Compensation, Classification, and Job Architecture Specialist

Wesleyan University is a highly selective, independent liberal arts institution recognized for its commitment to innovative teaching, interdisciplinary scholarship, and an engaged campus community.

The Office of Human Resources partners with campus leaders to support the university's workforce through equitable practices, strategic talent management, and data-informed decision making that advance Wesleyan's mission.

Reporting to the Director for Talent Acquisition and Employment, the Compensation, Classification, and Job Architecture Specialist serves as the University's technical expert for staff job classification, compensation benchmarking, job architecture governance, and position management and organizational design. The role partners with HR leadership to ensure position structures, reporting relationships, and job frameworks are aligned to support effective organizational design, workforce planning, and operational efficiency.

This inaugural four-year term-limited role is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the institutional framework for staff job families, titles, salary structures, and classification standards to support equitable and competitive compensation practices aligned with labor market data and regulatory requirements.

The position conducts compensation benchmarking, evaluates and classifies positions, and provides consultation to HR leadership and campus managers on job design, compensation decisions, and organizational structure. Over the course of the tenure, the role will support the modernization and documentation of Wesleyan's staff job architecture and compensation frameworks to enable consistent maintenance by the HR team in the future.

Work Location

This position is a hybrid position with on-campus and remote work schedules.

Remote work is only considered for residents of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, or New York. Relocation assistance to Connecticut is available for candidates who qualify.

Responsibilities include:

Compensation and Classification Governance

• Serve as the institutional steward of the staff job classification framework, ensuring consistency in job families, titles, grading structures, and classification standards across the university.
• Evaluate and classify staff positions including determination of job families, salary grades, and FLSA exemption status in accordance with federal and state wage and hour regulations.
• Review and analyze FLSA classification requests related to new positions, position revisions, or reclassification requests.
• Conduct compensation analysis and parsonage allowance determinations for eligible roles in accordance with applicable tax regulations and university policy.
• Maintain documentation supporting classification and FLSA determinations to ensure consistency and defensibility.
• Provide data-informed recommendations regarding job classification, compensation levels, and titling practices.

Market Data and Compensation Analytics

• Administer and maintain the MarketPay compensation platform, including loading survey data, managing benchmark job matches, and conducting benchmarking analysis.
• Prepare and submit institutional compensation data for participation in external compensation surveys and analyze survey results to inform benchmarking.
• Conduct compensation benchmarking using multiple compensation surveys and labor market data sources.
• Develop blended market comparisons when roles do not align with a single survey benchmark.
• Prepare reports on compensation trends, internal equity, and market competitiveness.

Union Position Classification and Negotiation Support

• Conduct classification analyses for unionized staff positions in alignment with collective bargaining agreements and institutional classification frameworks.
• Maintain documentation of union job classifications and assist with classification reviews or disputes.
• Prepare compensation analyses and workforce reports to support collective bargaining negotiations.

Job Architecture and Position Descriptions

• Lead efforts to standardize staff job titles across the university and align titles with established job architecture.
• Audit and update position descriptions to ensure consistency, clarity, and alignment with job classification standards.
• Develop and maintain job families, career ladders, and titling conventions across the institution.
• Evaluate and designate essential employee status for positions in collaboration with institutional leadership.

Organizational Design and Analysis

• Analyze organizational structures, spans of control, and reporting layers to identify inefficiencies or title inflation and provide recommendations that support sustainable organizational design.
• Advise HR leadership and campus managers on organizational structure, reporting relationships, and role alignment.
• Support departmental organizational reviews and restructuring initiatives.

Worker Classification and Compliance

• Review independent contractor and temporary worker classification requests to ensure compliance with employment regulations and university policy.
• Partner with HR leadership, Payroll, and HRIS on worker classification and position management processes.

Training and Consultation

• Provide consultation to HR staff and campus managers regarding job design, classification decisions, and compensation practices.
• Evaluate promotion and reclassification requests to ensure alignment with institutional classification frameworks and internal equity.

Documentation and Framework Development

• Develop and maintain documentation of the University's job architecture, classification standards, and compensation frameworks.
• Develop policies and guidelines governing position reclassification and promotion requests.

Additional Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, and at least four years of progressively responsible experience in compensation, classification, job architecture, HR analytics or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating and classifying positions including determining job levels, salary grades, and job family placement.
• Demonstrated knowledge of FLSA exemption standards and wage and hour regulations.
• Experience conducting compensation benchmarking and salary analysis using compensation survey data or labor market data.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, analyzing, or participating in compensation surveys or labor market benchmarking processes.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to interpret compensation data and identify internal equity or compression issues.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze organizational structures, reporting relationships, or workforce data to support classification and compensation decisions.
• Experience working with HRIS systems and workforce data, including job catalog structures (job profiles, job families, and position management frameworks), to support job classification, compensation programs, and data-driven analysis of compensation trends.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating position scope or reviewing promotion, reclassification, or job design requests within a structured classification framework.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex compensation concepts clearly.
• Demonstrated ability to consult with managers and HR colleagues regarding compensation and classification decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound professional judgment and maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive compensation data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience conducting compensation benchmarking using multiple compensation surveys.
• Experience supporting compensation analysis in unionized environments or collective bargaining negotiations.
• Experience using benchmarking compensation platforms such as MarketPay or similar tools.
• Experience with enterprise HRIS systems such as Workday.
• Experience conducting pay equity analysis, organizational structure reviews, or job architecture development.
• Professional certification such as Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP, or PHR or SPHR.

This position is open until filled. For full consideration, please submit your application by April 17, 2026, when the first review of applications will begin. As part of your application, please upload a resume.

Work Location: Hybrid

All offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate's completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504 or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Title IX and ADA/504 Coordinator.

Wesleyan University complies with the Clery Act and maintains records of campus crime statistics and security policies. Copies of Wesleyan University's Clery Act Report are available on request and online at https://www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety/clery.html.

Experience is taken into consideration in the determination of salary offers. For more information visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/hr/handbook/compensation-practices/index.html

Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans, flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs for those who qualify.

Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html.