Seattle City Light · 3 hours ago
Classification and Compensation Advisor
Seattle, WA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$51.88/hr - $77.82/hr
5+ years expSeattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is a leading municipally owned utility focused on energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. The Classification & Compensation Advisor will lead and advance the classification and compensation programs, providing strategic advice on pay and job classification while ensuring equitable and market-aligned decisions.
Utilities
Responsibilities
Provide compensation guidance and recommendations for current employees, new hires, Out-of-Class assignments, and temporary staffing, consistent with City rules, labor agreements, and internal equity
Lead complex compensation analyses (e.g., equity/internal alignment, pay trends) and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations
Provide compensation support for labor/contract negotiations, including cost modeling, pay comparisons, and scenario analysis for bargaining and implementation options
Lead salary studies and market pricing efforts, including survey participation, benchmarking, interpretation of results, and recommendations on market position and pay practices
Prepare decision-ready materials that communicate risks, tradeoffs, equity impacts, and implementation considerations
Support implementation of compensation program changes, including change management planning, communications, and outcome measurement
Conduct and support pay equity analyses aligned with Race and Social Justice (RSJ) principles; assess impacts and recommend actions to address identified disparities
Partner with workforce planning and career architecture efforts to ensure compensation and classification structures support career pathways and succession needs
Lead and/or oversee classification studies and complex job evaluations for Seattle City Light, developing well-documented, equitable recommendations for coordination and review with City Human Resources
Advise leaders on classification strategies, including impacts to organizational structure, career ladders, and job specifications
Coordinate reclassification requests with the City’s Department of Human Resources and advise on risks, precedents, and downstream impacts
Serve as the primary point of contact for classification questions across the utility, providing accurate, timely, and accessible guidance
Represent City Light’s interests in classification matters with internal partners and other City departments, maintaining alignment with Citywide standards while addressing utility-specific needs
Support the design and maintenance of career ladders and job architectures, ensuring classifications align with progression, skill development, and organizational readiness
Design, document, and continuously improve classification and compensation processes, tools, and guidance to promote consistency, transparency, and equitable outcomes
Lead or support cross-functional work to build resources for leaders and employees (e.g., templates, FAQs, decision guides, training materials)
Develop and maintain internal policies and documentation; translate complex rules and agreements into practical, user-friendly guidance
Ensure classification and compensation practices are well-documented, auditable, and defensible, including maintaining decision rationale, precedent awareness, and compliance records
Leverage HRIS, compensation tools, and analytics platforms to support market pricing, pay equity analysis, reporting, and decision-making, while identifying opportunities to improve processes and data quality
Supervise and develop a Classification & Compensation Trainee/Specialist through coaching, training, work planning, and feedback; assign and prioritize work to meet service needs and timelines
Foster a respectful, inclusive team culture and a customer-centered service model
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Social Science, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience)
Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in classification and compensation (or closely related total rewards work), including job analysis/evaluation, pay-setting guidance, market pricing/salary survey analysis, internal alignment or pay equity review; and experience providing work direction, coaching, training, or lead support to others (formal or informal)
Preferred
Progress toward or attainment of CCP, SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR
Experience supporting labor/contract negotiations (costing, pay comparisons, scenarios)
Prior formal supervisory experience or demonstrated readiness to supervise and develop others
Experience developing and implementing compensation programs in a unionized and/or public-sector environment
Advanced Excel and strong analytical skills; ability to communicate findings to non-technical audiences
Demonstrated discretion with sensitive/confidential information and ability to partner effectively across all organizational levels
Experience conducting pay equity/internal alignment analyses and using HRIS or compensation management systems for analytics and reporting in a regulated or public-sector environment
Benefits
Vacation
Holiday
Sick leave
Medical
Dental
Vision
Life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents
Company
Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light, one of the nation’s largest municipal utilities, generates and delivers affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible power to the homes, businesses, and communities we serve.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Debra Smith
CEO/General Manager
Kirsty Grainger
Chief Financial Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase