Compensation Operations Lead
WFA Digital Insight
Demand for skilled compensation operations professionals has grown significantly, with a 25% increase in job postings over the past year. As companies like OpenAI scale, they need experts who can build and manage complex compensation programs. With the rise of remote work, compensation operations teams must be more strategic and agile than ever. OpenAI's mission to develop safe artificial general intelligence makes this role particularly interesting, as it offers the chance to work on cutting-edge technology. Before applying, candidates should be aware that this role requires a deep understanding of compensation operations, strong systems thinking, and excellent communication skills.
Job Description
About the Role
The Compensation Operations Lead will play a critical role in building and scaling OpenAI's compensation programs across various teams, including Sales, Technical Success, and Partnerships. This role will own the systems, processes, administration, and execution of compensation operations, ensuring that programs are accurate, scalable, compliant, and trusted by stakeholders.As a key member of the Revenue Operations team, the Compensation Operations Lead will partner closely with Sales, Finance, Total Rewards, HRIS, and GTM Systems to drive planning, performance management, and operational excellence. This role will require a deep understanding of compensation operations, strong systems thinking, and excellent communication skills.
The ideal candidate will have experience administering variable compensation programs at scale, managing payout cycles, and implementing compensation management platforms. They will also have a strong analytical mindset, with the ability to design scalable processes and ensure data quality.
What You Will Do
- Administer compensation plans, quotas, credits, adjustments, exceptions, and payout processes
- Manage compensation workflows, approvals, and annual planning cycles
- Support compensation launches, plan changes, and operational readiness across GTM teams
- Design scalable processes that ensure accurate and efficient compensation administration
- Own compensation systems and integrations, including configuration, testing, release management, vendor relationships, and enhancement prioritization
- Partner with GTM Systems, Finance Systems, and HRIS teams on architecture, implementation, and process improvements
- Ensure data quality and operational readiness across compensation workflows
- Lead recurring compensation payout cycles, reconciliations, and operational close processes
- Own compensation letter generation, distribution, tracking, and record management
- Partner with Legal, HR, and Finance on governance, approvals, compliance, and audit requirements
- Develop reporting, dashboards, and quality assurance processes to improve visibility and accuracy
What We Are Looking For
- 8+ years of experience in compensation operations, sales operations, revenue operations, finance operations, or related operational roles
- Deep experience administering variable compensation programs at scale
- Strong experience with compensation systems and operational tooling
- Experience managing payout cycles, quota workflows, plan administration, and compensation governance
- Demonstrated ability to build scalable operational processes in high-growth environments
- Strong cross-functional stakeholder management and communication skills
- Strong analytical, systems, and problem-solving capabilities
- Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution
- Experience with GTM, Adjust, and Excel
Nice to Have
- Experience standing up or scaling compensation operations during periods of rapid growth
- Familiarity with consumption-based or hybrid revenue models
- Experience implementing or administering compensation management platforms
Benefits and Perks
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Comprehensive health insurance and benefits
- Flexible PTO and remote work options
- Professional development opportunities and training
- Access to cutting-edge technology and tools
- Collaboration with a talented and passionate team
- Opportunity to work on a mission-driven project with a significant impact on the future of AI
- Remote stipend and home office setup support
How to Stand Out
- Develop a strong understanding of compensation operations and scalable processes to stand out in your application.
- Highlight any experience you have with compensation systems and operational tooling, such as GTM and Adjust.
- Be prepared to discuss your experience managing payout cycles, quota workflows, and plan administration.
- Show examples of your analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as your ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
- Research OpenAI's mission and values to understand how your role contributes to the company's overall goals and objectives.
- Prepare to discuss your experience working in a high-growth environment and how you have adapted to changing priorities and processes.
- Review your portfolio and be prepared to discuss your experience with compensation management platforms and other relevant tools.
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