Compensation Lead

Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. But moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.
Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market.
Come help us bring modern software to modern science.

We're looking for a sharp, execution-focused compensation professional to join our growing People team. This role reports to our VP of People Operations and works closely with People Partners, Recruiting, and Finance to design and operate Benchling's global compensation programs.
We're a growing team that moves fast, wears multiple hats, and builds scalable solutions. You'll have meaningful ownership over compensation strategy and programs while partnering across the business.

• Design and maintain Benchling's global compensation framework, including job architecture, leveling, and pay bands across all functions

• Lead merit, promotion, and off-cycle compensation planning cycles—partnering with Finance and leadership to manage budget and ensure consistency

• Conduct market analysis and benchmarking using survey data to inform competitive positioning and make recommendations on pay structure adjustments

• Partner with Recruiting and hiring managers on offer strategy, competitive market intelligence, and compensation for new roles

• Serve as subject matter expert for People Partners and managers—advising on pay decisions, equity grants, job evaluations, and policy interpretation

• Build reporting and analytics that surface compensation trends, pay equity insights, and risks or opportunities across the organization

• Own compensation communications and enablement—translating complex programs into clear guidance for employees and managers

• 5+ years of hands-on compensation experience including job leveling, market pricing, merit planning, and data analysis

• Strong technical skills—comfortable working in Excel/Google Sheets, HRIS systems, and compensation survey tools (Radford, Pave, or similar)

• Experience at a high-growth tech, ideally Series C through pre-IPO stage

• Ability to operate independently and drive projects end-to-end with minimal oversight

• Clear, direct communicator who can translate technical compensation concepts for non-technical audiences

• Detail-oriented with strong judgment on when to escalate and when to decide

• Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities—you build the plane while flying it

We offer a flexible hybrid work arrangement that prioritizes in-office collaboration. Employees are expected to be on-site 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday).

Benchling takes a market-based approach to pay.  The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and work location. For this role the base salary range is $169,129 - $247,127. 

Total Compensation includes the following:

• Competitive total rewards package

• Broad range of medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their dependents

• Fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits

• Four months of fully paid parental leave

• 401(k) + Employer Match

• Commuter benefits for in-office employees and a generous home office set up stipend for remote employees

• Mental health benefits, including therapy and coaching, for employees and their dependents

• Monthly Wellness stipend

• Learning and development stipend

• Generous and flexible vacation

• Company-wide Winter holiday shutdown

• Sabbaticals for 5-year and 10-year anniversaries

#LI-Hybrid  #BI-Hybrid  #LI-DT1

Benchling welcomes everyone.

We believe diversity enriches our team so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.