Compensation Benefits Manager

Middlemore; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Middlemore is helping a leading international financial services organisation to recruit a Compensation & Benefits Manager for UK and European operations. The role focuses on European Benefits across ~10 countries, with responsibility for renewals, platform rollout, and regulatory compliance, while also supporting broader compensation projects.

You’ll work hybrid in Manchester, engaging with senior stakeholders and driving operational excellence across Benefit and Compensation initiatives in a

Qualifications

• Experience delivering European Benefits strategy across multiple countries
• Ability to manage annual Benefits renewals and vendor relations
• Experience with international benefits platforms and regulatory compliance

Responsibilities

• Lead European Benefits strategy across ~10 countries
• Oversee annual Benefits renewals and vendor management
• Roll out and optimise an international Benefits platform
• Simplify supplier landscape and ensure regulatory compliance
• Support compensation initiatives and governance within a complex, international environment

Job description

Compensation & Benefits Manager

Manchester (Hybrid – 3 days in the office)

£80,000–£85,000 + 15% annual bonus + excellent benefits

Confidential Retained Search

Middlemore is delighted to be exclusively retained by a highly respected international financial services organisation to appoint a Compensation & Benefits Manager to support its UK and European operations.

Whilst the remit spans the full Reward agenda, the organisation's greatest near-term priority sits within Benefits, particularly across its European operations.

The Compensation offering is mature and well established, with a variety of rewarding project work across benchmarking, pay structures, incentives and regulatory developments. Benefits, however, is undergoing a more significant evolution, creating an opportunity for someone who enjoys solving operational complexity whilst shaping the future employee proposition across multiple European markets.

You’ll play a pivotal role in driving a broad range of strategic and operational initiatives, including:

Benefits

• European Benefits strategy and delivery across c.10 countries
• Annual Benefits renewals and vendor management
• Continued rollout and optimisation of an international Benefits platform
• Simplification of a complex supplier landscape
• Regulatory compliance and Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Improving operational efficiency through process improvement and technology

Compensation

• Annual salary and reward review cycles
• WTW job architecture and market benchmarking
• Variable pay and incentive frameworks
• European Pay Transparency initiatives
• Equal Pay and Gender Pay Gap reporting
• Workday compensation governance, reporting and data integrity

This is a role for someone who enjoys remaining close to the detail.

We're looking for an experienced Reward professional who is comfortable leading projects, influencing senior stakeholders and rolling up their sleeves to deliver operational excellence. You’ll need energy, pragmatism and excellent judgement, but equally important is your ability to build strong relationships. The HR team is collaborative, supportive and genuinely enjoyable to be part of, so finding someone who values working in that kind of environment is important.

You may already be an experienced Compensation & Benefits professional with a strong Benefits bias, or you could be an established Benefits specialist looking to broaden your Reward remit. Equally, we’d welcome conversations with experienced professionals seeking a technically interesting role without the need for significant people management responsibilities.

Experience across UK and European Benefits is essential (we're open-minded regarding the depth of your European experience), together with exposure to Compensation activities within a complex, international organisation. Financial Services or Insurance experience would be advantageous, although we’re equally interested in candidates from other regulated or high-touch international environments where the experience is readily transferable.

Equal Opportunities

Our client is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let Jenna know. All applications and conversations will be handled in the strictest confidence.