How Celonis replaced a legacy survey with live market data

‍Celonis was hiring for fast-moving roles in the market: software engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, and emerging positions like forward-deployed engineers.

The problem was that the market moved faster than survey cycles. 

Many of these roles were either poorly represented in surveys or missing entirely. By the time new data arrived, the market already moved.

"It's challenging to get the talent alone, but having data points, those barely existed in traditional surveys." said Thomas Gayer, Senior Compensation & Benefits Manager, Celonis.

As hiring accelerated and scrutiny from leadership increased, the comp team couldn't rely on market data that was six to twelve months old.

Like many enterprise companies, Celonis relied on traditional survey cycles.

Submit data, wait months, and then receive a static dataset.

For fast-moving technical talent, that process created a blind spot.

The comp team spent time explaining why survey data didn't match what recruiters and hiring managers were seeing in the market.

Thomas points out that, "My team was flying blind and trying to guess what the market was doing. We weren't acting as partners toward the C-suite, we were trying to catch up with a market that already moved on."

Celonis’ compensation team replaced a legacy survey provider with Compa to get access to live market intelligence.

Now, when recruiters need guidance on hard-to-price roles, the comp team can access offer data in minutes.

Whether it's an AI engineer, machine learning specialist, or a newly emerging role, the team can benchmark compensation using current market data instead of  historical survey snapshots.

The impact became especially clear as Celonis expanded globally.

When Celonis opened its South Korea office, the comp team could access live market data on day one.

Instead of debating the accuracy of the data, hiring managers and compensation leaders focused on making decisions.

"If we're hiring for an AI or machine learning role, or a forward-deployed engineer, we can pull the live market data instantly, in any location globally."

‍As a certified Workday Innovation Partner, Compa surfaces live market intelligence directly within the systems Celonis  uses. Instead of switching between spreadsheets, surveys, and compensation tools, the comp team can access live market data while evaluating offers and pay decisions.

The comp team at Celonis uses Compa daily to:

• Validate offers
• Respond to leadership questions
• Benchmark emerging roles
• Monitor market movement
• Adjust pay ranges when needed

"It's really not any extra work for me. It's a very seamless part of my daily workflow in Workday."

By replacing legacy surveys, the comp team reclaimed a full work week each year. Thomas highlights that, "My team is saving 40 hours per year just preparing data. That's a full work week, and that time is now spent supporting the business, not pulling spreadsheets together."

But the bigger impact was strategic.

The compensation team shifted from explaining why survey data didn't match the market to advising leadership with current market intelligence. 

Questions about data quality disappeared, leadership gained visibility into market conditions as they changed, and compensation became a more trusted strategic partner to the business.

"Everybody knows Compa in our C-suite. I'm not defending a spreadsheet from six months ago. I'm sharing live, current market signals."

For Thomas, that’s what mattered most.

"I use Compa every day because it's the only tool that actually keeps pace with how fast things change."