Manager Total Rewards

Credo Talent Solutions; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 220,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

Credo Talent Solutions is seeking an Assistant Total Rewards Manager to design, run and improve compensation, benefits and recognition programmes. The role ensures pay equity, competitiveness and compliance while supporting policy development and day-to-day reward decisions.

The position leads salary benchmarking, annual salary reviews and incentive schemes, partners with insurers and brokers, and collaborates with HR to maintain governance, data integrity and reporting for leadership and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, finance, economics or related field.
• Professional certification in reward: CCP/GRP/CBP preferred.
• Certification in job evaluation methods is advantageous.
• 6–10 years in Compensation & Benefits or Total Rewards; GCC/UAE experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and administer compensation, benefits and recognition programmes.
• Run benchmarking using salary surveys and position by family/grade.
• Lead annual salary reviews, merit increases and bonus cycles.
• Ensure compliance with UAE Labour Law and Nafis incentives.
• Prepare reward papers and dashboards for leadership and Board.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Power BI

Tableau

UAE Labour Law knowledge

HRIS systems

Salary modelling

Scenario analysis

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Finance

CCP/GRP/CBP (WorldatWork)

CIPD Level 5/7

Job evaluation certification (Hay/Korn Ferry/Mercer IPE)

Tools

SAP SuccessFactors

Oracle HCM

Workday

Salary surveys knowledge

Job description

Role purpose.

The Assistant Total Rewards Manager designs, runs and improves the organisation's compensation, benefits and recognition programmes. The role keeps pay competitive, fair and compliant, and supports the Head of Total Rewards in turning reward strategy into policies, data and day-to-day decisions that attract and retain talent.

Key responsibilities

Compensation

• Maintain and update salary structures, pay grades and allowance frameworks in line with market data and budget.
• Run market benchmarking using salary surveys (e.g. Mercer, WTW, Korn Ferry, Aon) and recommend positioning by job family and grade.
• Lead the annual salary review, merit increase and bonus cycle: modelling, budget scenarios, manager guidance and final reconciliation.
• Review and approve pay recommendations for new hires, promotions, transfers and counter-offers to ensure internal equity.
• Support the design and administration of short- and long-term incentive plans, sales commission and retention schemes.
• Conduct pay equity and gender pay gap analysis and recommend corrective actions.
• Manage the benefits portfolio: medical and life insurance, annual air tickets, education, housing and transport allowances, leave and wellbeing programmes.
• Partner with insurance brokers and providers on annual renewals, claims analysis, cost control and service quality.
• Benchmark benefits against market practice and propose enhancements within budget.
• Ensure end-of-service gratuity, pension (e.g. GPSSA for UAE nationals) and statutory benefits are calculated and administered correctly.

Job architecture and evaluation

• Run job evaluation (e.g. Hay / Korn Ferry, Mercer IPE) for new and changed roles and maintain the job architecture and grading framework.
• Keep job families, levels and career frameworks consistent across the organisation.

Reward operations, data and analytics

• Own reward data in the HRIS (e.g. SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, Workday) and ensure accuracy of compensation records.
• Partner with Payroll on monthly inputs, pay changes and audit checks.
• Produce reward dashboards and reports: compa-ratios, range penetration, cost of benefits, turnover against pay.
• Prepare reward papers and analysis for leadership, HR committees and Board submissions.

Policy, governance and compliance

• Draft, update and communicate reward policies (allowances, overtime, relocation, recognition, leave encashment).
• Ensure compliance with UAE Labour Law, Emiratisation (Nafis) incentives and internal audit requirements.
• Advise HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition and line managers on reward queries and offer structures.
• Lead reward communication: total rewards statements, manager toolkits and employee FAQs.

People leadership

• Supervise and develop C&B analysts or specialists, setting priorities and reviewing their work.
• Deputise for the Head of Total Rewards when required.

Requirements

Education and certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics or a related field.
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional), GRP or CBP from WorldatWork, or CIPD Level 5/7 – preferred.
• Certification in a job evaluation methodology (Hay / Korn Ferry or Mercer IPE) – an advantage.

Experience

• 6-10 years of progressive experience in Compensation & Benefits or Total Rewards.
• At least 2-3 years at senior specialist or assistant manager level.
• Hands-on ownership of at least two full annual salary review and bonus cycles.
• GCC / UAE experience strongly preferred, ideally in a large, multi-entity or government-related organisation.

Technical skills

• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP, salary modelling, scenario analysis); Power BI or Tableau is a plus.
• Strong working knowledge of UAE Labour Law, end-of-service gratuity, GPSSA and Emiratisation programmes.
• Experience with HRIS and reward modules (SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM or Workday).
• Familiarity with major salary surveys and market pricing methods.
• Fluent English, written and spoken; Arabic is an advantage.