Total Rewards Manager - GCC

El Confidencial; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 360,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

El Confidencial is seeking a Total Rewards Manager to drive compensation, benefits, incentives, and performance management across the GCC. The role collaborates with senior leaders to design market-competitive programs while ensuring governance and financial sustainability.

You will oversee annual salary reviews, calibration sessions, and pay positioning, while shaping job architecture and grading. Strong analytical skills and SAP SuccessFactors experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance, Economics or related field.
• 7-10 years in Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits and Performance Management.
• Expertise in compensation benchmarking, salary structures and incentives.
• Advanced analytical and financial modelling skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication with senior leaders.
• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors PMGM and Compensation modules is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Own Total Rewards and Performance Management agenda aligned to business goals.
• Advise senior leadership on compensation, incentives and reward decisions.
• Develop and implement reward strategies to boost engagement and retention.
• Lead annual salary reviews, bonuses and performance cycles regionally.
• Run governance, calibration, pay positioning reviews and reward recommendations.
• Ensure fairness in performance assessments and reward outcomes.
• Develop salary structures, pay ranges and compensation frameworks.
• Provide data-driven insights on pay positioning and market trends.
• Design and oversee STI framework, eligibility, target setting and payout calculations.
• Create enterprise-wide incentive plans for Sales, Ops and key functions.
• Model financial impact of incentive programs and optimize effectiveness.
• Lead Job Architecture, leveling and grading initiatives.
• Support job evaluation governance and organizational design.
• Develop Benefits strategy across multiple MENA markets.
• Assess benefits utilization and drive cost optimization.
• Drive HR digitalization with SAP SuccessFactors and related tools.
• Support leadership in talent rewards and retention initiatives.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Financial modelling

Incentive design

SAP SuccessFactors

Market benchmarking

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Finance

Tools

SAP SuccessFactors PMGM

SAP SuccessFactors Compensation

Job description

The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for driving the organization's Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits, Incentive, and Performance Management agenda across the GCC. The role partners closely with senior business leaders and HR stakeholders to design, implement, and continuously enhance reward programs that attract, motivate, and retain talent while ensuring alignment with business priorities, market competitiveness, governance standards, and financial sustainability.

Key Responsibilities:

Total Rewards & Performance Management

• Own and manage the organization's Total Rewards and Performance Management agenda, ensuring alignment with business objectives and talent strategies.
• Partner with senior leadership and HR stakeholders to provide expert advice on compensation, incentives, performance management, and reward-related decisions.
• Support the development and implementation of reward strategies that drive employee engagement, performance, and retention.

Performance Management & Annual Reward Cycles

• Lead the annual salary review, bonus, and performance management cycles across the region.
• Facilitate governance, calibration sessions, pay positioning reviews, and reward recommendations.
• Ensure consistency and fairness in performance assessments and reward outcomes.

Compensation Strategy & Benchmarking

• Develop and maintain salary structures, pay ranges, and compensation frameworks to ensure market competitiveness.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations on pay positioning, internal equity, and market trends.

Incentive Programs

• Manage the Short-Term Incentive (STI) framework, including eligibility, target setting, performance assessment, payout calculations, and governance processes.
• Design and oversee Sales, Operations, and other business-specific incentive plans aligned with commercial and operational objectives.
• Conduct financial modelling and effectiveness reviews to ensure incentive programs deliver desired business outcomes.

Job Architecture & Grading

• Lead the implementation and maintenance of regional Job Architecture, Leveling, and Grading frameworks.
• Support organizational design initiatives through robust job evaluation and grading governance.

Benefits Management

• Develop and manage the regional Benefits strategy and programs across multiple MENA markets.
• Ensure employee benefits remain competitive, sustainable, and aligned with company and market requirements.
• Regularly assess benefits utilization, effectiveness, and cost optimization opportunities.

HR Digitalization & Process Excellence

• Drive the digitalization and continuous improvement of Reward and Performance Management processes.
• Leverage SAP SuccessFactors and other HR technologies to enhance efficiency, reporting, governance, and employee experience.

Leadership & Critical Talent Rewards

• Support senior leadership compensation reviews, talent retention initiatives, and key reward decisions.
• Develop tailored reward solutions for high-potential, critical, and business-essential talent.
• Provide analytical insights and recommendations to support strategic workforce decisions.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of experience in Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits, and Performance Management within a regional or multinational environment.
• Strong expertise in compensation benchmarking, salary structures, incentive design, and performance management processes.
• Advanced analytical and financial modelling skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to influence senior leaders.
• Prior experience with SAP SuccessFactors, particularly the Performance & Goals Management (PMGM) and Compensation modules, is highly desirable and would be a significant advantage.