Manager, Stock Plan Administration

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 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.

• 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.

• 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.