MIKE WEST

COMPENSATION | PEOPLE ANALYTICS | HRIS

Pay Programs & Workforce Insights | HR Systems & Data | Applied AI

linkedin.com/in/michaelcwest | github.com/people-analyst

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

I design compensation programs, apply people analytics to workforce and business decisions, and implement the HR systems that support both. I bring 20+ years across compensation, people analytics, and human resource information systems (HRIS) in large and small organizations. I connect program design, behavioral science, statistics, and systems implementation, using people and business data across internal and external sources. My work spans workforce planning, talent acquisition, compensation, performance, employee experience, diversity, and retention. I am also building software and AI-enabled workflows that extend this work. I am the author of People Analytics For Dummies (Wiley).

CONTRACT EXPERIENCE | 2012–PRESENT

My independent practice connects compensation strategy and programs, people analytics, and HR technology. I design and implement capabilities using client organizations’ preferred data environments and tools.

Fivetran | 2026

I structured and analyzed performance and workforce data across ratings, promotions, calibration, and productivity measures.

The New York Times | 2025–2026

Workforce Analytics & Compensation

I built production models for the 2025 compensation cycle: merit increases, annual incentive payouts, restricted stock units (RSUs), and discretionary awards, including Workday data-load (EIB) files for implementation.

I developed annual incentive funding and distribution guidelines for Corporate Leaders, organizational mappings and production workbooks for merit planning, and what-if analyses, Monte Carlo simulations, and bonus- and equity-cost calculators for executive compensation planning.

I supported the move from disparate Tableau projects to a unified One Model people-data warehouse. I mapped source structures and extracts into a common model, validated source-to-report results, and established consistent reporting logic with HR and compensation stakeholders.

Avid Bioservices | 2024–2025

I worked on compensation philosophy, market benchmarking, pay ranges, job architecture, pay equity, incentive review, annual budgets, and merit planning, including compensation-cycle data structures and systems support.

I developed workforce dashboards, quarterly people-related board reporting, and compensation-committee materials.

Juniper Networks | 2023–2025

Interim Global Compensation Programs Technology and Data Lead

I supported the global compensation center of excellence across 45+ countries: market data, pay ranges, job architecture, leveling, Syndio pay-equity analysis, annual budgets, and merit planning.

I designed HRIS extract workflows, reporting, and planning data for workforce plans and compensation cycles. I reconciled M&A pay structures, harmonizing jobs, levels, bands, and market references across the merged global organization.

Pfizer | 2023 | Contract through Insight Global

I implemented a Visier people-data warehouse from HRIS extracts, designed roles and security, and delivered dashboards and rollout materials.

Mars / Royal Canin | 2023

I modeled employee lifetime value, connecting people investment with lifetime contribution using workforce and payroll data.

Datavant | 2023 — I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Cityblock Health | 2022–2023

I rebuilt compensation foundations through pay philosophy, job catalog development, leveling, market benchmarking, and pay-range design. I developed workforce dashboards and quarterly compensation and HR board presentations, and created an HRIS vendor scorecard.

Instabase | 2022

I designed pay ranges using Radford and Option Impact market and equity data, with consistent job levels and bands.

Zoom | 2022 | Through Glen Elliott Consulting — I used conjoint analysis to evaluate employee preferences and trade-offs in total rewards.

Reddit | 2022 | Through OpenComp — I analyzed the mix of stock and cash compensation.

Extra | 2022 | Through OpenComp — I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Mosaic Building Group | 2022 | Through OpenComp — I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Quizlet | 2022 | Through OpenComp — I conducted a compensation program audit.

Articulate | 2021–2022 | Through OpenComp — I worked on pay philosophy, job architecture, and market benchmarking.

Frontdoor | 2021–2022

I developed compensation systems, job architecture and catalogs, market-pricing models, and annual and long-term incentive models. My work also included minimum-wage and India overtime analysis.

Included Health | 2021 — I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Nike | 2021

I analyzed employee and recruiting experiences, including employee-journey surveys and HRIS-based exit-stayer analysis to understand early employment outcomes.

BKD | 2020 — I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Varian | 2019–2020 | Contract through Ultimate Staffing

I mapped HRIS data into people scorecards and board reporting, established repeatable extracts, and delivered exit/stay analysis.

Molekule | 2019

I created a people-analytics blueprint and Tableau headcount and workforce-planning tools. I developed job architecture, matched roles to Radford benchmarks, and designed market-based pay ranges.

10x Genomics | 2018–2019

I developed a people-analytics blueprint, implemented a One Model warehouse, and established job leveling and architecture for consistent compensation and workforce reporting.

Pure Storage | 2016–2019

I worked on job architecture, market benchmarking, pay-range design, including R&D ranges, and the merit process.

I established people analytics, selected and implemented One Model over HRIS data, and built Tableau dashboards and headcount-planning tools. I conducted attrition and survival analysis and established reusable data workflows.

One Model | 2016–2017

VP of Product Strategy

I connected people-analytics practice with product development for the workforce-intelligence platform.

Jawbone | 2014–2016

I built a people-data warehouse from HRIS feeds and a Tableau executive dashboard, with workforce reporting, attrition analysis, and exit-risk modeling.

SolarCity | 2015

I developed a Tableau talent-acquisition dashboard and recruiting-pipeline analytics from applicant-tracking data.

