Classification and Compensation Advisor

Full Job Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served.

Over the years we have worked hard to keep Seattle’s electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound.

Today, Seattle City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Attracting and retaining a highly skilled workforce is critical to our success. We do that by employing best-in-class, equitable, and data-informed classification and compensation practices that support consistent decision-making and strong service to our employees and leaders.

The Classification & Compensation Advisor leads and advances Seattle City Light’s classification and compensation programs and serves as a strategic advisor on pay and job classification matters.

This role develops and improves policies and procedures, conducts research and analysis, and provides recommendations that support consistent, equitable, and market-aligned decisions.

The position works independently on sensitive, visible, and high-impact matters, applying strong judgment, confidentiality, and a customer-centered approach, while partnering with City stakeholders and complying with City rules, personnel policies, and collective bargaining agreements.

The role plays a key part in advancing workforce equity, supporting career pathways, and enabling data-informed decision-making across the utility.

This position reports to the Talent Acquisition Manager.

Requirements

Compensation

• 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.

Classification

• 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.

Policy/Procedure Development

• 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.

Supervision & Team Support

• 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.

Qualifications

Required - In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:

• Education: 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).
• 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).

Desired - You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:

• 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.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Additional Information

The full salary range for this position is $51.88 to $77.82 per hour.

Application Process

Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement.
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Emergency Response Commitment:

Seattle City Light is committed to reliable service during emergencies.

Through our Emergency Response Program, each employee is assigned a role—usually aligned with their regular duties—to support emergency operations.

Your participation is vital to helping the utility stay prepared and serve our community when it matters most.

Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences.

Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check.

The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3.

A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.

More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans.

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.