Reward Lead

The Curve Group; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Curve Group is seeking an experienced Reward Lead to join the People team of a major international financial services organisation. This role blends hands-on day-to-day Reward delivery with strategic improvements across pay, benefits and governance.

You’ll lead the annual compensation review, benchmarking, benefits management, and Reward MI while partnering with Finance and senior stakeholders. The ideal candidate has extensive Reward experience in complex organisations and strong

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a Reward-focused role within a complex organisation.
• Experience delivering annual salary/pay review and bonus processes.
• Experience with salary benchmarking and market data methodologies (WTW, Mercer, Korn Ferry/Hay or similar).
• Strong analytical and numerical capability with Reward modelling and scenario analysis.
• Experience managing benefits and external Reward providers.
• Experience producing Reward MI including pay gap reporting and pay review analysis.
• Strong understanding of Reward governance, legislation and best practice.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and presenting Reward analysis and recommendations.
• Excellent Excel and data analysis skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the annual Compensation Review Process from planning to delivery.
• Manage and develop the organisation's approach to reward benchmarking and salary positioning.
• Oversee employee benefits and relationships with external providers and vendors.
• Produce and interpret Reward MI, pay review outcomes, and pay gap reporting.
• Develop pay structures, job evaluation, and Reward frameworks.
• Provide expert Reward advice to HRBP, managers and senior leaders.
• Lead Reward projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with Finance on modelling, budgets, scenarios and affordability.
• Ensure compliance with Reward-related legislation and equal pay requirements.
• Act as Reward SME across the People function and share market insights.

Skills

Excel

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Influencing skills

Education

CIPD or Reward-related qualification

Tools

Reward modelling

Job description

We're looking for an experienced Reward Lead to join the People team of a major international financial services organisation.

This is a broad, hands‑on Reward role where you'll take ownership of the day‑to‑day Reward agenda, balancing operational delivery with longer‑term Reward improvements. You'll work closely with senior stakeholders, Finance and the wider Reward function to ensure pay, benefits and Reward processes are competitive, equitable, commercially sound and aligned with the organisation's wider strategy.

The Role

As Reward Lead, you'll play a key role in shaping and delivering the organisation's Reward agenda, with particular responsibility for the operational delivery of Reward activity.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the annual Compensation Review Process, including planning, modelling, analysis and delivery.
• Managing and developing the organisation's approach to reward benchmarking, using market data to inform pay decisions and salary positioning.
• Managing employee benefits, including relationships with external providers and reward vendors.
• Producing and interpreting Reward MI, reporting and analysis, including pay review outcomes and pay gap reporting.
• Supporting the development and maintenance of pay structures, job evaluation and Reward frameworks.
• Providing expert Reward advice to HR Business Partners, managers and senior leaders on salary, promotions, offers, retention and other Reward decisions.
• Leading Reward projects and continuous improvement initiatives, including benefits and process enhancements.
• Working closely with Finance on Reward modelling, budgets, scenarios and affordability.
• Supporting compliance with Reward‑related legislation, including equal pay and pay transparency requirements.
• Acting as a Reward SME across the wider People function, providing insight into market trends, inflation and emerging Reward practices.
• Working with Group and Corporate Reward colleagues in a complex, matrix environment.
• Developing Reward guidance, communications and manager toolkits to support consistent application of Reward processes.

About You

We're looking for an established Reward professional with significant experience across compensation, benefits and Reward operations.

You’ll ideally have:

• Extensive experience working within a Reward‑focused role in a complex organisation.
• Strong experience delivering annual salary/​pay review and bonus processes.
• Proven experience with salary benchmarking and market data, ideally using recognised methodologies such as WTW, Mercer, Korn Ferry/Hay or similar.
• Strong analytical and numerical capability, with experience of Reward modelling and scenario analysis.
• Experience managing benefits and external Reward providers.
• Experience producing Reward MI, including pay gap reporting and pay review analysis.
• Strong understanding of Reward governance, legislation and best practice.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and confidently presenting Reward analysis, recommendations and options.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong Excel and analytical skills.
• Experience operating within a matrix or international organisation would be highly beneficial.
• A CIPD or Reward‑related qualification is desirable.

What makes this role interesting?

This is an opportunity to join a sophisticated international Reward environment where you'll have genuine ownership of the operational Reward agenda.

You'll have the opportunity to work across compensation, benefits, benchmarking, analytics, governance and Reward transformation, while partnering directly with senior stakeholders and Finance.

The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys getting into the detail, solving problems and making Reward processes work, while also being able to step back and identify opportunities to improve the wider Reward proposition.

If you're an experienced Reward professional looking for a role that combines hands‑on Reward delivery with strategic influence, we'd be keen to hear from you.