Director, Compensation

Microsofts cloud and AI ambitions are built on physical infrastructure: a global fleet of datacenters, the AI supercomputing capacity that powers our products and platforms, and the large-scale capital program that plans, builds, and delivers new capacity around the world. We are hiring a senior compensation professional to serve as the dedicated rewards advisor to the organizations behind that infrastructure: AI Infrastructure, Data Center Operations, and the teams responsible for datacenter capital projects and build delivery.  

This is a hands-on, senior individual contributor role for someone who wants deep ownership without a management span. You will be the compensation point of contact your client leaders rely on, translating aggressive growth, new-site ramps, and build-delivery milestones into pay strategy that helps attract and keep scarce, high-demand talent. The populations you support are broader than a typical corporate client group: they span software and hardware engineering, mission-critical datacenter operations that run 24 hours a day, and construction and capital-project delivery.  

Because these roles compete for talent well beyond the technology sector, your market lens must reach into energy, construction, engineering, and critical-infrastructure pay as readily as core tech benchmarks. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, influence senior leaders without direct authority, and partner closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and the broader Total Rewards team. 

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead compensation advisor to leaders across AI Infrastructure, Data Center Operations, and datacenter capital projects and build delivery, turning business and workforce plans into clear pay strategy.  
• Evaluate the effectiveness and business impact of compensation programs that support the strategic growth and operational efficiency of Microsoft’s AI Infrastructure organizations  
• Turn pay, retention, and market data into insights and a clear narrative that helps leaders make confident workforce decisions. 
• Support geographic pay and location strategy as the fleet expands into new metros and emerging markets, anticipating the pay implications of new datacenter regions, capital projects, and operating models before they scale. 
• Serve as the escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-visibility compensation decisions, applying sound judgment in ambiguous and fast-moving situations. 
• Oversee the development and management of complex projects  
• Act as an expert and thought leader for major compensation programs  
• Advise HR Business Partners on compensation processes  
• Coach and suggest modifications to company-wide implementation plans  
• Consult with internal partners on customized compensation solutions  
• Build trusted advisor status across stakeholders  

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Business, Data Analytics, Mathematics, or related field AND 8+ years experience in compensation, data analytics, human resources, finance, business, or related field 
  • OR Masters Degree in Human Resources, Business, Data Analytics, Mathematics, or related field AND 6+ years experience in compensation, data analytics, human resources, finance, business, or related field 
  • OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Human Resources, Business, Data Analytics, Mathematics, or related field AND 8+ years experience in compensation, data analytics, human resources, finance, business, or related field
  • OR Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Business, Data Analytics, Mathematics, or related field AND 12+ years experience in compensation, data analytics, human resources, finance, business, or related field
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years project management experience.
• 3+ years compensation program design experience.
• 2+ years experience working in the specific positions relevant regional labor, compensation, and statutory context.

Compensation IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $277,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $165,600 - $303,600 per year.