Director, Executive Compensation

Job ID: r20920

What You'll Do:

Reporting directly to the VP, Global Total Rewards, the Director, Executive Compensation will play a critical leadership role in the execution, governance, and continuous evolution of Criteo's executive compensation programs.

This highly visible position serves as an internal subject matter expert on executive compensation and equity governance, partnering with senior leadership, Legal, Finance, and external advisors to develop market-informed recommendations, support Compensation Committee and Board decisions, and ensure disciplined execution of executive compensation programs.

The successful candidate will bring deep technical expertise, strong analytical capabilities, sound judgment, and the ability to translate complex compensation matters into clear, actionable recommendations. This role requires a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to navigate sensitive matters in a dynamic, global public-company environment.

The position is based in New York, with flexibility to collaborate across multiple time zones.

Executive Compensation Strategy & Advisory

• Lead the execution, administration, and continuous enhancement of executive compensation programs, partnering with the VP, Global Total Rewards on strategy, program design, governance, and market positioning.
• Develop market-informed analyses and recommendations across executive base salaries, annual and long-term incentives, employment offers, promotions, severance arrangements, and share ownership guidelines.
• Lead executive compensation benchmarking, competitive assessments, pay positioning analyses, and financial modeling to inform compensation decisions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor on executive compensation matters, providing analytical insights and recommendations that balance market competitiveness, business priorities, and governance considerations.
• Partner with external executive compensation consultants to evaluate market practices, emerging trends, and opportunities to strengthen executive compensation programs.
• Advise on executive compensation implications of organizational changes, retention needs, leadership transitions, and other strategic initiatives.

Compensation Committee & Board Governance

• Lead the development and coordination of Compensation Committee and Board materials, including executive compensation analyses, management recommendations, presentations, and supporting governance documentation.
• Own the executive compensation governance calendar, ensuring timely and accurate preparation of recurring Committee deliverables and annual approval processes.
• Drive cross-functional coordination across Legal, Finance, Payroll, Investor Relations, People, and external advisors to support Committee and Board activities.
• Translate complex executive compensation analyses into clear, concise, decision-ready materials for senior management and the Compensation Committee.
• Coordinate the documentation and implementation of Compensation Committee decisions, ensuring appropriate governance, follow-through, and execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve Committee processes, reporting, documentation, and governance practices.

Executive Equity & Long-Term Incentive Programs

• Oversee executive equity program governance, administration, and execution, ensuring alignment with approved program designs, equity plans, and corporate governance requirements.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and external advisors on the development and evolution of equity incentive plans, award agreements, grant policies, and related governance frameworks.
• Lead analyses supporting executive equity positioning, share utilization, dilution, burn rate, share reserve planning, and long-term incentive design.
• Evaluate market practices and emerging trends in executive equity compensation and recommend program enhancements.
• Support the implementation of equity-related Compensation Committee and Board decisions, ensuring accurate and timely execution.

Proxy, Disclosure, and Regulatory Governance

• Lead the preparation, coordination, and validation of executive compensation content for the annual proxy statement and other applicable regulatory disclosures, in partnership with Legal, Finance, and external advisors.
• Oversee executive compensation data collection, calculations, and supporting analyses for the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, executive compensation tables, and related disclosures.
• Develop clear and accurate disclosure narratives reflecting executive compensation philosophy, program design, pay-for-performance alignment, and governance practices.
• Coordinate executive compensation governance activities, including Say on Pay, clawback policies, share ownership guidelines, change-in-control arrangements, compensation risk assessments, and related regulatory requirements.
• Monitor regulatory developments, proxy advisor guidance, shareholder expectations, and evolving governance practices, identifying implications and recommending appropriate actions.
• Ensure executive compensation disclosures and supporting documentation are accurate, consistent with Compensation Committee decisions, and aligned with applicable requirements.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Program Execution

• Build strong relationships with senior leadership and crossfunctional partners, including Legal, Finance, Investor Relations, Broad-based Compensation, Talent Acquisition, People Business Partners, and other HR teams.

• Partner with HR and business leaders on executive hiring, promotions, retention arrangements, organizational changes, and leadership transitions, providing market-informed analyses and recommendations.

• Support strategic initiatives, including acquisitions, corporate transactions, organizational design, and executive succession planning, where executive compensation expertise is required.

• Drive continuous improvement in executive compensation processes, analytics, documentation, and governance controls.

• Balance strategic priorities with hands-on execution, ensuring high-quality deliverables in a fast-paced, global environment.

Who You Are:

Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Human Resources, Economics, Accounting, Business, or a related discipline preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive compensation experience, including substantial experience in executive compensation.
• Demonstrated experience in executive compensation within a publicly traded company or executive compensation consulting firm advising public companies.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. public-company executive compensation governance, equity compensation, and disclosure requirements.
• Experience preparing Compensation Committee and Board materials and supporting senior executive compensation decisions.
• Hands-on experience with annual proxy disclosures, including CD&A, executive compensation tables, and related calculations and data validation.
• Experience with executive equity programs, long-term incentive design, share utilization, and equity governance.
• Experience partnering with external compensation consultants, Legal, Finance, and other senior stakeholders.
• Experience in a global, matrixed organization preferred.
• Experience with Workday or other HRIS and compensation technologies preferred.

Executive Compensation & Governance Expertise

• Deep understanding of executive compensation programs, equity incentives, corporate governance, and evolving regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling capabilities, including advanced Excel proficiency.
• Advanced PowerPoint skills and demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality, executive- and Board-ready materials.

Executive Effectiveness & Business Judgment

• Strong executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to influence and advise senior stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex compensation and governance matters into clear, practical recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information effectively.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to balance market competitiveness, governance requirements, and business objectives.

Execution & Professional Excellence

• Exceptional accuracy, attention to detail, and commitment to high-quality deliverables.
• Demonstrated discretion and integrity when managing highly confidential executive compensation matters.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and critical deadlines.
• Proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented approach, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, and navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

We acknowledge that many candidates may not meet every single role requirement listed above. If your experience looks a little different from our requirements but you believe that you can still bring value to the role, we’d love to see your application!​

Who We Are:

We’re Criteo, the Commerce Intelligence Platform. Criteo helps businesses turn shopper signals into commerce outcomes while delivering more relevant experiences for shoppers. We use proprietary commerce intelligence and AI decisioning to drive relevance for shoppers and performance for businesses.

At Criteo, our culture is as unique as it is diverse. From our offices across the globe or from the comfort of home, our 3,600 Criteos collaborate together to build an open, impactful, and forward-thinking environment.

We foster a workplace where everyone is valued, and employment decisions are based solely on skills, qualifications, and business needs—never on non-job-related factors or legally protected characteristics.

What We Offer:

For employees based in the US, certain roles at Criteo are eligible for additional rewards, including quarterly or annual bonus and restricted stock units. US-based employees receive access to healthcare, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, family forming and wellness benefits, Flexible Work financial support, learning opportunities, and a robust annual leave plan including volunteer time off and summer vacation days.

The US base salary pay range for this position per year is: