Equity Compensation Manager
Location: Lake Forest, IL or Downtown Chicago
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Compensation: $103,600 – $172,600 base + up to 15% incentive
About the Opportunity:
A leading global organization is seeking a Manager, Equity Compensation to oversee the administration and ongoing operations of its equity compensation programs. This position will be responsible for ensuring equity transactions are processed accurately and on schedule while maintaining strong controls, compliance, and audit readiness. The Manager will work closely with Payroll, HRIS, Finance, Accounting, Executive Compensation, external vendors, and other business partners to manage the full equity compensation lifecycle. The role is well suited for an equity compensation professional who enjoys both operational ownership and process improvement and is comfortable working in a complex, highly integrated environment.
What You'll Do:
Oversee the administration of equity compensation programs, including grants, vesting and releases, exercises, cancellations, adjustments, and other equity transactions.
Ensure equity activity is accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable company policies, tax requirements, and regulatory standards.
Manage the relationship with the external stock plan administrator, including service levels, issue resolution, testing, escalations, and system enhancements.
Oversee data integrations between the equity platform, HRIS, and Payroll, ensuring employee, award, transaction, and tax information is accurate and complete.
Partner with Payroll to support equity-related tax withholding, reporting, processing, and applicable deposit requirements.
Investigate and resolve discrepancies between equity, HRIS, and payroll data while improving reconciliation processes.
Partner with Accounting, Controllership, SOX, Executive Compensation, and other stakeholders on controls, reporting, compliance, and audit activities.
Maintain documentation and support internal and external audits related to equity compensation.
Develop reporting and dashboards that provide visibility into equity activity, share utilization, dividend accruals, and other key program metrics.
Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, improve reconciliations, strengthen controls, and enhance system integrations.
Support employee and executive communications by developing educational materials, FAQs, enrollment information, and other equity-related resources.
Provide leadership and coaching to team members while serving as a subject matter expert for equity compensation.
Evaluate opportunities to improve the overall efficiency, scalability, and participant experience of the equity compensation function.
What We're Looking For:
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.5+ years of equity compensation administration experience within a public company, equity plan provider, major consulting/advisory firm, or similar environment.
Strong knowledge of RSUs, PSUs, stock options, and equity plan administration.
Solid understanding of equity-related tax, payroll, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
Experience working with equity compensation or stock plan administration platforms.
Experience managing complex employee and equity data and identifying discrepancies across systems.
Experience with integrations between stock plan systems, HRIS, and Payroll.
Strong understanding of internal controls, reconciliations, audit requirements, and compliance.
Demonstrated experience managing external vendors and working across multiple business functions.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to influence stakeholders and drive projects without direct authority.
Demonstrated success improving processes, implementing automation, strengthening controls, or improving the participant experience.
Certified Equity Professional (CEP) designation is preferred.