Udemy | 2015

I conducted market benchmarking and designed pay ranges.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical | 2014–2015

I analyzed competency and performance relationships, outliers, and pay-for-performance patterns to inform leadership decisions.

Children’s Health / Children’s Medical Center Dallas | 2012–2013

I established people analytics for the health system: strategy and roadmap, HR scorecard, data warehouse, dashboards, surveys, and executive presentations. I analyzed workforce data and modeled nurse attrition.

I implemented DashboardGear for Lawson data and introduced Visier to improve data access, reporting, and self-service analysis.

FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE | 2001–2012

Otsuka Pharmaceutical | 2010–2012

Manager, HRIS & Data Management

I led Workday implementation across Core HR, Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll, consolidating three applications in under ten months and going live with $6M+ in monthly payroll transactions and zero payroll errors.

I led requirements, process design, data migration, testing, and launch across HR, Payroll, Benefits, Finance, and IT. I coordinated the outsourcing of benefits and payroll administration to third-party providers and established employee-data controls and operational reporting.

I designed the broader HR systems architecture across employee records, payroll, applicant tracking, performance management, learning, and surveys, using cloud applications, APIs, and service partners.

AstraZeneca | 2008–2010

People Analytics Business Partner, Field Sales

I supported annual compensation, talent, and succession planning with sales leadership. I combined HR, operations, sales, training, and survey data in dashboards and presentations to inform pay and talent decisions.

I evaluated training effectiveness, presented employee-survey findings, and recommended workforce-plan, process, and system changes.

Google | 2006–2008

Program Manager, People Analytics

I helped build Google’s first HR data warehouse and reporting program, designed global employee surveys and exit reporting, and developed its first attrition prediction model during growth from 7,000 to 21,000 employees.

I established the Benefits Analytics role and used conjoint analysis and benefits decision models to evaluate employee reward preferences and inform total-rewards programs.

I designed an online onboarding tool to track, analyze, and report process errors, and developed HR metrics and dashboards using MicroStrategy.

PetSmart | 2005–2006

Sr. Quantitative Analyst, Talent Management

I established the quantitative HR role and linked associate knowledge, engagement, and attrition with customer satisfaction and sales. My findings informed compensation, performance, and training investment in sales-critical jobs.

I designed workforce metrics, reporting architecture, and MicroStrategy reporting, and managed company-wide employee surveys from design through analysis and action planning.

Merck | 2001–2005

Sr. HR Decision Support Analyst; Talent Management & Organization Effectiveness

I represented Merck Research Laboratories on global HR reporting-architecture and PeopleSoft implementation projects. I built workforce decision-support datasets and Cognos reporting on hiring, transfers, promotions, attrition, and headcount.

I contributed employee-survey, diversity, performance-management, and learning-program analysis. I developed learning requirements and materials for management and performance processes and helped select a standard enterprise e-learning platform.

GRADUATE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES

Hallmark | 2000: I researched HR shared services and developed a business case for a paid-time-off bank during an HR Operations & Employee Relations internship.

Compensation | 1999–2000: I worked on job analysis, market matching, wage research, and range design at Mounds View Public Schools and the University of Minnesota Clerical Union.

AI ENGINEERING & ANALYTICS WORK | 2026–PRESENT

I am building analytical applications, reusable datasets, and repeatable AI workflows. I use AI both to develop software and within the applications themselves, combining domain knowledge with hands-on engineering.

I develop applications, data workflows, and integrations with Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex, from requirements and design through testing, iteration, and documentation.

I build source-linked knowledge and analytical microservices that combine retrieval, calculations, and reviewable results. I connect these services through APIs and Model Context Protocol (MCP) so they can run in data workflows or be called by AI agents.

Examples include job architecture and market-pay intelligence (JobFrame.Global), compensation-decision tools (AnyComp.AI), and team-performance diagnostics (Performix.App).

METHODS & TECHNOLOGY

Compensation: Pay philosophy; job architecture and leveling; market pricing and geographic differentials; cash, incentive, and equity modeling; regression-based pay equity; conjoint research; compensation-committee materials.

People analytics: Workforce metrics; executive and board reporting; statistical and predictive modeling; survey design and psychometrics; factor, cluster, and survival analysis; employee-comment analysis; program evaluation.

HRIS: Requirements and vendor evaluation; process and data architecture; source mapping and integration; roles and security; migration and reconciliation; testing and launch; reporting automation; documentation.

HR and talent systems: Workday, ADP Workforce Now, Oracle HR, PeopleSoft, UltiPro/UKG, Lawson, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, BrassRing, Taleo, SuccessFactors, SumTotal.

Compensation and market data: Syndio, Radford, Mercer, WTW, CompAnalyst, MarketPay, Option Impact, Pave, OpenComp.

Data, analytics, and surveys: SQL, Python, R, Excel, Alteryx, SPSS; Power BI, Tableau, One Model, Visier, ZeroedIn, MicroStrategy, Cognos; Qualtrics, CultureAmp, Glint.

Application engineering: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Node.js, GitHub, Supabase, Vercel, v0, Replit, Railway, Mailgun, Stripe; APIs and MCP.

EDUCATION & ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

M.A., Human Resources & Industrial Relations: University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

B.S., Sociology & Psychology: Northern Arizona University

Compensation Management Specialist (CMS), CEBS / Wharton, 2009; SPHR, 2009.