Principal Executive Compensation and Governance Consultant
ISS-Corporate seeks a highly skilled, strategic, and client-focused professional for a senior advisory role providing executive compensation and corporate governance consulting services to public company clients. As a Vice President or Associate Director, you will serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives, board members, and corporate secretaries at many of the world's largest companies, delivering actionable insights backed by ISS's market-leading data, analytics, and proprietary solutions.
In this role, you will partner directly with C-suite executives and board representatives to address complex compensation, governance, shareholder engagement, and ESG-related matters. You will leverage your expertise, commercial acumen, and leadership capabilities to help clients navigate emerging trends, evaluate governance risk through a shareholder lens, and make informed decisions that support long-term value creation.
As a senior member of the East Coast advisory team, you will also play an important role in developing team talent, advancing client solutions, and contributing to the continued growth of our advisory business.
Key Responsibilities
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to senior executives, boards of directors, and governance professionals on executive compensation, corporate governance, shareholder engagement, and related disclosure matters.
Build and maintain strong relationships with senior client stakeholders, developing a deep understanding of their priorities and delivering tailored, high-value advisory services.
Lead complex analyses of executive compensation programs, governance structures, shareholder proposals, and proxy disclosures to identify areas of opportunity, risk, and alignment with investor expectations.
Leverage ISS's extensive governance and compensation databases, analytical tools, and market intelligence to generate actionable insights and recommendations for clients.
Develop and present sophisticated client deliverables, including benchmarking analyses, governance reviews, strategic recommendations, board presentations, and executive briefings.
Facilitate discussions and presentations with C-suite executives, board members, compensation committees, legal counsel, finance leaders, and human resources executives.
Partner closely with sales, product, research, and data teams to identify client opportunities, support business development efforts, and demonstrate the value of ISS solutions.
Contribute to the development and enhancement of advisory methodologies, client-facing products, analytical frameworks, and scalable service offerings.
Produce industry-leading thought leadership, including white papers, webinars, conference presentations, market analyses, and client education materials.
Monitor evolving regulatory, investor, and governance developments and translate emerging trends into practical guidance for clients.
Mentor, coach, and support the development of junior consultants and advisors, fostering a collaborative, high-performance team environment.
This role offers a unique opportunity to influence governance and compensation practices at some of the world's most prominent public companies while helping shape the future direction of ISS's advisory services. The successful candidate will combine deep subject matter expertise, strong client management skills, commercial orientation, and leadership potential to drive meaningful impact for clients and the business.
The role requires approximately 5% travel or less, primarily for client meetings, conferences, and industry events.
Qualifications & Education
Minimum of 10-15 years of relevant professional experience in executive compensation, corporate governance, investor relations, management consulting, legal advisory, human capital consulting, proxy advisory, institutional investing, or a related field.
Demonstrated expertise in executive compensation design, governance practices, shareholder engagement, proxy disclosure, and investor perspectives.
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Accounting, Law, Public Policy, or a related field with a strong record of achievement; MBA, JD, CFA, or other advanced degree strongly preferred.
Proven experience working directly with senior executives, boards of directors, and other key corporate decision-makers.
Strong writing, presentation, and public speaking skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts to executive audiences.
Technical aptitude and comfort leveraging data, analytics, and SaaS-based platforms to drive client insights.
Strong project management capabilities with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work work in a fast-paced environment.
Skills & Additional Considerations
Ability to diagnose complex client challenges and develop strategic, practical recommendations.
Strong analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving capabilities.
Deep intellectual curiosity and ability to quickly master evolving technical, regulatory, and market developments.
Advanced proficiency in analyzing and synthesizing data using Excel, SQL, or comparable analytical tools.
Strong commercial acumen with the ability to identify opportunities to expand client relationships and deliver additional value.
Ability to confidently advise, influence, and build credibility with senior executives and board members.
Proven capability to lead projects and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to produce polished, executive-level work product.
Experience mentoring, developing, and leading colleagues in a professional services environment.
Ability to foster strong internal and external relationships while contributing to a collaborative team culture.
Demonstrated executive presence, sound judgment, and poise under pressure.
Passion for helping clients navigate complex governance and compensation challenges while contributing to the evolution of market-leading advisory solutions.
Why This Role Matters
- You’ll join a growth‑oriented business in a market where demand is increasing
- Corporate governance and executive compensation remain major focus areas for boards, investors, and the media
- Structured onboarding and training to support fast productivity.
Base salary: The New York City expected base pay range is $120,000 - $150,000 per year. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and level of education.
#LI-MK1 #MidSenior #Consulting #ICS
What You Can Expect from Us
Our people are the moving force behind our work. We are committed to building a culture that values diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences. If you have the skills, passion, and drive to help us bring clarity and transparency to capital markets, we want to work with you.
Together, we can grow your career in an environment that fuels creativity, drives innovation, and has real impact.
About ISS STOXX
ISS STOXX delivers world-class research, data, and technology solutions that empower capital market participants to pursue their visions with confidence. Our expertise spans indices, corporate governance, sustainability, cyber risk, and fund intelligence, giving clients the tools they need to uncover opportunities, manage risks, and navigate evolving regulations. We are made up of 4,000 professionals operating across 20 countries and serving approximately 5,000 clients, including many of the world’s leading institutional investors. Our scale and reach give us deep market knowledge, while our innovative methodologies allow us to offer our clients tailored insights that drive impact and success.
As a leading provider of robust data, software solutions and expert advisory, ISS‑Corporate helps businesses understand and shape the signals they send to institutional investors, regulators, and other key stakeholders. By delivering essential data, tools, and insights, ISS‑Corporate empowers companies worldwide to build resilience, meet evolving market expectations, and proactively manage their governance, compensation, sustainability, and cyber risk initiatives.
We are proud to offer the following featured benefits
- Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- 401(k) with a company match up to 9%, including a Safe Harbor contribution
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and commuter benefit programs
- Generous paid time off
- Volunteer Day
- Paid parental leave
- Hybrid working options
- Midtown - centrally located near Grand Central Station and Port Authority
ISS STOXX is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, sex, age, height, weight, citizenship status, national origin, social origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy status, marital status, familial status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, military service or status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law (referred to as “protected status”). All activities including, but not limited to, recruiting and hiring, recruitment advertising, promotions, performance appraisals, training, job assignments, compensation, demotions, transfers, terminations (including layoffs), benefits, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, are and will be administered on a non-discriminatory basis, consistent with all applicable federal, state, and local requirements. For more information, please view https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/posters.
We are committed to ensuring equal opportunity in employment for qualified person with disabilities, fully in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US along with other applicable jurisdictions in which we operate. We prohibit discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of disability as it pertains to the job application, hiring process, and other terms and conditions of employment. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, please contact ISS_Careers_Accommodations@iss-stoxx.com. This email is created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers where disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages sent for other purposes, such as following up on an application or other technical issues not related to a disability, will not receive a response.