Director, Total Rewards

Director, Total Rewards

About Xanadu: 

Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. 

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities:
Xanadu is looking for a Director, Total Rewards to lead the evolution and day-to-day delivery of our global compensation, equity and benefits programs.

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this role will be both a strategic partner and hands-on leader. You will help shape Xanadu’s Total Rewards philosophy and build the programs, practices and governance required for our next stage as a public company, while ensuring our core reward programs operate effectively every day.

You will partner closely with the Chief People Officer on executive compensation, equity strategy, and Compensation Committee matters. At the same time, you will remain close to the work — leading compensation cycles, developing analyses and recommendations, overseeing equity and benefits programs, solving complex compensation issues and building the infrastructure required to scale.

Xanadu operates in a highly specialized and competitive talent market. Our ability to attract, retain and motivate exceptional scientific, technical and business talent is critical to our success. The Director, Total Rewards will help ensure our approach to compensation and equity reflects the talent we compete for, our stage of development and financial model, and our responsibilities as a public company.

The successful candidate will bring strong Total Rewards expertise, sound business and financial judgment, and the ability to translate strategy into practical solutions. They will be equally comfortable discussing compensation philosophy with senior leaders, building a compensation model, or working through an individual compensation decision.

Total Rewards Strategy & Architecture

• Build reward programs that help Xanadu attract, retain and motivate exceptional talent while supporting performance, internal equity, affordability and long-term shareholder value.
• Develop and maintain compensation architecture, including job levels, market benchmarks, salary ranges and approaches to geographic and talent-market differentiation.
• Balance the use of cash and equity to create a compelling employee value proposition while supporting responsible capital and equity utilization.
• Translate Total Rewards strategy into clear policies, programs, governance and operating practices that can scale with the organization.
• Monitor external talent, compensation, economic and regulatory developments and recommend changes as Xanadu and the competitive landscape evolve.

Executive Compensation & Public Company Governance

• Develop analyses, recommendations and materials for the Compensation Committee, including executive compensation, incentive design, benchmarking, peer groups and equity programs.
• Lead executive compensation benchmarking and modeling and provide advice on compensation arrangements for executives and other senior leaders.
• Partner with Legal, Finance and external advisors on executive compensation disclosure and applicable securities, stock exchange and governance requirements in Canada and the United States.
• Maintain strong compensation governance, controls and documentation appropriate for a public company environment.
• Support the design and ongoing evolution of short- and long-term incentive programs that align leadership outcomes with company performance and long-term shareholder value.

Equity & Long-Term Incentives

• Lead the evolution and operation of Xanadu’s equity and long-term incentive programs, balancing attraction and retention, performance alignment, employee value, shareholder interests and responsible equity utilization.
• Develop modeling and recommendations related to equity participation, grant practices, share-pool utilization, dilution and burn rate.
• Oversee the administration of RSUs, stock options and other equity programs, including grant processes, vesting, reporting and employee support.
• Partner with Legal and Finance on equity governance, controls and public-company requirements.
• Ensure employees and leaders understand the value, mechanics and intent of Xanadu’s equity programs.

Global Compensation & Benefits

• Lead Xanadu’s annual compensation processes, including salary reviews, promotions, incentive planning and bonus payouts.
• Provide hands-on compensation advice and decision support to the People team, leaders and Talent Acquisition on offers, promotions, retention situations and other complex compensation matters.
• Establish clear governance for compensation decisions, including offer ranges, exceptions and approval authorities.
• Lead the ongoing assessment and evolution of health, welfare, retirement and wellness programs, balancing employee value, market competitiveness and cost.
• Manage key Total Rewards vendors, consultants and brokers and ensure strong service, economics and governance.
• Ensure compensation and benefits practices comply with applicable pay transparency, pay equity, statutory benefits and other regulatory requirements.
• Partner on global mobility and international employment matters where Total Rewards expertise is required and help develop scalable approaches as Xanadu’s international footprint evolves.

Analytics, Operations & Infrastructure

• Develop clear reporting on compensation costs, equity utilization, market competitiveness, pay equity and other key Total Rewards measures.
• Partner with Finance on compensation forecasting, budgeting and scenario modeling.
• Ensure Total Rewards data, processes and controls are accurate, efficient, scalable and audit-ready.
• Optimize HiBob as the core People platform supporting compensation architecture, employee data and Total Rewards processes, and ensure effective integration with Shareworks, payroll and other supporting systems.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• Significant progressive experience in Total Rewards, with deep expertise across compensation, equity, executive rewards and benefits.
• Experience operating in a public company environment, including executive compensation, equity programs and Compensation Committee or Board support.
• Direct Total Rewards experience across both Canada and the United States, with a strong understanding of the different compensation, benefits, regulatory and market environments.
• Experience developing compensation architecture, market benchmarking, incentive programs and equity strategies.
• Hands-on experience with Shareworks, including public-company equity administration, grants, reporting and employee equity programs.
• Strong working experience with HiBob or similar HRIS systems to support compensation, employee data and Total Rewards processes.
• Executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders and contribute effectively to Board and Compensation Committee discussions.
• A collaborative working style and demonstrated ability to partner effectively with Finance, Legal, Talent Acquisition and business leaders.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and building structure where it does not yet exist.
• A willingness to be hands-on: comfortable getting into the details, solving problems, and doing the work required to move the organization forward.

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• Experience in a technology, deep-tech, R&D-intensive or similarly specialized talent environment.
• Experience helping an organization mature its Total Rewards practices following an IPO or during a period of significant organizational evolution.
• Experience balancing cash and equity compensation in an organization where equity is an important component of the employee value proposition and capital stewardship is critical.
• Experience with global mobility, international benefits and cross-border compensation matters.
• CCP, CEP or other relevant professional designation.

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at [email protected].

Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.