Using a combination of magnetometry and magnetotransport techniques, we studied temperature and magnetic-field behavior of magnetization in Py/Gd heterostructures. It was shown quantitatively that proximity with Py enhances magnetic order of Gd. Micromagnetic simulations demonstrate that a spin-flop transition observed in a Py/Gd bilayer is due to exchange-spring rotation of magnetization in the Gd layer. Transport measurements show that the magnetoresistance of a multilayer changes sign at the compensation temperature and below 20 K. The positive magnetoresistance above the compensation temperature can be attributed to an in-plane domain wall, which appears because of the structural inhomogeneity of the film over its thickness. By measuring the angular dependence of resistance, we are able to determine the angle between magnetizations in the multilayer and the magnetic field at different temperatures. The measurements reveal that, due to a change in the chemical thickness profile, a noncollinear magnetization configuration is only stable in magnetic fields above 10 kOe.