Lead Equity & Incentive Compensation Partner

About this role

Responsibilities

• HelloFresh is seeking a Lead Equity & Incentives Compensation Partner to drive the strategy and execution of our global equity programs, short- and long-term incentive plans, executive compensation, and rewards governance framework. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who has been deep in the mechanics of compensation in a high-growth technology company and is now ready to own a portfolio that spans program design, governance, and cross-functional influence. You will play a foundational role in defining our global rewards strategy and structuring defensible compensation frameworks.
• Reporting to the Global Director, Compensation Strategy, you will serve as the subject matter expert across equity, incentives, and executive pay - working at the intersection of people, finance, legal, and the business. This role is central to building scalable, market-competitive compensation programs that support HelloFresh's continued growth across global markets.
• What you’ll do
• Equity Program Design & Execution
• Program Ownership: Lead the design, administration, and continuous improvement of HelloFresh's global equity programs - including RSUs, performance shares, and any new equity vehicles - ensuring they are competitive, compliant, and well-understood by employees.
• Platform & Data Integrity: Serve as the operational lead for the equity compensation platform, ensuring accurate data bridges between Workday, Payroll, and external equity administration tools.
• Equity Education: Develop scalable education materials - guides, FAQs, webinars - that help employees across all markets understand their equity awards and the broader compensation philosophy
• Incentive Plans & Variable Pay
• STI & LTI Design: Lead the design and annual refresh of short-term and long-term incentive structures, including corporate bonus plans, sales incentive frameworks, and performance-based equity programs.
• Plan Modelling: Build and maintain incentive compensation models to evaluate cost, dilution, payout scenarios, and competitive positioning; translate model outputs into clear recommendations for senior leadership.
• Goal-Setting & Calibration: Partner with Finance and HR Business Partners during the annual goal-setting cycle to ensure incentive metrics are appropriately rigorous, measurable, and aligned to business priorities.
• Pay Mix Analysis: Conduct ongoing analysis of total compensation pay mix across roles, levels, and geographies to identify gaps and recommend design adjustments.
• Executive Compensation
• C-Suite Support: Support executive compensation reviews, including benchmarking for C-suite and director-level roles, peer group analysis, and preparation of materials for Compensation Committee review.
• Benchmarking & Market Data: Manage relationships with compensation survey vendors; lead annual and ad-hoc benchmarking exercises to keep HelloFresh's executive pay competitive.
• Offer Construction: Partner with Talent Acquisition and senior HR leadership to structure competitive offers for executive hires, including equity, sign-on, and ongoing compensation considerations.
• Disclosure & Reporting: Support preparation of executive compensation disclosures and Compensation Committee materials, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Rewards Governance & Compliance
• Governance Framework: Develop and maintain HelloFresh's global compensation governance framework — including salary band structures, job architecture, and pay approval workflows — ensuring consistency, fairness, and auditability.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all compensation programs comply with applicable securities law, tax regulations, and reporting requirements across jurisdictions (DE, US, UK, and others); lead preparation for the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
• Pay Equity: Design and execute regular pay equity analyses across gender, ethnicity, and tenure; surface findings and drive remediation plans in partnership with HR leadership and Legal.
• SOX & Audit Support: Maintain rigorous controls and documentation for equity and incentive programs to support internal and external audit requirements.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to automate and streamline compensation operations, including tooling, workflows, and AI-assisted analytics.
• Strategic Partnership & Program Building
• Cross-Functional Influence: Act as the compensation expert for HR Business Partners, Finance, and Legal — providing timely, data-driven guidance on compensation decisions across the employee lifecycle.
• M&A and Expansion: Support compensation due diligence and integration work for acquisitions and new market entries, ensuring programs can scale with the business.
• Stakeholder Communication: Translate complex compensation concepts into clear narratives for senior leaders, the Compensation Committee, and employees at all levels.
• Team Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to more members of the compensation team, including the Senior Equity Compensation Analyst.
• What you’ll bring
• Experience: 8+ years of progressive compensation experience, with at least 4 years focused on equity, incentives, or executive compensation in a high-growth global technology or e-commerce company.
• Program Builder: Demonstrated track record of designing and scaling compensation programs from the ground up — not just administering inherited ones.
• Technical Depth: Strong command of equity mechanics (RSUs, options, performance shares), incentive plan design, and executive pay practices. Familiarity with SOX, EU Pay Transparency, and multi-jurisdictional compliance requirements.
• Analytical Rigour: Expert-level proficiency in financial modelling and data analysis (Excel/Google Sheets required; SQL, Python, or BI tools a plus). Comfortable building models that inform multi-million dollar decisions.
• Governance Mindset: Experience developing or maintaining global compensation governance frameworks, job architectures, and pay equity programs.
• Stakeholder Influence: Proven ability to work effectively with Finance, Legal, Talent, and senior executives; capable of presenting complex analyses in simple, compelling terms.
• Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Finance, HR, Economics, or a related field. Certifications such as Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or Certified Equity Professional (CEP) are highly preferred.
• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in ambiguity and navigating rapid change; thrives in a fast-paced, high-ownership environment.