Head of Reward

HRLife Ltd; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 108,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

HRLife Ltd. are partnering with a global business to appoint a Head of Reward. This senior role sits within Group Total Rewards, spanning executive pay, RemCo activity, global mobility and international reward programmes.

You will work with the Director of Total Rewards to translate reward thinking into practical delivery, developing papers and analyses, while rolling up your sleeves to drive hands-on delivery in a decentralised, fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior reward role combining strong technical expertise with hands-on delivery.
• Strong knowledge of UK reward governance and executive pay practices.
• Experience preparing papers, analyses and supporting materials for Remuneration Committee activity, or working closely with those who do.
• Experience operating within a listed, international or multi-business environment.
• Experience leading, managing and developing reward professionals.
• Previous global mobility exposure.

Responsibilities

• Support the Director of Total Rewards in developing, implementing and governing reward frameworks for senior management populations.
• Prepare high-quality papers, analyses and materials for RemCo activity.
• Lead key reward governance and executive compensation processes.
• Strengthen, develop and embed reward frameworks and processes as the organisation evolves.
• Drive reward insight, benchmarking and market analysis across UK and US populations.
• Support and evolve global mobility policies and processes, ensuring alignment with market practice.
• Lead and develop a small global Total Rewards team.
• Partner with senior stakeholders across a complex, international and decentralised structure.
• Bring fresh thinking and pragmatic solutions to reward challenges.

Skills

Senior reward experience

UK reward governance

Executive pay practices

Global mobility experience

Team leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

HRLife are delighted to be partnering with a successful global business with an impressive track record of sustainable growth, innovation and long-term value creation, to appoint a Head of Reward.

This is a broad, hands-on opportunity sitting within Group Total Rewards, operating across a complex, international and highly acquisitive environment. The role offers exposure across executive reward, RemCo activity, global mobility and wider reward programmes, within a business that combines the scale of a listed organisation with the pace, agility and collaborative feel of a smaller business.

Working closely with the Director of Total Rewards, you'll play a key role in translating reward thinking into practical delivery. This will include preparing high-quality papers and analysis to support RemCo activity, leading key reward and executive compensation processes, supporting global mobility and helping to strengthen and evolve frameworks and processes that are not always fully established.

This isn't a role where everything is already perfectly built or defined. There is plenty to develop, improve and embed, so you'll need to be someone who enjoys rolling up your sleeves, getting into the detail and making things happen, while retaining the ability to step back and see the bigger picture.

Operating within a highly decentralised model will also be central to the role. You'll partner with senior stakeholders across autonomous businesses, building credibility and influencing through relationships rather than hierarchy. You'll need to understand different perspectives and balance Group requirements with what will work effectively across individual businesses and geographies.

Leading a small, experienced and high-performing global Total Rewards team, you'll be joining a group of talented people who are already delivering great work. You'll provide leadership, support and direction, helping them continue to develop and thrive, while remaining close enough to the detail to roll up your sleeves and provide practical support when needed.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Director of Total Rewards in the development, implementation and governance of reward frameworks for senior management populations
• Preparing high-quality papers, analysis and supporting materials for RemCo activity
• Leading key reward governance and executive compensation processes
• Helping to strengthen, develop and embed reward frameworks and processes as the organisation continues to evolve
• Driving reward insight, benchmarking and market analysis across UK and US populations
• Supporting and evolving global mobility policies and processes, ensuring they remain aligned with market practice and business requirements
• Leading and developing a small global Total Rewards team
• Partnering with senior stakeholders across a complex, international and decentralised structure
• Bringing fresh thinking and creativity to reward challenges, looking for pragmatic ways to improve existing approaches rather than simply defaulting to established solutions
• Balancing the need to collaborate and build consensus with the confidence to make decisions and keep things moving

This role will suit an experienced, commercially minded reward professional who enjoys operating at pace and is comfortable when not everything is perfectly defined.

You'll combine strong technical reward expertise with a genuinely hands-on approach. You'll be happy moving between detailed analysis and delivery, senior stakeholder conversations, team leadership and broader reward thinking.

Just as importantly, they're looking for someone with high emotional intelligence, learning agility and intellectual curiosity. You'll be confident, able to think on your feet, collaborative and open to different perspectives, while still able to challenge constructively and move things forward.

You'll enjoy solving problems and finding better ways of doing things. Rather than always reaching for an established reward solution, you'll be curious enough to ask questions, explore different approaches and bring creativity and fresh thinking, while remaining pragmatic about what will work in a complex global organisation.

Your background is likely to include:

• Significant experience in a senior reward role, combining strong technical expertise with hands-on delivery
• Strong knowledge of UK reward governance and executive pay practices
• Experience preparing papers, analysis and supporting materials for Remuneration Committee activity, or working closely with those who do
• Experience operating within a listed, international or multi-business environment
• Experience leading, managing and developing reward professionals
• Previous global mobility exposure
• Evidence of improving, developing or building reward processes and approaches rather than simply operating within established frameworks

The UK Head Office is based in Buckinghamshire, but there is genuine flexibility around where you're based and how frequently you need to be in the office. If you're relatively local, you may spend a day or two a week there, while those based further afield can work much more flexibly. This could mean being at Head Office once or twice a month. What matters is being visible and present when it counts, rather than following a prescribed number of office days each week.

Up to £120k base plus a comprehensive benefits package including car allowance and significant bonus