Compensation Strategy That Actually Moves the Needle.
Senior-level total rewards expertise — without the overhead of a big firm. Built for PE-backed companies, government contractors, and organizations that need answers, not decks.
NewThe CompForge — AI-powered comp infrastructure, built for your team, in 10 weeks. — 10-week comp infrastructure program.What We Do
Compensation Strategy & Design
Market pricing, salary structure development, pay philosophy, and total compensation benchmarking using major survey sources including Mercer, Radford, Payscale, and others.
Executive & Incentive Compensation
Short- and long-term incentive design, board-ready compensation analyses, and executive pay benchmarking aligned to governance standards.
Job Architecture & Classification
FLSA compliance, job family frameworks, leveling guides, and position management for organizations scaling or integrating acquisitions.
Pay Equity & Compliance
Proactive pay equity analyses, OFCCP audit preparation, SCA/FAR compliance for government contractors, and DCAA-defensible compensation documentation.
M&A Compensation Integration
Due diligence support, employee population analysis, harmonization modeling, and retention program design for pre- and post-close integration work.
AI-Powered Compensation Tools
Custom-built analytical tools, Excel companion suites, Python-based models, and workflow automation that turns compensation data into decision-ready intelligence.
CompForge
AI-powered compensation infrastructure. Built for your team. In 10 weeks.
Most companies between 200 and 2,000 employees need real compensation infrastructure but can't justify a dedicated comp hire or an ongoing consulting retainer. The CompForge is a focused 10-week engagement where we build custom AI-powered compensation tools for your team, train everyone to use them, and hand you the keys. You get the system. Your team gets the skills. And you stay self-sufficient.
DISCOVERY & DESIGN
We audit your current comp practices, map your job architecture, and define what tools your team actually needs.
BUILD
We build your custom AI-powered toolkit: market pricing assistants, offer calculators, pay equity screens, merit frameworks — configured to your data and philosophy.
TRAIN
Hands-on training for your HR team. Recorded sessions, decision trees, and a custom Compensation Operations Playbook so nothing lives only in someone's head.
SUPERVISED FLIGHT
Your team operates independently while we're on standby. We review real decisions, make final adjustments, and hand off with confidence.
What You Get
AI-Powered Market Pricing Tool
Custom-built pricing engine using your survey data and philosophy.
Offer Recommendation Engine
Data-driven offer guidance calibrated to your ranges and market.
Pay Equity Screening Dashboard
Proactive equity analysis that flags issues before they become risk.
Merit & Adjustment Framework
Structured merit cycle tools tied to budget, performance, and equity.
Compensation Operations Playbook
Your complete reference for every comp decision and process.
Recorded Training Library
Video walkthroughs your team can revisit any time, forever.
Built for HR Directors, VP People, and People Ops leaders at companies with 200-2,000 employees who own compensation as part of a broader role.
Start with a Free Comp Readiness AssessmentSenior Expertise.
Independent Delivery.
The Barksdale Group was founded on a simple premise: organizations deserve access to true senior-level compensation expertise without the billing rates and bureaucracy of large consulting firms.
The practice is led by Stephen McGillivray, a compensation professional with over 16 years of experience spanning global consulting, high-growth technology, international nonprofit, and defense and aerospace contracting. He has held Director-level roles leading full compensation functions — including survey management, executive pay, job architecture, M&A integration, and regulatory compliance — at organizations ranging from pre-IPO startups to government-contracted enterprises.
Stephen holds an MBA in Finance and Consulting from the College of William & Mary and has completed an 18-month AI mastery program, giving the practice a genuine technical edge in analytical modeling and workflow automation.
The name? After Barksdale — a very good cat.
Why The Barksdale Group
No Junior Staff
Your engagement is led by a senior practitioner from day one. No hand-offs, no learning on your dime.
AI-Augmented Delivery
Proprietary tools and models built in Python, Excel, and Power BI compress timelines without sacrificing rigor or defensibility.
Sector Depth
Deep fluency across regulatory environments — FAR, DCAA, OFCCP, SCA for government contractors; FLSA, pay equity law, and SOX for commercial clients.
Built For Organizations Like Yours
PE-Backed Portfolio Companies
Fast-moving integration, rapid benchmarking, and comp infrastructure that scales with your investment thesis.
Defense & Government Contractors
DCAA-defensible structures, SCA compliance, and clearance differential modeling from someone who's done it.
Nonprofits & Mission-Driven Orgs
Competitive pay philosophy on constrained budgets, including international and USAID-funded workforce experience.
High-Growth Tech & Startups
Equity compensation modeling, rapid job architecture, and scalable comp programs built for speed.
Mid-Market & Scaling Companies
AI-powered compensation infrastructure for growing organizations. No comp team? No problem. Our CompForge builds the tools and trains your team in 10 weeks.
Let's Talk.
Most engagements begin with a no-cost 30-minute consultation. Tell us what you're working on.