Arada | Performance and Reward Analyst (6 Months FTC)

Arada; Dubai; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Arada in Dubai is seeking a Performance and Reward Analyst to lead data preparation, modelling and validation for the annual pay and bonus cycle. You will combine external market data with internal relativity to ensure pay decisions are affordable, competitive and fair across the Group.

This hands-on role requires high numerical accuracy and the ability to turn complex datasets into clear, decision-ready insights for PX and Finance stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years' experience in Reward, Compensation Analytics, HR Analytics or Financial Analysis.
• Hands-on experience supporting annual salary review and bonus cycles.
• Advanced Excel skills including lookups, pivots and handling large datasets.
• Experience with salary survey data and job matching.
• Strong numerical accuracy and ability to present data to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with Power BI/Tableau is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and validate data for annual salary review and bonus cycle, including eligibility, grades, salaries, performance ratings and pro-rata rules.
• Build and maintain salary review and bonus calculation models with merit matrices and performance multipliers.
• Produce review worksheets and track submissions against cycle timelines.
• Run guideline checks, flag outliers, budget overruns and exceptions for review and approval.
• Reconcile final outcomes with Finance and Payroll ahead of payment; ensure accuracy across entities.
• Prepare data for outcome letters, approval packs and payroll upload files.
• Support post-cycle review and recommend process improvements.
• Model the cost of salary increases and bonus scenarios across group levels.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Salary benchmarking

Power BI

Tableau

HR analytics

Stakeholder presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Tableau

HRIS

Job description

About Us

At Arada, we create communities that inspire healthier, happier and more meaningful lives. Through innovative developments, exceptional customer experiences and a commitment to sustainability, we are shaping places where people can live, work and thrive.

Role Purpose

The Performance and Reward Analyst will provide the analytical capability behind Arada's annual pay and bonus cycle. Reporting to the Group Head of Performance and Total Rewards, the role also supports the Performance and Reward Lead and the Manager, Total Rewards, in delivering the performance and reward agenda.

The role will own the data preparation, modelling and validation that underpin year-end salary review and bonus outcomes, together with reward cost and budget analysis. The incumbent will combine external market data with internal relativity analysis to ensure pay decisions across the Group are affordable, competitive and fair.

This is a hands-on role requiring a high degree of numerical accuracy, sound judgement in handling confidential data and the ability to turn complex datasets into clear, decision-ready insights for PX and Finance stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities

Year-End Pay & Bonus Cycle

• Prepare and validate employee data for the annual salary review and bonus cycle, including eligibility, grades, salaries, performance ratings, joining dates and pro-rata rules.
• Build and maintain salary review and bonus calculation models, applying approved merit matrices, bonus pools, funding factors and individual performance multipliers.
• Produce manager and business unit review worksheets and track submissions against cycle timelines.
• Run guideline compliance checks, flagging outliers, budget overruns and exceptions for review and approval.
• Reconcile final outcomes with Finance and Payroll ahead of payment, ensuring accuracy across all Group entities.
• Prepare data for outcome letters, approval packs and payroll upload files.
• Support the post-cycle review, documenting issues and recommending process improvements for the next cycle.

Cost & Budget Analysis

• Model the cost of salary increase and bonus scenarios at Group, entity and business unit level.
• Support the preparation of annual reward budgets in partnership with Finance, including salary increase budgets, bonus pool funding and accruals.
• Provide analytical support for new reward initiatives, benefits changes and policy proposals.

Market Benchmarking

• Match Arada roles to salary survey jobs and maintain accurate, documented job matching across Group entities.
• Extract, age and analyze salary survey data to assess pay competitiveness by role, grade, function and location.
• Calculate compa-ratios and market positioning against Arada's target pay positioning.
• Prepare annual salary survey submissions and maintain the market data library.
• Support pay range reviews through analysis of market movements and range penetration.

Internal Relativity & Pay Equity

• Analyse internal pay relativity across grades, job families, entities and peer groups.
• Identify pay compression, inversion, outliers and employees positioned outside their pay range.
• Support pay equity and internal parity reviews, including gender pay gap analysis where required.
• Provide data-backed salary recommendations for new hires, promotions and transfers, balancing market data with internal parity.

Reporting & Data Integrity

• Build and maintain dashboards and standard reports.
• Maintain the accuracy of reward data in the HRIS, partnering with HR Operations and Payroll to resolve discrepancies.
• Prepare analysis and presentation materials for the Group Head of Performance and Total Rewards, the Performance and Reward Lead, the Manager, Total Rewards and senior leadership.
• Handle all employees, salary and bonus data with strict confidentiality.
• Identify opportunities to automate and simplify reward models, templates and processes.

Stakeholder Support

• Partner with PX Business Partners, Finance, Payroll and HR Operations throughout the reward cycle.
• Respond to queries from PX Business Partners with clear, data-backed analysis.
• Support external reward consultants and survey providers with data requests.

Experience And Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5-7 years' experience in Reward, Compensation Analytics, HR Analytics or Financial Analysis.
• Hands-on experience supporting annual salary review and bonus cycles.
• Advanced Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, scenario modelling and handling large datasets.
• Experience working with salary survey data and job matching.
• Strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to present data clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, HR, Mathematics or a related field. Preferred Experience
• Experience working in a global environment preferably with exposure to the Middle East.
• Experience with Mercer, WTW or Korn Ferry survey data and tools.
• Exposure to multi-entity or multi-country reward data (e.g. UK, Australia, Europe).
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau or similar data visualisation tools.
• Experience working with HRIS compensation modules.

Using GenAI in Your Application Process

To support a fair and consistent experience for all candidates, we ask that assessments and interviews are completed independently and without assistance from generative AI tools. This ensures we understand your strengths, your thinking, and how you approach real situations.

Why join Arada?

At Arada, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to projects that transform communities while working alongside talented professionals in a culture that values innovation, collaboration and continuous growth. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and make a meaningful impact.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Arada is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and make employment decisions based on merit, experience and business needs.