Global Compensation Manager

The Global Compensation Manager leads the global compensation agenda, translating business strategy, workforce priorities, market practice and regulatory change into clear, consistent and defensible pay frameworks. Acting as the compensation subject matter expert, the role advises HR and business leadership on pay strategy, salary structures, bonus frameworks, pay transparency, job architecture and compensation risk, balancing global consistency, local market needs, affordability, internal equity and compliance.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the global compensation agenda as the strategic partner to HR and business leadership, setting direction on pay decisions, reward packages, compensation governance and enterprise reward risk.
• Shape and govern global compensation frameworks, including salary structures, pay ranges, market data strategy, pay positioning, grade alignment, country differentials and long-term framework integrity.
• Set the global approach for annual salary review and bonus planning, including design principles, budget modelling, governance, stakeholder recommendations, communications and implementation oversight.
• Provide compensation leadership to job architecture governance, ensuring roles are evaluated, matched, graded and maintained consistently and that pay frameworks remain aligned to the architecture.
• Govern in-year salary decisions, including offers, promotions, retention cases, salary adjustments, exceptions and complex or high-value recommendations, escalating strategic risk where required.
• Lead compensation workstreams for pay transparency, compliance and governance, including minimum wage, FLSA classification, gender pay gap reporting, EU pay transparency, Works Council activity and line manager guidance.
• Advise HR leadership and senior business stakeholders on complex individual packages, senior offers, salary positioning, retention risks, internal equity and market competitiveness.
• Own allowances strategy, guidance and governance, ensuring allowances are consistently applied, market-appropriate, cost-conscious and aligned to global reward principles.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of two while building compensation capability, decision quality and consistency across HR and reward communities.

• Extensive compensation experience, including ownership of enterprise compensation strategy, frameworks or major reward programmes in a complex, global organisation.
• Deep technical expertise in market benchmarking, salary structures, compa-ratio, job evaluation, pay equity, annual reward cycles, variable pay, governance and pay transparency.
• Strong analytical capability, including market data strategy, salary survey insight, HRIS and compensation planning tools, with advanced Excel skills.
• Proven ability to interpret complex data, identify enterprise-level risks and translate analysis into clear recommendations for HR leadership, Finance, Legal and senior business stakeholders.
• Highly developed stakeholder management and influencing skills, with credibility to advise, challenge and guide senior leaders on complex and sensitive compensation matters.
• Experience operating in governance forums or senior decision-making environments, presenting trade-offs, managing risk and influencing outcomes across a matrix organisation.
• Strategic, pragmatic and solutions-focused, with strong judgement and discretion when balancing global principles, local practice, compliance, equity, affordability and organisational impact.

Key competencies:

• Strategic judgement: Uses data, market insight, regulatory context and business strategy to shape compensation direction and recommendations.
• Governance leadership: Sets consistent global principles while recognising local market, legislative and cultural differences.
• Senior stakeholder influence: Builds trusted relationships and influences complex decisions through evidence, judgement and clear trade-offs.
• Risk and integrity: Applies robust controls, manages compensation risk and protects confidentiality.
• Clear communication and improvement: Explains complex reward matters clearly and leads simplification, automation and process improvement.