Director, Total Rewards

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 320,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research is seeking a senior leader to head enterprise Total Rewards, including compensation, benefits, job architecture and executive remuneration. The role focuses on aligning rewards with organisational strategy, governance and analytics to attract and retain top scientific and leadership talent.

You will lead international and expatriate reward initiatives and collaborate across portfolios to reinforce a competitive value proposition and

Qualifications

• At least 15 years of relevant experience with leadership responsibility in Total Rewards and related disciplines.
• Strong experience in reward governance, market benchmarking and differentiated reward design.
• Experience with international or expatriate reward approaches is highly valuable.
• Ability to balance market competitiveness, talent strategy, internal equity, affordability and governance.
• Strong analytical, commercial and executive advisory capability.

Responsibilities

• Develop and steward enterprise Total Rewards strategy aligned to workforce priorities.
• Lead compensation and benefits strategy, market positioning and benchmarking.
• Design differentiated rewards for critical capabilities while ensuring equity and affordability.
• Own job architecture, evaluation and reward frameworks with governance for executive remuneration.
• Develop international, expatriate and global mobility reward approaches to attract talent.
• Evolve recognition programmes and strengthen pay governance and analytics.

Skills

Total Rewards strategy

Compensation and benefits

Executive remuneration

Job architecture and evaluation

International and expatriate rewards

Reward governance

Analytics and decision support

Strategic leadership

Job description

The Opportunity
A*STAR competes for exceptional scientific, technical, professional and leadership talent in increasingly global and specialised markets. Its rewards proposition must attract and retain critical talent while balancing contribution, internal equity, affordability and public-sector stewardship.

The Opportunity
A*STAR competes for exceptional scientific, technical, professional and leadership talent in increasingly global and specialised markets. Its rewards proposition must attract and retain critical talent while balancing contribution, internal equity, affordability and public-sector stewardship.
Reporting directly to the CPCO, you will lead A*STAR’s enterprise Total Rewards strategy across compensation and benefits, job architecture and evaluation, executive remuneration, international and expatriate rewards, recognition, governance and reward analytics.
This is a strategic workforce role focused on ensuring that rewards reinforce the capabilities, contributions, behaviours and outcomes A*STAR needs for the future.
What You Will Do
Enterprise Total Rewards Strategy

• Develop and steward A*STAR’s enterprise Total Rewards strategy in line with workforce, talent and organisational priorities.
• Lead compensation and benefits strategy, market positioning and benchmarking across key talent segments.
• Design differentiated reward approaches for critical capabilities and contributions while maintaining internal equity and affordability.
  

Job Architecture, Executive and International Rewards

• Own job architecture, job evaluation and reward frameworks to ensure consistency while enabling differentiated talent propositions.
• Lead executive remuneration, variable pay and incentive design with appropriate governance.
• Develop fit-for-purpose international, expatriate and global mobility reward approaches to attract and retain scarce scientific, technical and leadership talent.
  

Recognition and Reward Governance

• Evolve recognition programmes so they reinforce A*STAR’s values, contribution and desired outcomes.
• Strengthen pay equity, reward governance, affordability and decision rights.
• Build reward analytics and executive decision support with Portfolio 7.
• Partner Employee Experience and Services to ensure reward policies and journeys are simple, trusted and operationally executable.
  

Accountability and Key Interfaces
You will be accountable for enterprise Total Rewards strategy, compensation and benefits, job architecture and evaluation, executive remuneration, international and expatriate rewards, recognition strategy and reward governance.
You will work closely with Portfolio 3 on attraction competitiveness, Portfolio 4 on performance and talent differentiation, Portfolio 6 on policy and employee journey execution, and Portfolio 7B on reward analytics.
What Success Looks Like

• A competitive and differentiated People Value Proposition.
• Strong attraction and retention of critical and international talent.
• A clearer link between contribution and reward.
• Recognition aligned with A*STAR’s values and desired outcomes.
• Rewards that are competitive, equitable and sustainable.
• Stronger analytics, governance and decision quality.
  

Critical Skills And Capabilities

• Total Rewards strategy, compensation and benefits, market positioning and benchmarking.
• Job architecture and evaluation, executive remuneration, variable pay and incentives.
• International, expatriate and global mobility rewards.
• Recognition strategy, reward analytics, pay equity and reward governance.
• Commercial and financial judgement.
  

You should also demonstrate systems thinking, strategic judgement, intellectual curiosity, executive presence, collaborative leadership and the ability to turn complexity into clarity and action.
Relevant Experience

• At least 15 years of relevant experience, with significant leadership responsibility in Total Rewards, compensation and benefits, executive remuneration, job architecture or related disciplines.
• Strong experience in reward governance, market benchmarking and differentiated reward design.
• Experience with international or expatriate reward approaches is highly valuable.
• Ability to balance market competitiveness, talent strategy, internal equity, affordability and governance.
• Strong analytical, commercial and executive advisory capability.