Lead Compensation Analyst

Elavon, Inc.; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Clearly defined salary ranges

Performance-based incentives

Comprehensive benefits

Development opportunities

Employee recognition programs

Job summary

U.S. Bank is seeking a Lead Compensation Analyst to design, administer and govern compensation programs across Europe. The role partners with HR, Finance and business leaders to deliver market benchmarking, annual processes and regulatory initiatives with strong analytical rigor.

You will lead data-driven analyses, support MRT and pay transparency efforts, manage sales incentive programs and produce dashboards for senior stakeholders, while upholding data confidentiality and governance.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years of experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, HR Analytics or related field.
• Strong knowledge of compensation principles, benchmarking and market pricing.
• Experience with compensation planning cycles and operational processes.
• Excellent attention to data accuracy and governance.
• Experience in financial services or highly regulated environments desirable.
• Familiarity with MRT regulations, pay transparency, or gender pay reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support annual compensation activities including salary reviews, incentive payments and year-end processes.
• Prepare analyses, modelling and reporting to support governance reviews.
• Conduct market benchmarking and internal equity analyses across European markets.
• Support MRT identification, regulatory reporting and governance documentation.
• Lead pay transparency, gender pay reporting and pay equity initiatives.
• Assist in sales incentive administration and governance of incentive plans.
• Deliver recurring and ad hoc compensation reporting and dashboards for leadership.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Prioritisation & time management

Tools

HRIS systems

Compensation tooling

Reporting software

Job description

The Lead Compensation Analyst supports the design, administration, analysis and governance of compensation programmes across Europe. Reporting to the Compensation Manager and working closely with the broader Compensation team, including Compensation Analysts, this role provides analytical expertise, operational support and market insights to ensure compensation programmes are competitive, equitable, compliant and aligned with business objectives across multiple European jurisdictions. The role acts as a trusted partner to HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance and business leaders across Europe, taking ownership of key compensation workstreams while supporting the Compensation Manager in the delivery of annual compensation processes, market benchmarking, regulatory initiatives and sales incentive programmes. The successful candidate will combine strong analytical capabilities with excellent attention to detail, a collaborative approach and the ability to proactively identify and resolve problems.

Compensation Planning & Annual Processes

• Support the delivery of annual compensation activities, including salary reviews, incentive payments, bonus planning and year-end compensation processes.
• Prepare compensation analyses, modelling and reporting to support decision-making and governance reviews.
• Ensure compensation actions are processed accurately and in accordance with established guidelines and controls.
• Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of compensation processes, guidance and documentation.
• Produce data-driven insights that enable leaders to make informed compensation decisions.

Market Data & Benchmarking

• Manage participation in external compensation surveys, including data preparation, validation and submission to market data providers such as WTW.
• Conduct salary benchmarking and market pricing analysis across European markets for new hire offers, promotions, internal moves and retention cases.
• Perform internal equity analysis and provide recommendations to support fair and competitive pay decisions.
• Maintain and analyse market data to provide insights on compensation trends and competitiveness.
• Support ad hoc benchmarking requests from Talent Acquisition, HR and business stakeholders.

Material Risk Taker (MRT) & Regulatory Compensation Activities

• Support the annual Material Risk Taker (MRT) identification and review process.
• Gather, validate and analyse quantitative and qualitative data required for MRT assessments.
• Partner with HR, Risk, Compliance and Legal stakeholders to support governance, documentation and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Prepare reports and presentation materials for senior leadership and governance forums.

Pay Transparency & Pay Equity

• Support the implementation and ongoing management of EU Pay Transparency requirements and other compensation-related regulatory initiatives across Europe.
• Conduct pay equity analyses and identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Assist in developing processes, reporting and documentation to support transparency and regulatory obligations.
• Partner with HR stakeholders to promote equitable and consistent compensation practices.

Gender Pay Reporting

• Support annual gender pay gap reporting and associated analysis.
• Produce insights and recommendations to help address identified pay disparities.
• Prepare reporting and presentation materials for senior stakeholders and regulatory disclosures where required.

Sales Incentive Compensation

• Support the administration and operation of sales incentive and commission programmes.
• Maintain sales incentive plan documentation and ensure programme records remain current.
• Respond to manager and employee enquiries relating to sales incentive plans.
• Partner with business stakeholders to support the effective operation, governance and continuous improvement of sales compensation programmes.

Reporting & Analytics

• Deliver recurring and ad hoc compensation reporting for HR, Finance and business leadership teams.
• Develop insights and recommendations that support compensation strategy and workforce decisions.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity and confidentiality of compensation data and reporting.
• Create presentations, dashboards and reporting materials for senior stakeholders and compensation governance forums.

Minimum 4 years of experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, HR Analytics or a related field.

• Strong understanding of compensation principles, salary benchmarking and market pricing methodologies.
• Experience supporting compensation planning cycles and operational compensation processes.
• Advanced Excel skills with the ability to manage large datasets, perform complex analysis and develop meaningful insights.
• Strong mathematical, analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively to fixed deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Experience within financial services or another highly regulated environment.
• Familiarity with Material Risk Taker (MRT) regulations, remuneration governance frameworks, or broader regulatory compensation requirements.
• Exposure to pay equity analysis, gender pay gap reporting and/or EU Pay Transparency initiatives.
• Experience administering sales incentive, commission or variable pay programmes (desirable).
• Experience participating in compensation surveys and market benchmarking activities, including providers such as WTW.
• Experience using HRIS, compensation management and reporting tools.

At U.S. Bank, we're on a journey to do our best. Helping the customers and businesses we serve to make better and smarter financial decisions, enabling the communities we support to grow and succeed in the right ways, all more confidently and more often-that's what we call the courage to thrive. We believe it takes all of us to bring our shared ambition to life, and each person is unique in their potential. A career with U.S. Bank gives you a wide, ever-growing range of opportunities to discover what makes you thrive. Try new things, learn new skills and discover what you excel at-all from Day One.

We actively uphold transparent and fair hiring practices that support individual opportunity, inclusive culture, and career mobility across all levels of our organisation. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience. If you need adjustments at any stage of the application or hiring process, please contact your recruiter for guidance and support. Total Rewards U.S. Bank is committed to fair, equitable, and transparent compensation practices in line with local regulatory and legal requirements. Our total rewards approach is designed to attract, retain, and support top talent while ensuring equal pay for work of equal value. We offer a market-competitive compensation package that includes:

• Clearly defined salary ranges aligned with industry benchmarks and internal equity standards.
• Performance-based incentives for eligible employees (as defined by relevant plan rules), awarded through transparent, objective criteria that recognize both individual and company performance.
• Inclusive equitable benefits that are accessible to all employees and focused around our 3 main pillars of financial wellbeing, health & wellness).
• Continuous development opportunities including training, education support, and career progression pathways based on inclusive and transparent criteria.
• Employee recognition programs that celebrate achievements and milestones for all.

We regularly review our compensation and benefits to ensure they remain competitive, inclusive, and responsive to employee needs and market trends.

Further details of the compensation package will be provided upon application. We encourage candidates to explore the full value of our offer, including monetary and non-monetary benefits, at Employee benefits and development | U.S. Bank | Elavon.