The best-paid HR directors can be found in the United States, where the average base pay for the position is $190,000 per year, according to a study of 15 countries by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

HR directors in the United Kingdom have the second highest average base pay at $172,400. HR directors in Germany follow in third, earning an average base pay of $168,000.

HR directors in the United States also receive the most in total cash compensation ($241,700), followed by those in Brazil ($228,000) and those in Germany ($224,500).

"We find higher than average salaries for HR directors where their role is more strategic and business focused," says David Conroy of Mercer. "Examples are where HR directors are driving through change programs for their employer and taking a leadership role in M&A activity."

The other countries in the study were Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Spain, Singapore, Poland, China (Shanghai), Hungary, and India.

In India, HR directors have an average annual base salary of $55,790, the lowest among those in the study.

The report also found that HR directors still trail finance directors and marketing directors in terms of pay. In the United States, the average base pay for finance directors is $248,700, compared with $205,000 for marketing directors.