws and regulations audit preparedness and risk mitigation strategies; and
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to partner with HR Finance and campus leaders to ensure compensation supports organizational priorities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in related field;
• Advanced professional certification such as CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) SHRM-SCP or SPHR;
• Masters degree in Human Resources Business Public Administration Finance or a related field;
• Experience in higher education public sector or research institution settings;
• Experience in higher education or public sector compensation including knowledge of faculty/staff classifications and shared governance environments;
• Experience working with multiple employee classification systems;
• Experience supporting or leading compensation modernization initiatives including job architecture career pathways or classification redesign;
• Proficiency with enterprise HR and budgeting systems such as Banner PeopleAdmin or Workday;
• Experience developing and delivering compensation training guidance or resources for managers and stakeholders;
• Knowledge of financial modeling principles and how compensation strategies impact budget forecasting and institutional planning;
• Budget Management: Ability to collaborate with Finance to align compensation modeling with budget cycles workforce planning and institutional cost controls;
• Program Innovation & Best Practices: A forward-thinking approach to process improvement system modernization and the application of national trends in total rewards; and
• Strong understanding of FLSA pay transparency laws OFCCP and affirmative action frameworks.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration applicants must apply forSenior Compensation Analyst (Principal) at and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date:August 15 2025

For Full Consideration Apply by: September 5 2025

Open Until Filled:Yes