--- title: 'Compensation Manager at Pyka' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/compensation-manager-pyka-alameda-2yw3awcvgj4y' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-14' --- # Compensation Manager at Pyka - **Company:** Pyka - **Location:** Alameda, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-10-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/pyka/e7ed5739-a6b5-44c8-a888-a0843da2abc7 ## Job description ## Role Overview We are looking for a Compensation Manager to run and evolve Pyka's compensation programs. Pyka has salary bands, equity programs, and compensation structures in the US and Brazil. You'll lead these programs, keep them competitive with the market, and expand them as the company scales. As Pyka grows into new countries, you'll have the opportunity to help extend these programs there. This is an individual contributor role, critical to attracting and retaining top-tier technical and operational talent in a competitive hardware and aerospace market. This role will report to the Head of People and work closely with the rest of the people team and leadership at Pyka. ## Responsibilities - Maintain and iterate on Pyka's salary bands, job families, and variable pay programs for engineering, manufacturing, flight ops, and G&A roles in the US and Brazil. - Manage, configure, and optimize compensation management platforms and tools to streamline merit cycles, salary planning, and benchmarking data. - Run Pyka's equity compensation programs, including applying and refining grant guidelines and equity bands, partnering with Finance and Legal on cap table alignment, and leading candidate/employee equity education. - Conduct ongoing market analysis using tech/hardware compensation data, and recommend band adjustments to keep Pyka competitive in each market where we operate. - Run the annual compensation review, merit increase, and promotion cycles in close partnership with the Head of People, People Operations, and leadership. - Ensure all compensation programs comply with federal, state, local, and international regulations, including FLSA, Pay Transparency laws, and applicable Brazilian labor requirements. - Create clear, transparent compensation communications and build resources to help employees and candidates understand pay decisions and the value of their equity. - Depending on your interests and experience, there is an opportunity to also take ownership of Pyka’s benefits programs, including plan design, broker and vendor management, and open enrollment. Required Qualifications - 5+ years of dedicated Compensation experience, ideally in a fast-paced hardware, tech, or aerospace startup environment. - Proven experience running compensation across multiple countries, with US operations as a core market. - 3+ years of experience with startup equity programs, including grant sizing, market benchmarking, and working within structured grant frameworks. - Knowledge of tech/hardware compensation benchmarking databases (e.g., Radford, Option Impact, Mercer). - Strong analytical proficiency in Google Sheets or Excel for building compensation models, salary bands, and market data analysis. - Proven understanding of US labor laws and pay transparency mandates (FLSA). - Exceptional ability to translate complex compensation and equity mechanics into clear, accessible language for employees and candidates across different regions and cultures. ## Preferred Qualifications - Experience managing compensation in Brazil or elsewhere in Latin America. - Experience implementing or expanding compensation programs in a new country, including benchmarking, band design, and local compliance. - Direct experience administering or optimizing dedicated compensation planning software (e.g., Pave, Pequity, Comprehensive, or similar tooling). - Familiarity with cross-border equity considerations, global taxation, and international mobility strategies for growing engineering teams. - Solid understanding of tax, accounting, and legal considerations surrounding domestic and international stock options, exercise windows, and equity compensation structures. - Experience building, growing, and leading a compensation team. - Experience as the first dedicated compensation hire at a company, building programs from the ground up. - Experience as the first dedicated compensation hire at a company, building programs from the ground up. - We understand that candidates bring different strengths and experiences, and you don't need to meet every qualification to be considered. If this role excites you, we'd love to learn more about you. You may be a great fit even if your background doesn't align perfectly with the list. ## Compensation and Benefits - $144,000–$190,000 per year base salary + equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change. - Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance - FSA with employer matching - 401(k) - Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off - Voluntary short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance - Pre-tax commuter benefits - Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks ## About