Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Job Evaluation Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

As a Job Evaluation Specialist, you are the architect of our organization's internal equity and external competitiveness. You will be a pivotal member of the Total Rewards team, responsible for systematically analyzing and evaluating roles to determine their relative value and appropriate placement within our compensation framework. This strategic role requires a blend of analytical rigor, market insight, and strong consultative skills. You will manage the integrity of our job architecture, ensure all positions are accurately described and classified, and provide expert guidance to HR partners and business leaders on all matters related to job design and compensation. Your work directly impacts our ability to attract, retain, and motivate top talent by ensuring our compensation practices are fair, transparent, and aligned with business objectives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Compensation Analyst
HR Generalist with a focus on compensation
HR Analyst

Advancement To:

Senior Job Evaluation Specialist / Principal Compensation Consultant
Compensation Manager
Total Rewards Manager

Lateral Moves:

Senior HR Business Partner
People Analytics Specialist
HRIS Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive job analyses through interviews with employees, managers, and questionnaires to gather in-depth information on job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.
Evaluate new and existing roles using established job evaluation methodologies (such as Hay Group, Mercer IPE, or a proprietary point-factor system) to ensure internal equity.
Manage and maintain the organization's job description library, ensuring all descriptions are up-to-date, accurately reflect job content, and comply with legal standards like the ADA.
Perform market pricing and salary benchmarking for a wide range of positions by participating in and analyzing third-party compensation surveys (e.g., Radford, Willis Towers Watson).
Develop and recommend appropriate salary grades, pay ranges, and job titles based on evaluation outcomes and market analysis, maintaining the integrity of the overall compensation structure.
Serve as the primary subject matter expert and consultant to HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders on job evaluation, job leveling, and compensation-related inquiries.
Lead and support complex projects related to the design and implementation of new job architectures, career ladders, and leveling guides across different business units.
Conduct regular audits of job classifications and compensation data to identify inconsistencies, potential equity issues, or compliance risks, proposing data-driven solutions.
Perform detailed FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) exemption tests to correctly classify positions as exempt or non-exempt, ensuring legal compliance with wage and hour laws.
Partner closely with the HRIS team to ensure job profiles, job codes, grades, and other compensation data points are accurately configured and maintained in the HR system (e.g., Workday, SuccessFactors).
Provide robust analytical support for the annual compensation review cycle, including merit increase modeling, budget analysis, and impact assessments.
Review and approve compensation offers for new hires, promotions, and internal transfers to ensure alignment with company guidelines, internal equity, and market competitiveness.
Develop and deliver training programs and communication materials for managers and HR staff on the company's compensation philosophy, job evaluation process, and best practices.
Document all job evaluation methodologies, decisions, and rationales to create a clear and defensible audit trail for internal and external review.

Secondary Functions

Analyze compensation trends within the industry and specific markets to provide proactive insights and recommendations to leadership.
Advise on the compensation-related implications of organizational restructuring, mergers, and acquisitions, assisting with job mapping and integration efforts.
Support the design and administration of variable pay programs, including short-term and long-term incentives, ensuring they align with job levels and performance metrics.
Create compelling data visualizations and presentations to communicate complex compensation analysis and findings to senior leadership and other stakeholders.
Partner with the People Analytics team to build predictive models related to compensation, turnover, and talent mobility.
Research emerging trends and best practices in global compensation and job evaluation to drive continuous improvement of our Total Rewards programs.
Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer critical business questions.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Job Evaluation Methodologies: Deep expertise in formal systems such as Hay Group, Mercer IPE, or Towers Watson global grading systems.
Market Pricing & Survey Analysis: Proven ability to manage salary survey submissions and analyze benchmark data from various vendors.
Advanced Excel: Mastery of Excel for data analysis, including pivot tables, complex formulas (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH), and compensation modeling.
HRIS Proficiency: Hands-on experience with major HRIS platforms, particularly the compensation modules (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM).
Compensation Structure Design: Knowledge of building and maintaining salary structures, pay grades, and job families.
Data Analysis & Quantitative Skills: Strong ability to manipulate large datasets, identify patterns, and draw actionable insights.
Legal Compliance: Thorough understanding of compensation-related legislation, including FLSA, Equal Pay Act, and pay transparency laws.

Soft Skills

Analytical & Critical Thinking: The ability to dissect complex problems, evaluate information from multiple sources, and make logical, defensible decisions.
Stakeholder Management & Consulting: Skill in building relationships, influencing without authority, and providing consultative guidance to leaders and HR partners.
Communication & Presentation: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts to diverse audiences.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to data accuracy, job description content, and process documentation.
Discretion & Confidentiality: Utmost integrity and ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential employee information.
Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying issues and resourceful in finding effective and efficient solutions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) designation.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources
Business Administration
Finance or Economics
Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-7 years of progressive experience within a dedicated Compensation or Total Rewards function.

Preferred:

Experience in a large, global, or matrixed organization.
Direct experience leading job architecture projects or compensation structure redesigns.