Director of Executive Compensation
Minneapolis, MN, United States | HQ Business Support
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SUMMARY
Responsible for leading the strategy, design, governance, administration, communication, and ongoing effectiveness of executive compensation programs at Mortenson. This position serves as an executive compensation subject matter expert and trusted advisor to Total Rewards leadership, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Tax, Payroll, executive leadership, external consultants, and governance stakeholders. The Director ensures executive compensation programs are competitive, equitable, well governed, compliant, clearly communicated, and aligned with Mortenson’s long-term business objectives, pay-for-performance philosophy, and executive talent strategy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Executive Compensation Strategy and Program Leadership
- Lead the executive compensation philosophy, strategy, program framework, governance model, and annual planning process.
- Design, evaluate, and administer executive compensation programs, including base salary, annual incentive, long-term incentive, deferred compensation, executive benefits, executive allowances, and other specialized executive reward programs across multiple businesses.
- Develop recommendations for executive offers, promotions, adjustments, retention awards, leadership transitions, retirement transitions, and separation arrangements.
- Ensure executive compensation programs support competitiveness, retention, internal equity, business performance, leadership continuity, and long-term organizational objectives.
Board, Compensation Committee, and Executive Leadership Support
- Lead preparation of Board Compensation Committee materials, including agendas, meeting calendars, market analyses, data schedules, recommendation summaries, decision records, and executive narratives.
- Lead executive and Board compensation benchmarking using custom private-company peer groups, industry survey data, and relevant market sources.
- Partner with executive compensation consultants to develop custom peer groups, validate market data, review methodology, and evaluate market trends and program design alternatives.
- Provide insights regarding market competitiveness, pay positioning, internal relationships, pay-for-performance alignment, retention risk, and financial impact.
- Maintain recurring governance routines and documentation that support consistent, defensible, and audit-ready executive compensation decisions.
Long-Term Incentive and Private Company Reward Design
- Lead design, modeling, administration, and communication of long-term incentive programs appropriate for a large private company environment.
- Evaluate cash-based long-term incentives, performance units, value-sharing approaches, and other executive retention mechanisms.
- Translate complex plan design concepts into practical recommendations and participant communications that are clear, accurate, and leader-ready.
Governance, Compliance, and Administration
- Ensure executive compensation plans and practices are administered in accordance with applicable legal, tax, accounting, payroll, and governance requirements, including IRC Section 409A where applicable.
- Partner with Legal, Tax, Finance, Payroll, Benefits, HR Operations, and external advisors on plan documents, accruals, reporting, participant communications, distributions, and issue resolution.
- Maintain highly confidential executive compensation data, approvals, documentation, and historical records with strong controls and discretion.
- Identify process risks, strengthen internal controls, and ensure recurring executive compensation cycles are well planned, well documented, and accurately executed.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Human Resources, Accounting, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive compensation, Total Rewards, finance, human resources, or related analytical experience required.
- Minimum of 5 years of executive compensation experience required, preferably in a large private company or complex enterprise environment.
- Experience preparing materials for executive leadership, Compensation Committees, Boards of Directors, or equivalent governance forums required.
- Experience designing, modeling, administering, or supporting long-term incentive, deferred compensation, executive retirement, or executive benefit programs strongly preferred.
- Advanced executive compensation expertise, including base pay, annual incentives, long-term incentives, deferred compensation, executive benefits, Board compensation, executive retirement arrangements, and private-company reward vehicles.
- Strong understanding of executive compensation governance, private-company incentive design, market pricing methodology, peer group development, pay mix analysis, incentive modeling, and financial decision support.
- Comprehensive knowledge of executive compensation regulatory, tax, accounting, payroll, legal, confidentiality, and data security considerations.
- Ability to translate complex compensation concepts into concise, leader-ready recommendations, presentations, participant communications, and governance materials.
- Advanced analytical, financial modeling, Excel, PowerPoint, project management, and documentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to partner and collaborate across teams, levels, and functions to deliver sustainable results.
- Strong executive presence, communication skills, relationship-building skills, and ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and organizational levels.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, maintain accuracy under tight deadlines, and handle highly confidential executive compensation information.
A few benefits offered include:
(for Non-Craft & Non-Union Craft working 25+ hours / week)
- Medical and prescription drug plans that includes no additional cost vision coverage
- Dental plan
- 401k retirement plan with a generous Mortenson match
- Paid time off, holidays, and other paid leaves
- Employer paid Life, AD&D, and disability insurance
- No-Cost mental health tool and concierge with extensive work-life resources
- Tuition reimbursement
- Adoption Assistance
- Gym Membership Discount Program
The base pay range for this role is $170,200 - $255,400. (Actual range is higher for the following office locations: Denver, CO and Chicago, IL – 5%, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR – 10%, Washington, D.C. – 12.5%).
Base pay is positioned within the range based on several factors including an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience, with consideration given to internal equity. This position is eligible for Mortenson’s incentive plan.
#LI-PM1 #LI-hybrid
Please make note:
- Visa sponsorship is not offered for this position.
- Our postings are typically open a minimum of 5 days and an average of 44 days.
ABOUT MORTENSON
As a top builder, developer, and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction), our expertise spans markets like sports, renewable energy, data centers, healthcare, and more. We are builders at heart, working to ensure the built environment has a lasting positive impact.
Let’s Redefine Possible®
Equal Employment Opportunity
Your uniqueness brings new and creative perspectives to the team. Mortenson is committed to providing equal opportunities of employment (EOE) to all individuals, regardless of your race, religion, gender, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status or any other legally protected category.
Other Items to Note
- Mortenson reserves the right to hire any individual without legal or financial obligation on unwanted solicitations. No agency emails, calls, or solicitations are accepted without a valid agreement.
- Must be currently legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status, 0-1, TN, CPT, OPT, etc.). We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
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