Alex Knobel

Chief, Compensation Programs Branch @The National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, MD, US

Managed unit responsible for providing expert guidance on specialized compensation authorities, ensuring consistent application of pay policies for senior-level scientific and medical personnelPerformed supervisory duties, such as assessing performance, assigning work, establishing professional development plans, and selecting candidates, for a four-person teamDesigned position structure and review process to implement a new authority targeted toward experts without doctoral degrees, allowing NIH to competitively recruit bioinformaticians and data scientistsDeveloped and maintained policy and procedural documentation for NIH compensation practices, improving clarity and consistency across HR teams and enhancing complianceManaged approval and implementation of special salary rate initiatives, analyzing internal and external benchmarks to justify and obtain external approval for adjustments for specialized roles, including law enforcement and health-care personnel Led evaluations of NIH compensation flexibilities, such as recruitment and retention incentives and loan repayment benefits, to assess compliance with federal regulations and support audit readinessAuthored policy option papers and data-backed recommendations for NIH leadership to enhance program flexibility while maintaining accountability in the use of compensation authoritiesDesigned and delivered agency-wide training and presentations on compensation topics, translating complex policies into actionable insights for non-HR stakeholdersMonitored and tracked legislation based on projected impact on human capital programs, and prepared responses to congressional inquiries about NIH’s use of scientific appointment mechanismsPlanned NIH-level implementation of regulatory and departmental policy changes, developing position papers, fact sheets, and presentations to ensure organizational readiness and alignment

University of Maryland College Park

Master's

University of Maryland College Park

Bachelor of Arts