Wood has an exciting opportunity for a Reward Lead to join our team on a permanent basis. This role is open to hybrid working from any of our UK hubs (Glasgow, Aberdeen, Reading, Staines or Stockton), Houston or UAE offices. The position is part of the Reward & Mobility global team, reporting to a senior reward leader and is designed to be flexible to support either a regional or central Reward Team. The role will leverage expertise in both compensation and benefits.
The Role
This role will provide reward expertise across the following aspects:
Fixed reward – job frameworks, base salary structures, and pay management
Variable reward – short- and long-term incentives programs
Employee benefits – design, implement, annual reviews, optimisation of benefits offerings
Governance – adherence to regulatory requirements
The primary objective will be to ensure that reward practices attract, retain, and motivate top talent while adhering to legal and regulatory requirements. You will collaborate closely with HR and senior leadership to influence and provide valuable insights and recommendations to guide decision-making as well as being the process and procedural expert across the total reward approach for your area.
Depending on the skills and experience of the successful candidate, the role may support:
- compensation, benefits, reward governance and regulatory reporting across UK and/or MEAC, and APAC
- market benchmarking, survey participation and matching, salary structure management
- reward governance and regulatory reporting
- annual benefits renewals and enrolment, vendor management and regional benefits management
- job review frameworks, annual salary and incentive cycles
- This role will support developing knowledge and understanding among senior leaders, HR teams and employees, with a focus on total reward.
Responsibilities:
- Analysis: Conducts comprehensive analysis of often complex reward data, market trends, and industry benchmarks to evaluate the competitiveness and internal fairness of our reward packages
- Advisory Role: Provides guidance and recommendations to HR and management on reward matters, joining the dots within a total reward approach
- Data Management: Maintains accurate reward data in relevant internal or external systems, creates reports and dashboards, and provides insights to guide decision-making
- Survey Management: Leads or collaborates efforts of survey identification, participation, able to interpret results, and maintain relationship with survey vendors
- Reward Structure Management: Develops and maintains reward structures, ensuring internal equity and external competitiveness
- Reward Planning: Assists in annual budgeting processes providing market insights and building established relationships with Finance and Commercial teams
- Transparency and Documentation: Maintains focus on reward transparency, creating documents for use in communication and monitors and communicates effectiveness of reward programmes in a sensitive manner across a range of stakeholders (e.g., HR, managers, employees)
- Communication: Develops and delivers clear and effective communication materials to educate stakeholders on reward policies, changes, and opportunities
- Compliance: Ensures compliance with relevant laws and regulations in the design and administration of reward programs
- Process and operations: Ensures efficient processes, procedures and operations for day-to-day activities, ensuring these are communicated and embedded effectively in line with Policy requirements. Maintains awareness of broader process implications and wider impact on our total reward offering
- Project management: Manages designated reward projects through start up, execution and completion, maintaining appropriate stakeholder groups and engagement throughout
- Continuous Improvement: Actively stays informed about industry best practices, legislative changes, emerging trends, technology and innovative approaches in reward and make recommendations for program enhancements
- Vendor management: Leads on day-to-day interface with key vendors and escalating issues with process and service level agreements to get the most out of external vendors
Expected:
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or a related field. Master's degree
- Extensive experience in reward analysis and critical thinking, with a track record of improvements
- Proven ability to independently manage a regional reward portfolio, balancing operational delivery, stakeholder management, analysis and project work with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrated expertise in compensation frameworks, market pricing, salary structure management, benefits governance, vendor management and reward compliance across multiple countries.
- Experience supporting annual reward processes, regulatory reporting requirements and the interpretation of market data to inform business decision making.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret complex reward and market data, identify trends and translate findings into practical business recommendations
- Proficiency in reward analysis tools and software, as well as advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel
- Ability to challenge thinking and problem solve
- Ability to make robust business recommendations using data and experience, aligned with overarching philosophy and considered outcomes highlighting risks where appropriate
- Manage conflicting deadlines and priorities with a wide range of stakeholders
- Proven ability to work independently, manage ambiguity and solve problems whilst balancing competing priorities.
- Experience in developing, managing and maintaining processes and procedures, identifying and addressing issues through to measurable improvement
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret and present complex data effectively
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex reward concepts to a non-technical audience
- In-depth knowledge of reward principles, laws, and regulations
Desirable:
- Additional reward specialist certification
Personal attributes:
- Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy and the ability to maintain confidentiality
- Flexible and open to change, balances humility and the ability to challenge others' thinking
- Strong project management and organisational skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
- Reliable with professional attitude and operates with high integrity; approaches work with a can-do, proactive and collaborative attitude
