We’re back this week with another Employee Spotlight. In this series, we’re spotlighting members of our world-class team who care deeply about the challenges of total rewards leaders and the future of compensation. 

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This week, we’re excited to spotlight Katie Aldred, Pave’s Consulting Partnerships Lead.

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Katie joins us from impressive runs at Sequoia and Radford, bringing over a decade of experience and insights in compensation and consulting to Pave.

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At Sequoia, Katie spearheaded the Market Insights function, where she was responsible for reporting market trends on compensation programs among VC-backed companies. At Radford, Katie worked on the data team, and more recently, the consulting team advising technology companies on compensation strategy.

At Pave, Katie is leading partnership efforts with top-tier compensation consultants using Pave’s platform as a trusted data source. With her deep industry expertise in the field she also plays a critical role integrating compensation knowledge into Pave's products.

In this Q&A, Katie shares the opportunity she saw at Pave, what excites her about Pave’s product, and why compensation is important to her. 

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What was the opportunity you saw in Pave?

Pave’s vision is to unlock a labor market built on trust. I think that’s so inspiring — it’s not about keeping compensation decisions behind a closed door anymore, it’s about providing the data and platform that enables leaders to make better decisions so that they can pay their employees competitively and responsibly. 

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I also saw a company full of people who were so committed to that mission and making it happen, and that was a journey I wanted to be part of.

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“It’s not about keeping compensation decisions behind a closed door anymore.”

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You’re helping to inform Pave’s product. What excites you about it?

Pave is disrupting the compensation data landscape by providing real-time data insights. With access to the latest trends and competitive pay information, our customers can make informed decisions in today's fast-paced market. 

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Pave’s products are also continuously crafted with the customer in mind, ensuring that every feature addresses real needs and challenges. 

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Specifically, in the two months I’ve been here, we noted multiple customers that wanted private company burn rate data, which has always been difficult to get ahold of. We paid attention to that challenge, developed a plan, a prototype, collected feedback, and launched the insights in the platform. This is a great example of how the team listened to customer needs and turned around something valuable at lightning speed.

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Why is compensation important to you?

I think it’s such a challenging area that it is a true balance of science and art. Doing compensation well requires excellence in so many facets, starting with determining your strategy, to ensuring you’re communicating it appropriately, and everything in between. With recent legislation and a focus on pay transparency, even more attention is paid to compensation practices. This is a great opportunity for leaders to build trust and buy-in with their employees on their processes.

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How can compensation be improved? 

We still have a way to go to ensure that employees understand the ‘why’ behind pay decisions.

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What excites you most about working with Total Rewards leaders and their teams? 

Compensation is a difficult problem to figure out, and there are more eyes than ever on it. I’m excited to enable leaders with Pave to provide the data they need quickly and reliably so that they can achieve their goals. While compensation is just one part of the employee experience, it connects to many other aspects of HR, so it’s critical to get it right.

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What is something that total rewards leaders should be aware of when scaling a comp program?

While it's essential to establish frameworks for compensation and job architecture early on, total rewards leaders must also remain open to adjusting these structures as the organization grows and evolves. Focusing on rigid frameworks can hinder the company's ability to respond effectively to changing market conditions and evolving employee needs. 

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Total rewards leaders should strive to balance both structure and flexibility. This ensures that their compensation programs remain agile and aligned with the organization's goals throughout the scaling process.

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What excites you about the future of compensation? 

I’m excited about the continued emphasis on pay transparency. I’m hopeful this will lead to companies sharing more insights about their pay strategy to build trust, which will positively impact total rewards leaders and employees.

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Pave is the leading compensation management platform, powered by real-time data, that helps companies benchmark, plan, and communicate compensation. To join our team, see our open roles.