Compensation Partner

We are seeking a Compensation & Benefits Director to serve as the global owner of Cognite’s compensation philosophy & strategy, and operational governance. This is a high-impact, business-critical role at the intersection of strategy, financial rigor, and employee experience.

Responsibilities

Own and evolve Cognite’s global compensation philosophy and strategy; Architect scalable compensation frameworks across base salary, annual bonus, equity, and long-term incentive programs; Evolve compensation structures for new and existing geographies, ensuring market competitiveness, regulatory compliance, and alignment with local market dynamics; Drive performance differentiation through compensation design; Monitor global market trends, emerging compensation practices, and evolving pay transparency regulations; Prepare clear, structured materials for Board and Compensation Committee reviews; Design and refine annual bonus structures and incentive frameworks across technical, commercial, and leadership populations; Own end-to-end operational execution of global compensation programs; Define and track key compensation metrics including market positioning, pay equity, compa-ratio distribution, retention impact, and incentive effectiveness; Serve as trusted subject matter expert and advisor to CHRO, CFO, and senior leadership on all compensation, equity, and mobility matters.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, or related disciplines, with global scope and direct program leadership; Expertise in international compensation practices and frameworks including executive pay, and incentive design — with experience managing equity pools, and Board-level reporting; Proven background in a high-growth technology or SaaS environment, including advisory experience at C-suite or Board level; Experience designing and governing compensation frameworks across multiple geographies, including pay transparency and compliance requirements.

Nice to have

Familiarity with Global Mobility, including EOR models, tax, pay, and cross-border compliance requirements; Experience with compensation benchmarking platforms such as Pave, Radford, or similar tools; Experience designing compensation for technical, AI, and engineering talent markets; Experience supporting a company through IPO preparation, public-company transition, and/or M&A processes.

Benefits

Competitive compensation; 401(k) with employer matching; Competitive health, dental, vision & disability coverages for employees and all dependents; Unlimited PTO; Paid Parental Leave Program; Employee Referral Program