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.
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.
Senior 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.
Let's Talk.
Most engagements begin with a no-cost 30-minute consultation. Tell us what you're working on.