Performance & Rewards Lead

The Focus Group; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the performance and rewards sector is seeking a detail-oriented Performance & Rewards Lead to manage performance cycles, payroll, and equity programs. Candidates should be analytical, with over 5 years of experience in HR operations or finance analytics.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in total rewards or HR operations.
• Experience managing equity programs.
• Strong spreadsheet and modelling skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and run the bi-annual performance cycle.
• Manage payroll operations and global equity program.
• Develop clear performance and rewards philosophy.

Skills

Analytics

Payroll

Performance

Education

5+ years in total rewards, performance, HR operations or finance/people analytics

Tools

Carta

Notion

BambooHR

Deel

Job description

Performance & Rewards Lead

We’re looking for a highly analytical and detail-oriented Performance & Rewards Lead to join our People team and own approach to performance, compensation, equity, and rewards.



You’ll play a critical role in designing and running our bi-annual performance cycle, managing payroll operations, overseeing our global equity program (RSUs and/or options), and helping us define and evolve our rewards philosophy as we scale.



You’ll need a sharp financial mindset, a love of spreadsheets, and experience managing equity programs and compensation frameworks — ideally across South African and international contexts (US or EU experience is highly valued).



Reporting line

Chief Operating Officer



Probation Period

3 months



Notice Period

1 month



Job level

IC3



Competency framework

Core Competencies





Key responsibilities Performance, Promotion & Career

• Develop and steward a clear, cohesive performance philosophy that outlines what high performance looks like.
• Own and iterate competency framework, ensuring clear articulation of role-specific skills and behaviors across teams.
• Build clear, transparent career paths aligned with competencies and leveling guidelines, ensuring employees understand what growth looks like.
• Work with People Partners to design and deliver training for managers to navigate performance reviews, give actionable feedback, and use competency tools effectively
• Lead bi-annual performance review cycle end-to-end (tools, timelines, calibration, communications)
• Equip managers and leaders with performance data, insights, and decision-making frameworks
• Manage promotions processes and ensure alignment with pay and equity philosophy

Compensation & Payroll

• Partner with Finance to run monthly payroll operations (SA + international contractors etc)
• Maintain internal compensation bands and leveling frameworks
• Support compensation benchmarking exercises and total rewards modelling

Equity & Long-Term Incentives

• Own and manage global equity program (RSUs, cap table support)
• Track grants, vesting schedules, and employee communications
• Partner with legal/finance to ensure compliance and reporting accuracy
• Manage and optimize tax for the plan

Rewards Strategy

• Evolve our total rewards philosophy — balancing competitiveness, transparency, and scalability
• Design thoughtful, sustainable reward mechanisms beyond salary and equity (e.g. recognition programs, bonuses, benefits)

Analytics & Infrastructure

• Be the owner of all people-related compensation and performance data
• Create reporting dashboards and insights for leadership
• Identify tools and improvements to automate and scale performance & rewards processes

Requirements Must-Haves:

• 5+ years in total rewards, performance, HR operations or finance/people analytics
• Experience managing staff equity programs (e.g. stock options or RSUs)
• Strong spreadsheet and modelling skills
• Familiarity with Carta or similar equity platforms
• Confident running or supporting performance review cycles
• Detail-oriented with a high bar for accuracy and data integrity
• Comfortable working across time zones and functions

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience with PEOs or remote payrolls
• Experience scaling rewards in a Series A/B/C startup
• Familiar with tools like Notion, BambooHR and Deel
• Exposure to hybrid or remote-first company models
• People analytics or org design experience

Desired Skills:

• Analytics
• Payroll
• Performance