Senior Compensation Partner- AI Enablement & Integration

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Professional 313 Pay Range: $123,000.00 - $190,700.00 Job Description The Senior Compensation Partner serves as a key consultant and subject matter expert across all aspects of global compensation programs. This role provides advanced, enterprise-level consulting and analytical expertise to drive critical business decisions related to attracting, retaining, and rewarding talent. This unique role serves as a key driver in the evolution of Compensation Intelligence, leveraging advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and emerging AI technologies to transform compensation strategy, enhance decision quality, and create scalable, data-driven solutions that improve workforce and business outcomes. This position blends deep technical compensation expertise with strong business acumen and cross-functional partnership. The Senior Compensation Partner helps lead the design, and evolution of tech-enabled compensation strategies, programs, and frameworks across the organization. This role is critical in executing the organization’s compensation philosophy and driving large-scale tech-enhanced initiatives, ensuring alignment with market competitiveness, internal equity, regulatory requirements, and business strategy. The Senior Compensation Partner partners directly with leaders to influence outcomes and establish Total Rewards as a strategic differentiator.   Duties & Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Advisory Leads the team in advancement of compensation intelligence capabilities, leveraging data, automation, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics to enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and strengthen strategic workforce planning. Advises leader and team on emerging technologies and AI-enabled approaches that improve compensation analysis, workforce insights, scenario modeling, and decision quality. Serves as a trusted advisor to leaders and stakeholders on complex compensation matters, including offers, retention strategies, organizational design impacts, and high-risk pay decisions. Executes on the continuous evolution of the organization’s compensation philosophy, strategy, and frameworks to align with long-term business objectives. Influences enterprise decision-making through data-driven insights, scenario modeling, and risk assessment related to compensation programs. Program Design & Ownership Oversees the design and refinement of salary structures, incentive plans, and pay-for-performance frameworks. Drives innovation in compensation design, incorporating emerging trends, tools, and technologies. Evaluates, pilots, and integrates emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools such as Claude, to streamline compensation processes, improve scalability, and enhance the quality and consistency of compensation recommendations. Develops and maintains compensation workflows, methodologies, and governance standards that leverage AI-assisted solutions while ensuring appropriate oversight, data integrity, and compliance. Job Architecture & Governance Provides strategic oversight of job architecture, including job leveling frameworks, titling standards, and job evaluation methodologies. Leads enterprise-wide initiatives to evolve job structure and ensure alignment with governance standards and organizational needs. Establishes and enforces compensation governance practices to ensure consistency, transparency, and compliance. Market Insights & Advanced Analytics Leads complex market benchmarking, modeling, and predictive analytics to inform compensation strategy. Utilizes AI-assisted analytics and modeling tools to accelerate complex compensation analyses, identify emerging workforce trends, and support proactive decision-making. Translates market data, internal equity analysis, and business context into actionable executive-level recommendations. Identifies trends and emerging risks in compensation (market, regulatory, workforce) and develops proactive solutions. Designs and implements advanced compensation intelligence solutions that synthesize market data, internal workforce trends, pay equity analyses, and organizational metrics into actionable insights for leaders. Compensation Cycles & Planning Leads the annual compensation planning process, including merit, promotion, and incentive cycles, providing strategic direction on budgets, modeling, and distribution. Advises leadership on allocation strategies and trade-offs to optimize outcomes across the organization. Compliance & Risk Management Ensures compliance with federal, state, and international compensation regulations (e.g., FLSA, pay transparency laws). Leads pay equity analyses and remediation strategies with a