← All roles

Compensation Director, Aircraft Engineering and Manufacturing (R6270)

Shield AI· People Experience / Compensation
Apply on company site
Seattle, WA$210k - $320kFull Time EmployeePosted 4d ago

About the role

Strategic compensation leader for Shield AI's Aircraft division, overseeing enterprise-level compensation programs across manufacturing, production, operations, supply chain, logistics, customer success, and skilled trades to enable growth, scalability, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and lead the compensation strategy supporting Aircraft manufacturing, production, operations, supply chain, logistics, customer success, and skilled trades populations.
  • Serve as the SME on manufacturing and operations compensation, shaping long-term compensation philosophy and governance.
  • Partner with business leadership to align compensation strategy with business growth, workforce planning, organizational design, and operational priorities.
  • Drive compensation initiatives supporting facility expansions, new business models, geographic growth, and workforce transformation.
  • Lead the design and evolution of compensation structures supporting large non-exempt employee populations.
  • Establish wage structures, geographic differentials, shift premium strategies, progression frameworks, and other compensation programs that balance external competitiveness with internal equity.
  • Oversee market pricing methodologies utilizing Radford, Mercer, WTW, and specialized manufacturing compensation surveys alongside market intelligence.
  • Develop innovative compensation approaches to attract and retain manufacturing, technical, and operational talent.
  • Serve as trusted compensation advisor to Aircraft executives and business leaders.
  • Consult on organization design, workforce investments, location strategy, and talent acquisition decisions with significant financial impact.
  • Provide strategic guidance on compensation implications of organizational changes, acquisitions, new facilities, and business expansion.
  • Present compensation recommendations and analyses to executive leadership with clear business rationale and risk assessments.
  • Lead enterprise compensation analyses including market competitiveness, pay equity, workforce cost modeling, and incentive effectiveness.
  • Translate complex compensation data into actionable insights for executive stakeholders.
  • Anticipate market trends and proactively recommend compensation strategies.
  • Establish governance frameworks, policies, and administration standards for manufacturing compensation programs.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations while mitigating organizational risk.
  • Partner with Legal, Finance, and People Operations on complex compensation matters and regulatory changes.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to simplify compensation processes, improve scalability, and enhance operational efficiency.
  • Champion best practices in compensation design, analytics, governance, and operational excellence.
  • Build organizational capability through knowledge sharing, coaching, and development of compensation expertise across the People function.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, Economics, or related field.
  • 15+ years of progressive compensation experience, including leadership supporting manufacturing, production, operations, or supply chain organizations.
  • Deep expertise designing enterprise compensation strategies for large non-exempt employee populations.
  • Extensive knowledge of wage and hour regulations, compensation governance, and manufacturing compensation practices.
  • Experience designing wage structures, progression frameworks, geographic differentials, and premium pay programs.
  • Advanced analytical, financial modeling, and executive presentation skills.
  • Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive enterprise-wide compensation decisions.
  • Experience leading large, cross-functional compensation initiatives with significant organizational impact.

Skills

Required:Compensation strategy designExecutive advisoryMarket pricing and analyticsGovernance & complianceCross-functional leadership

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Salary compensation is influenced by location, experience, licenses, and certifications; background check and reference check may be required.
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Shield AI

Autonomy for the world.

Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

AerospaceAutonomyDefenseliquid-ai-recruiting-targetsetter-30setter-30-2026-q1
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Shield AI