Compensation and Reward

Wade Macdonald; England; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work pattern

Reading office access

Job summary

Wade Macdonald is seeking an Interim Compensation & Reward Lead in Reading for a 12-month assignment. The role combines strategic reward leadership with hands-on governance of pay frameworks, allowances and mobility, across UK and international locations, with hybrid working 3 days per week.

You will manage salary benchmarking, lead annual pay reviews, provide expert guidance to stakeholders, ensure regulatory compliance, and develop the reward team.

Qualifications

• Substantial compensation and reward experience.
• Strong knowledge of pay structures, benchmarking, incentives and mobility.
• Experience with line management and audit requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage compensation structures, base salary, allowances and incentives.
• Benchmark and analyse market data to inform reward decisions.
• Oversee domestic and international mobility arrangements.
• Conduct salary benchmarking and market analyses to support competitive decisions.
• Coordinate with HR and senior stakeholders to communicate compensation changes.
• Ensure compliance with legislation, governance and internal controls.
• Lead annual salary reviews and incentive distributions.
• Provide guidance on pay, reward and compensation to managers.
• Support deployment of employees to UK and overseas locations.

Skills

Compensation structures

Pay frameworks

Mobility programmes

Salary benchmarking

Market analysis

Stakeholder management

Audit & compliance

Line management

Reward data analysis

HR collaboration

Job description

Interim Compensation & Reward Lead – Reading - 1 year assignment

Location: Reading
Working Pattern: Hybrid – 3 days per week in the office

About the Job

This is a senior reward role with responsibility for the delivery and ongoing management of compensation programmes across the organisation. You will take ownership of pay frameworks, allowances, incentives and mobility arrangements, while providing expert guidance to stakeholders and supporting the effective delivery of reward activity.

Duties will include:

• Managing and maintaining compensation structures covering base salary, allowances and incentive arrangements.
• Reviewing the effectiveness of compensation programmes and recommending improvements using business feedback, market insight and data.
• Overseeing domestic and international mobility arrangements to ensure they meet operational requirements.
• Carrying out salary benchmarking and market analysis to support competitive and appropriate reward decisions.
• Working closely with HR and senior stakeholders to ensure compensation arrangements are clearly communicated and understood.
• Ensuring compensation activity remains compliant with relevant legislation, regulations and internal governance requirements.
• Taking ownership of compensation-related audit activity and ensuring appropriate controls and checks are in place.
• Providing specialist advice to managers on pay, reward and compensation matters.
• Leading the annual salary review process and the distribution of employee incentive awards.
• Supporting the effective deployment of employees to UK and overseas locations where required.
• Providing leadership, guidance and development support to reward team members.
• Maintaining and communicating salary ranges, allowances and variable pay arrangements.
• Overseeing the operation and communication of mobility policies, frameworks and processes.
• Producing statutory reward reporting, including gender pay gap analysis and supporting commentary.
• Acting as a subject matter expert on pay agreements and supporting employee relations activity where required.
• Producing compensation data, management information and key performance indicators.
• Working with HR and payroll teams to ensure compensation changes are processed accurately and compliantly.
• Coordinating internal reviews and external audits relating to compensation.
• Line managing reward professionals and supporting their ongoing development and performance.

About the Successful Applicant

You will have substantial compensation and reward experience, with strong knowledge of pay structures, benchmarking, incentives and mobility programmes. You will be confident interpreting complex reward data, advising senior stakeholders and managing annual pay processes. Previous experience of line management, audit requirements, statutory reporting and working alongside HR, payroll and employee relations teams will be highly beneficial.

What You Will Receive in Return

You will join a high-profile organisation in a senior reward position offering broad exposure across compensation, mobility, benchmarking and strategic reward activity. The role provides a hybrid working pattern of 3 days per week in the Reading office, alongside the opportunity to lead key reward processes and develop others within the function.