Compensation Partner

<div class="content-intro"><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Thinking Machines Lab's mission is to empower humanity through advancing collaborative general intelligence. We're building a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are scientists, engineers, and builders who’ve created some of the most widely used AI products, including ChatGPT and Character.ai, open-weights models like Mistral, as well as popular open source projects like PyTorch, OpenAI Gym, Fairseq, and Segment Anything.</p></div><h2>About the Role</h2>
<p>We're hiring a compensation partner to join our Operations team. You'll own the full spectrum of compensation at Thinking Machines – from building our philosophy and job architecture to partnering on day-to-day offer and pay decisions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This role directly impacts our ability to hire and retain exceptional talent. We're looking for a compensation partner who brings a point of view, not just a process.</p>
<h2>What You’ll Do</h2>
<ul>
<li>Design and implement Thinking Machines’ overall compensation framework and programs to attract and retain highly sought-after talent.</li>
<li>Advise managers and leadership on pay decisions across offers, promotions, and retention.</li>
<li>Establish our compensation strategy based on market research, analysis, and your own judgment, with awareness that standards benchmarks lag the reality of the talent market.</li>
<li>Build the equity compensation framework in partnership with finance and leadership.</li>
<li>Communicate compensation to candidates and employees in a clear way that builds trust.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h2>Skills and Qualifications</h2>
<p><strong>Minimum qualifications:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>7+ years of compensation experience in a high-growth environment.</li>
<li>Track record building compensation programs from the ground up, ideally in an early-stage environment.</li>
<li>Experience operating in a competitive and dynamic talent market without relying on benchmarks and mature processes.</li>
<li>Ability to articulate a clear point of view on good compensation philosophy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Preferred Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Experience at an AI lab, foundation model company, or high-growth tech company where compensation moves faster than survey cycles.</li>
<li>Familiarity with the compensation landscape across research (PhDs, postdocs, industry researchers), engineering, and non-technical functions, and how expectations differ meaningfully across all three.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Logistics</h2>
<ul>
<li>Location: This role is based in San Francisco, California</li>
<li>Compensation: Depending on background, skills and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $250,000 - $425,000 USD.</li>
<li>Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together.</li>
<li>Benefits: Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.</li>
</ul><div class="content-conclusion"><p><em>As set forth in Thinking Machines' Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. </em></p>
<p><em>Thinking Machines Lab will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the California Fair Chance Act, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other applicable state or local fair chance ordinance or law.</em></p></div>