Global Head of Reward & Benefits in Oxford

As the Global Head of Reward & Benefits, you will be accountable for creating, managing and delivering our pay, incentive and benefit structures across a complex, global organization. Managing a team of three, this is a hands-on position requiring a particularly structured approach, strong mathematical capability and the judgement & willingness to work at an appropriate level of detail.

Department & Location

• Department: Core - People & Culture
• Location: Oxford, UK

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design, delivery and ongoing evolution of global reward, incentive and benefits frameworks, ensuring alignment to business strategy and organisational growth.
• Lead and deliver all annual and cyclical reward activities (salary reviews, bonus planning, promotions), combining strategic oversight with detailed, hands-on execution.
• Accountable for the design, deployment, tracking, calculation, outcome communication and processing of all annual incentive plans across the organisation.
• Owns the organisational salary benchmarking and pay scales, establishing data driven, competitive salary benchmarks and clear pay scales for each job role, across multiple job families, levels and regions.
• Develop and maintain robust, structured frameworks and job architecture aligned to the pay scale approach.
• Ensure the embedding and continuous improvement of Reward processes and structures in Aurora’s HRMS deployment (Success Factors).
• