Compensation Program Manager Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

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We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Global Incentive Program Manager to join our Total Rewards team. This role carries end-to-end accountability for the administration and execution of short- term incentives, long-term incentives, and employee recognition programs. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, a deep understanding of incentive plan mechanics and company-wide recognition programs, and the ability to manage complex, cross-functional programs with precision and sound judgment. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: 

Incentive Program Ownership 

• Participate in the strategy, design, implementation and ongoing improvement of short-term incentive, long-term incentive and employee recognition programs  

• Lead end-to-end administration and governance of the global short- and long-term incentive programs, partnering with the compensation program manager on workday program requirements, manager experience, plan documentation, modeling, calculations, validation, and payout execution 

• Serve as the primary point of accountability for incentive plan accuracy, compliance, and operational integrity 

• Analyze program effectiveness, cost, and performance outcomes; proactively surface insights and recommendations to leadership 

• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate compensation forecasting, accruals, and budget management 

• Manage company-wide employee recognition programs, including peer-to-peer, manager-led, and values-based programs.  

• Oversee recognition platforms and vendor relationships 

• Collaborate with Internal Communications and HR to promote recognition campaigns tied to company values 

Analytics, Tools & Technology 

• Partner with HRIS and People Analytics to design, build, and maintain compensation dashboards that enable quick review of market positioning for short and long term incentives and budget utilization needs 

• Partner with HRIS and People Analytics teams to ensure data integrity and optimize Workday functionality for short term and long term incentives 

• Explore and pilot AI and automation tools to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance predictive analytics capabilities 

• Measure participation, engagement and recognition program effectiveness through metrics and employee feedback. 

Governance, Compliance & Stakeholder Partnership 

• Develop and maintain policies, guidelines, and governance documentation 

• Monitor and report on regulatory and compliance changes  

Required 

• 7+ years of progressive compensation experience in a large, complex corporate environment 

• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of short term and/or long term incentive programs including design, modeling, and execution 

• Strong analytical skills with advanced proficiency in Excel; experience building and maintaining compensation tools and dashboards 

• Proficiency in Workday or comparable HRIS platforms 

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives 

WD is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available HERE

WD thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

WD is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@wdc.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 11/26/2026 (3 months from posting), although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York.  This range may be modified in the future.
• If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws.  You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.

• You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline or email compliance@wdc.com.