HR Business Analyst - Compensation

Job Description

Overview

Microsoft’s Total Rewards organization is looking for a highly analytical and strategic Business Analytics Specialist in our Go to Market Compensation team supporting Microsoft Commercial Business. This is an exciting opportunity to join a team dedicated to designing, delivering, maintaining, and evolving compensation programs that are compliant and in support of Microsoft’s pay priorities.

We are looking for a high-impact analytics professional who combines deep technical capability with business acumen to drive data-informed decisions in compensation — particularly sales compensation.

This role goes beyond traditional reporting. You will connect disparate datasets, challenge assumptions, and translate complex signals into clear, actionable insights that shape strategy and execution.

You will also play a key role in building scalable analytics solutions, leveraging modern data platforms and AI to improve how we generate, interpret, and act on compensation data globally. In addition, you will bring structure and execution discipline to complex analytical initiatives, ensuring insights translate into tangible business outcomes.

Responsibilities

1.Drive Insight, Not Just Analysis

• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical problems and hypotheses
• Synthesize data across multiple sources (compensation, performance, headcount, market data) to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities
• Provide clear recommendations and trade-offs, not just analysis outputs
• Anticipate business questions and proactively generate insights

2. Connect Data to Business Reality

• Partner with Compensation, Finance, and Sales Operations to interpret data in the context of:
• Quota & coverage
• Incentive design (RBI / CBI)
• Capacity and performance dynamics
• Translate analytical findings into business-relevant implications and decisions

3. Build Scalable Analytics & Automation

• Design and implement scalable data models, dashboards, and analytical tools
• Leverage modern data environments (e.g., Azure, Databricks, Fabric) to work with large, complex datasets
• Use AI (e.g., Copilot, LLMs, agents) to automate analysis, generate insights, and improve decision velocity
• Continuously improve data quality, accessibility, and governance

4. Lead Analytical Initiatives End-to-End

• Structure, plan, and drive complex analytical initiatives from problem definition through delivery
• Bring clarity, discipline, and accountability to ambiguous problem spaces
• Ensure alignment across stakeholders and delivery against scope, timelines, and business objectives
• Apply structured methodologies where helpful, while remaining adaptable to evolving business needs

5. Elevate Data Storytelling & Influence

• Translate complex analyses into clear, executive-ready narratives
• Influence decision-making through structured, insight-driven communication
• Enable stakeholders to self-serve insights where appropriate

6. Shape the Analytics Discipline

• Identify gaps in data, tooling, and processes—and propose scalable solutions
• Improve how the team uses data to drive consistency, governance, and speed
• Act as a thought partner to senior stakeholders across HR, Finance, and Sales

What We’re Looking For

Core Capabilities

• Strong analytical problem-solving with the ability to operate in ambiguity and incomplete data environments
• Proven ability to connect the dots across disparate datasets and generate meaningful insights
• Ability to challenge assumptions and influence decisions
• Strong ownership mindset with a bias for action and continuous improvement

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in SQL and/or Python for data analysis
• Experience working with large datasets and modern data platforms (e.g., Azure, Databricks, Fabric)
• Strong data visualization skills (Power BI or equivalent)
• Familiarity with AI/LLM tools to enhance analytics, automation, and insight generation

Business & Domain Experience

• Experience in compensation, sales operations, finance, or workforce analytics
• Understanding of sales compensation concepts (quota, incentives, performance metrics) is a strong plus

Execution & Project Leadership

• Strong project management capabilities, with the ability to plan, prioritize, and deliver complex initiatives within scope, timeline, and resource constraints
• Ability to bring structure and clarity to cross-functional work, aligning stakeholders and driving outcomes
• Experience leading or contributing to end-to-end delivery of analytical or tooling initiatives

Role Evolution & Growth

This role is expected to grow into leading cross-functional analytics and tooling initiatives across compensation teams, including supporting or driving key ROB cycles (e.g., RIF/Reoffers, EDM) and scaling analytics capabilities across the organization.

What Success Looks Like

• Insights are proactive, not reactive, and directly influence business decisions
• Analytical work is scalable, automated, and trusted across stakeholders
• Complex problems are translated into clear options and trade-offs
• The team operates with greater speed, clarity, and data confidence

Why This Role Matters

Compensation is one of the most powerful levers to drive performance, manage cost, and shape behaviour. This role ensures we fully leverage data and analytics to make better, faster, and more forward-looking decisions in an increasingly complex environment.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Master's OR Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Business, Data Analytics, Mathematics, or related field and experience in compensation, data analytics, human resources, finance, business, or related field, or
• Equivalent experience with workforce / HR data analysis.
• Experience in complex data modelling and workforce impact analysis.
• Experience working with large datasets and modern data platforms (e.g., Azure, Databricks, Fabric)
• Experienced in delivering results across a complex multi-country organisation
• Experienced in data visualization (Power BI / Excel or equivalent)

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Project management experience.
• Compensation program design experience.

Business Analytics IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 61,900.00 - £ 105,500.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html

Business Analytics IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across Ireland is € 60,300.00 - € 102,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/ireland-corporate-pay.html

Business Analytics IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across Romania is lei 197,000.00 - lei 343,700.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/romania-corporate-pay.html

Business Analytics IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across Poland is zł 197,300.00 - zł 353,400.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/poland-corporate-pay.html

Business Analytics IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across Czechia is Kč 1,093,000.00 - Kč 1,957,000.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/czech-republic-corporate-pay.html

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.