Compensation manager Jobs in Berkeley, CA

Compensation Manager

We are looking for a Compensation Manager to run and evolve Pyka's compensation programs. Pyka has salary bands, equity programs, and compensation structures in the US and Brazil. You'll lead these programs, keep them competitive with the market, and expand them as the company scales. As Pyka grows into new countries, you'll have the opportunity to help extend these programs there. This is an individual contributor role, critical to attracting and retaining top-tier technical and operational talent in a competitive hardware and aerospace market. This role will report to the Head of People and work closely with the rest of the people team and leadership at Pyka.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and iterate on Pyka's salary bands, job families, and variable pay programs for engineering, manufacturing, flight ops, and G&A roles in the US and Brazil.
• Manage, configure, and optimize compensation management platforms and tools to streamline merit cycles, salary planning, and benchmarking data.
• Run Pyka's equity compensation programs, including applying and refining grant guidelines and equity bands, partnering with Finance and Legal on cap table alignment, and leading candidate/employee equity education.
• Conduct ongoing market analysis using tech/hardware compensation data, and recommend band adjustments to keep Pyka competitive in each market where we operate.
• Run the annual compensation review, merit increase, and promotion cycles in close partnership with the Head of People, People Operations, and leadership.
• Ensure all compensation programs comply with federal, state, local, and international regulations, including FLSA, Pay Transparency laws, and applicable Brazilian labor requirements.
• Create clear, transparent compensation communications and build resources to help employees and candidates understand pay decisions and the value of their equity.
• Depending on your interests and experience, there is an opportunity to also take ownership of Pyka's benefits programs, including plan design, broker and vendor management, and open enrollment.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of dedicated Compensation experience, ideally in a fast-paced hardware, tech, or aerospace startup environment.
• Proven experience running compensation across multiple countries, with US operations as a core market.
• 3+ years of experience with startup equity programs, including grant sizing, market benchmarking, and working within structured grant frameworks.
• Knowledge of tech/hardware compensation benchmarking databases (e.g., Radford, Option Impact, Mercer).
• Strong analytical proficiency in Google Sheets or Excel for building compensation models, salary bands, and market data analysis.
• Proven understanding of US labor laws and pay transparency mandates (FLSA).
• Exceptional ability to translate complex compensation and equity mechanics into clear, accessible language for employees and candidates across different regions and cultures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing compensation in Brazil or elsewhere in Latin America.
• Experience implementing or expanding compensation programs in a new country, including benchmarking, band design, and local compliance.
• Direct experience administering or optimizing dedicated compensation planning software (e.g., Pave, Pequity, Comprehensive, or similar tooling).
• Familiarity with cross-border equity considerations, global taxation, and international mobility strategies for growing engineering teams.
• Solid understanding of tax, accounting, and legal considerations surrounding domestic and international stock options, exercise windows, and equity compensation structures.
• Experience building, growing, and leading a compensation team.
• Experience as the first dedicated compensation hire at a company, building programs from the ground up.
• We understand that candidates bring different strengths and experiences, and you don't need to meet every qualification to be considered. If this role excites you, we'd love to learn more about you. You may be a great fit even if your background doesn't align perfectly with the list.

Compensation and Benefits

• $139,000$190,000 per year base salary + equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change.
• Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance
• FSA with employer matching
• 401(k)
• Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off
• Voluntary short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks