Description

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver (CCD) means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver. Click here to find out about all the amazing benefits and reasons to work for CCD!  

What We Offer 

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $131,770-224,009/year. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $170,000-195,000/year. Relocation benefits may be considered in accordance with organizational policy and candidate qualifications. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but is not limited to:

• Five (5) Medical Plans, Dental, Vision Insurance (effective within 1 month of start date)

• Pension Plan for Life (Employee contributes 8.45%, Employer matches at 17.95%)

• 457 (b) Retirement Plan (no early withdrawal fee!)

• PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year) and 14 paid holidays

• Merit Increases

• STD, LTD, HSA, FSA, Life Insurance

• CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits

• Employee Assistance Program, Employee Volunteer Program

• Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources

• EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides)

The City and County of Denver has announced furlough days, or unpaid days off, for most employees to meet a budget shortfall in 2025. There are two fixed furlough days for all limited (temporary positions with an end date) and unlimited (permanent) employees on August 29th, the Friday before Labor Day, and November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving. If you receive an offer for this position, your annual pay will determine whether you are required to take additional furlough days. Details will be discussed during the offer process for selected candidate(s).

Location & Schedule 

This position is located at the Wellington Webb Building, located at 201 W Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80202.

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees’ physical work location is based upon the position’s job duties and requirements, customer service and responsiveness, team and individual performance, and business needs and requirements. Our current practice requires in-office work for all employees for a minimum of three days per week. Business needs and initial onboarding may require additional days in the office.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

Play a vital role in shaping how Denver takes care of its people! The Office of Human Resources (OHR) is seeking a Compensation Director to design and lead the City’s compensation strategy and programs (including salary structures, pay policies, and incentive plans) for our large and complex workforce of more than 11,000 employees across 1,000+ job profiles in 25+ industries, spanning union, non-union, and at-will positions. In this role, you will establish a strategy and vision that positions the City and County of Denver as a competitive employer. Your work directly ensures fair, competitive, compliant and equitable pay for the thousands of public servants who make Denver run every day. In this highly visible role, you will partner with City leadership, department heads, and HR colleagues to attract, motivate, and retain talent, while helping shape compensation policy at the highest levels. You’ll have an impact on every City employee, experience constant variety (never a dull day), and join a fun, collaborative, and highly respected HR leadership team.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead the development and administration of the City's Classification and Compensation programs, rules, rules revisions, projects, practices, and processes to ensure competitiveness, equity, and compliance. Set strategic priorities, allocate resources, and manage a high-performing team.

• Develop and execute compensation strategies that align with the City’s goals and objectives. Provide guidance and recommendations to senior leadership on compensation-related matters.

• Engage, motivate, and influence stakeholders across the organization to build understanding, investment, and alignment with compensation systems, strategies, policies, and processes.

• Presents and/or oversees staff presenting classification changes to the Career Service Board. Supervises ordinance process and ensures post-approval communications and implementation of approved changes.

• Partner with leadership and HR teams to integrate compensation with performance management and talent retention goals.

• Direct annual pay benchmarking, market analyses, and merit program forecasting; present recommendations to the Career Service Board and City Council, and manage ordinance processes through implementation. Conduct regular market analyses to maintain competitive and equitable pay practices.

• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations while overseeing job audits, classification maintenance, pay equity reviews, and contractor prevailing wage requirements.

• Align compensation practices with federal, state, and local laws while advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) objectives.

• Support collective bargaining teams with compensation design and data analysis

• Communicate compensation programs clearly to leadership, managers, and employees; provide training and guidance to HR staff and partners.

• Budget Management: Collaborate with Finance to develop and monitor the compensation budget.

• Lead and mentor the compensation team, providing guidance and support for HR staff and managers.

• Develop and deliver clear communication and training to employees and leaders on compensation programs.

• Analyze compensation data and prepare reports with actionable recommendations for senior leadership.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation management within a large, complex organization (1,000 employees or more, preferably in both union and non-union environments), including at least 5 years in a leadership role. Public sector experience is preferred but not required.

• Technical & regulatory knowledge: Strong grasp of job evaluation, classification, pay equity, compliance with federal/state/local laws, collective bargaining considerations, and prevailing wage requirements.

• Proven ability to design and execute strategic, data-driven compensation programs that attract and retain top talent, enhance compensation programs, optimize resource allocation, and align with organizational goals, resulting in improved employee satisfaction and retention.

• Skilled in balancing multiple perspectives, leading change, and translating strategy into actionable programs. Ability to critically assess challenges, respond quickly when needed, and identify flexible, effective solutions while remaining engaged in both strategy and execution.

• Strong leadership, influencing and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Proven experience navigating organizational politics and influencing outcomes. Effectively persuades and inspires stakeholders at all levels to support initiatives and drive change, leveraging a deep understanding of organizational dynamics and building trust through authentic relationships.

• Exudes executive presence and confidence, with the ability to represent the City’s compensation philosophy credibly and persuasively at the highest levels

• Comfortable being the ‘face’ of classification and compensation - presenting to high level stakeholders including executive leadership, boards, city council, mayor’s office, and elected officials

• Adaptability: Ability to lead and manage change in compensation strategy and practices, ensuring smooth transitions and employee buy-in. Demonstrated agility in navigating changing priorities and environments, with the ability to pivot seamlessly between long-term strategy and immediate operational demands.

• Innovation: Willingness to explore and implement new compensation strategies, processes, policies and technologies that enhance the city’s ability to attract and retain talent.

• Hands-on leadership style, equally comfortable operating at a strategic level and in tactical execution.

• Demonstrated commitment to equitable pay practices and alignment with EDI initiatives.

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or equivalent certification strongly preferred.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Finance, or a related field.

• Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of professional level human resources experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of subordinate supervisors.

• Education/Experience Equivalency: Two (2) years of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.

• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

Application Deadline

To be considered for this position, you are required to answer the following questions as part of the application process. You will be asked to provide responses during the application, and you may wish to prepare them in advance for easy copy/paste.

1. Please briefly describe your compensation and classification experience, including:

• Size of the organizations where you had direct responsibility (number of employees and approximate number of job classifications/profiles).

• Any experience across multiple job families or industries (e.g., public safety, trades, professional, administrative).

• The percentage of your responsibilities dedicated to compensation vs. benefits or other HR functions.

2. Please briefly describe your experience in the following areas:

• Experience differentiating “like work” (same job title but different duties, e.g., classification studies or job audits).

• Any experience supporting compensation in a unionized or collective bargaining environment.

Please submit your application by Sunday, November 9th, 2025, at 11:59 PM to ensure consideration. This deadline reflects our good-faith estimate of the application window. If the position remains unfilled after this date, we will continue accepting applications on an ongoing basis. The posting will be updated with a new close date once determined.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CH2995 HR Classification and Compensation Director

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$131,770.00 - $224,009.00

Target Pay

$170,000-195,000/year, based on education and experience

Agency

Office of Human Resources