Director, Customer Compensation & Policy

About the Role

As part of the Global Customer Experience team, our goal is to shift from reactive problem-solving to fostering proactive, trust-enhancing customer service. Central to this mission is the compensation function, which serves as the method to acknowledge shortcomings, rebuild customer trust, and ideally, convert negative experiences into reasons for continued loyalty.

We are seeking an Associate Director to lead the worldwide strategy, framework, and governance concerning customer compensation across all brands and markets. This position is a strategic leadership role, integrating customer economic considerations, operational analytics, behavioral experimentation, and cross-departmental influence.

You will manage one of the company’s most financially impactful and sensitive areas pertaining to customers. Responsibilities include defining a multi-year strategic plan and ensuring accountability from Operations, Technology, Finance, and Market Leadership regarding the quality of data inputs that influence how effectively and efficiently customer trust is restored.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the comprehensive global strategy for categorizing customer issues and determining compensation across all platforms and brands.
• Collaborate with Technology to architect and enhance the compensation engine, refining rules, thresholds, segmentation, and automation for scalable resolution decisions.
• Establish principles balancing customer generosity against cost efficiency, applying them as operational rules adaptable across markets and brands.
• Partner with Technology to maintain scalability, auditability, and support for AI-enhanced decision-making within the compensation system.
• Lead the compensation experimentation roadmap, conducting A/B tests on offer types, values, timing, and segmentation to optimize recovery strategies.
• Incorporate behavioral economics to design compensation models that not only satisfy immediately but enhance long-term loyalty and brand reputation.
• Create a measurement framework to evaluate experiment success, confidence levels for rollout, and integration into lasting policy updates.
• Coordinate with Analytics & Insights to ensure rigorous test design, reliable sampling, and robust rollout analysis.
• Manage the global compensation budget, monitoring expenditures by market, error type, customer segment, and overall channel performance.
• Detect and mitigate financial leakages such as unjustified compensation, incorrect amounts, or excessive frequency.
• Develop detailed reporting tools to provide transparency on compensation economics to leadership and stakeholders for informed decision-making.
• Balance cost control with investments in customer lifetime value, focusing spending where it yields optimal returns.
• Oversee the global fraud prevention framework covering policy, detection methods, thresholds, and escalation procedures to safeguard the business while minimizing barriers for genuine customers.
• Conduct regular policy governance including quarterly reviews, exception management per market, and policy version control across brands and territories.
• Serve as the ultimate decision-maker in resolving complex, cross-market policy issues promptly and consistently.
• Maintain global standards while permitting local adaptations only when truly justified by market conditions.
• Represent the compensation department in senior leadership meetings, translating customer economics into actionable requirements for colleagues in Operations, Technology, Finance, and Market leadership.
• Ensure cross-functional accountability for data integrity, operational execution, and system dependability underpinning the compensation engine.
• Lead change management initiatives to ensure policies are adopted effectively across diverse regions and brands.
• Exercising influence at director and VP levels across multiple functions, escalating only significant strategic obstacles.

Qualifications and Experience

• An MBA or equivalent postgraduate degree is mandatory.
• Undergraduate degree in Economics, Business, Engineering, or another quantitative field required.
• 8 to 12 years of progressive experience in customer strategy, pricing, operations, or closely related fields, with significant involvement in global, multi-market settings.
• Proven history managing commercially critical operational functions combining analytical exactness with strategic insight.
• Experience in both senior individual contributor roles and team leadership is essential.
• Preferred background in subscription commerce, logistics, or consumer-facing operations with strong familiarity in economics related to high-volume, low-margin customer recovery.

Technical and Analytical Skills

• Advanced SQL expertise and data analysis capabilities enabling self-sufficient development and validation of analytic models that guide policy decisions.
• Proficient in experimentation methodologies, including test planning, statistical evaluation, and translating data into strategic policy changes beyond mere reporting.
• Experience collaborating with engineering teams to specify system requirements for rule-based and AI-assisted decision frameworks.
• Skilled in financial modeling to justify compensation investments, forecast budget impacts, and monitor performance against planned metrics.

Leadership and Influence Attributes

• Strong executive presence with ability to engage confidently with top-level stakeholders such as GMs, COOs, and CFOs, articulating well-founded viewpoints and securing alignment.
• A credible and respected voice earned through rigorous analysis and clear, persuasive communication.
• Capable of making structured, timely decisions amid ambiguity and adapting strategies as new evidence emerges.
• Collaborative leadership across diverse markets and functions, adept at enforcing standards while preserving essential working relationships.

Benefits and Work Environment

• Modern, comfortable offices located in Berlin-Kreuzberg with supportive colleagues.
• Discounts on HelloFresh meal boxes and Convini products.
• Opportunities for professional growth including internal training programs and an annual learning and development budget.
• Flexible working arrangements such as remote work options, work from abroad policies, sabbaticals, and a home office allowance.
• Comprehensive onboarding and buddy program to support new hires.
• Regular social activities, including team outings, company runs, Friday social events, and book club.
• Discounts on fitness memberships through partners like Urban Sports Club and John Reed, plus access to yoga classes.
• Wellness programs in partnership with mental health apps such as Headspace and Spill.
• Family-friendly benefits including childcare support and company pension scheme.
• Monthly transportation allowance via NAVIT.