Description

Position Details 
The Manager, Equity Compensation is responsible for the administration, execution, and governance of Grainger’s global equity compensation programs. Reporting to the Senior Manager - Treasury, this role ensures accurate, timely, and compliant execution of equity awards while delivering a high-quality participant experience. 

The role partners closely with Executive Compensation, HR, Payroll, Legal, Accounting, Tax, and our Stock Plan Administrator. An ideal candidate would have the Certified Equity Professional (CEP) designation and/or experience supporting equity programs in a public company or equity plan provider environment. 
This position follows a hybrid work schedule with approximately 3 days onsite presence at the Lake Forest, IL Headquarters. 

• Key Responsibilities 
  Lead day-to-day equity plan administration: Oversee awards, releases, exercises, cancellations, and adjustments to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.
• Manage vendor partnership and service delivery: Serve as the primary liaison with our stock plan administrator; oversee SLAs, issue resolution, testing cycles, and capability enhancements.
• Oversee integrations between our vendor, Payroll, and HRIS: Ensure completeness and accuracy of tax, employee, and award data; identify and remediate discrepancies.
• Support participant communication and education: Work with Executive Compensation and Communications to develop clear, timely FAQs, executive materials, enrollment guides, and program updates.
• Maintain audit readiness and controls: Partner with Controllership and SOX to support testing and documentation; strengthen controls and ensure policy compliance.
• Deliver reporting and analytics: Create and maintain dashboards that track outstanding awards and options, plan activity, share pool usage, dividend accruals, and proxy-related metrics, providing clear insights for leadership and external reporting.
• Lead process improvement and automation initiatives: Optimize end-to-end workflows, reconciliations, and system integrations to enhance transparency and efficiency.
• Develop and guide team members: Provide coaching, oversight, and subject-matter leadership to analysts; foster a culture of accuracy, curiosity, and collaboration. 

Requirements

The Ideal Candidate Will Bring 

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Certified Equity Professional (CEP) strongly preferred. 
• Ideally, 3-5 years of progressive experience in equity compensation administration in a public company, equity plan provider, or major advisory firm.
• Deep understanding of RSU, PSU, stock option plan mechanics and associated tax, payroll, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience with one or more stock plan systems; strong capability in navigating complex data structures.
• Proficiency with Excel and financial systems; ability to build reconciliations, reports, and workflows.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to partner across functions and influence without direct authority.
• High attention to detail, strong judgment, and ability to operate in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated initiative in improving processes, enhancing controls, and elevating the participant experience.