Pyka ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Pyka designs, develops, and manufactures autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Alameda, California, USA - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Michael Norcia (Co-Founder, CEO), Chuma Ogunwole (Co-Founder, COO), Nathan White (Co-Founder, Head of Flight Operations) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Autonomous electric aviation, aerospace, agriculture, defense & logistics - Target customers: B2B, government (AFWERX, Department of Defense), agricultural service providers, commercial cargo operators - Mission or purpose statement: To provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. ## Products & Services - **Pelican Spray**: A fully autonomous electric crop duster for aerial application, designed to make crop protection safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Certified for commercial operation in New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the US (FAA 44807 Authorization). - **Pelican Cargo**: The world's largest zero-emission autonomous cargo UAS, designed for remote connectivity, express delivery, and shipping critical supplies. Delivered to AFWERX (US Air Force innovation arm) for contested logistics use cases. - **Pelican 2**: Next-generation autonomous aircraft unveiled in February 2025, featuring significant design improvements and securing FAA authorization for commercial operation in the US. - **Proprietary technology ecosystem**: Flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $95.12M (Series B of $40M raised in 2024/2025; Series A of $37M; Seed+ $8M; initial Y Combinator round $3M) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Y Combinator (S17 batch), EmbraerX (partnership for Brazil operations), AFWERX (US Department of Air Force), GO-Biz (California tax credit award), SLC Agrícola (major ag customer) - **Growth Signals**: - Secured world's first approval for autonomous night spray operations in Costa Rica - Receiving orders across four continents (Americas, Europe, etc.) - Delivered Pelican Cargo to AFWERX for exploration of contested logistics use cases - Awarded $7M California Tax Credit to expand manufacturing - Surpassed 75 employees (from 50+ milestone) - Signed first major US customer for Pelican Spray ## Competitive Advantages - First-mover regulatory advantage: World’s first autonomous electric aircraft certified for commercial work (2019), first FAA 44807 authorization for commercial autonomous electric crop spraying in the US, and first approval for night autonomous spray operations. - Dual-use technology platform serving both commercial (agriculture, logistics) and defense (AFWERX) markets. - Vertically integrated technology stack (proprietary flight control, avionics, motors, batteries, and airframes) creating deep moats against competitors. - Real-world operational deployment across multiple countries and continents, not just prototypes or test flights. - Strong safety record with regulatory approvals from FAA, New Zealand CAA, and Costa Rican authorities. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling production of the Pelican 2 and Pelican Cargo aircraft lines - Expanding into defense and dual-use applications (contested logistics for US Air Force) - Growing commercial operations in agriculture with major customers like SLC Agrícola in Brazil - Expanding global regulatory approvals to open new markets - Building out manufacturing capacity with GO-Biz support in California - Achieving economies of scale while maintaining vertical integration ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Pyka started in the founder's parents' garage with a "shoes optional" early culture, and retains a startup ethos focused on building game-changing products. Employees report working on things that make people's lives better now. - **Engineering focus**: You'll work on cutting-edge autonomy, electric propulsion, and aerospace hardware/software. The tech stack spans flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and carbon-fiber composites. - **Impact**: "What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day." - **Remote/Hybrid**: Some roles are remote (e.g., Flight Support Engineer - Night Shift, Brazil remote), while engineering and manufacturing roles likely require presence at the Alameda/Oakland facilities. - **Location**: Based in Alameda, CA (with manufacturing in Oakland), offering a Bay Area aerospace startup experience. - **Stage**: Series B with ~75 employees—ideal for someone who wants to join a growth-stage company with proven product-market fit and clear regulatory path to scale. - **Current open roles** (via Lever): Senior Account Executive (Brazil), Deployed Flight Test Engineer, Flight Demo & Training Specialist (Multiple Levels), Flight Support Engineer (Night Shift, Brazil remote). ## Sources 1. [flypyka.com](https://www.flypyka.com/about-us) 2. [flypyka.com/careers](https://flypyka.com/careers) 3. [jobs.lever.co/pyka](https://jobs.lever.co/pyka/) 4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/pyka) 5. 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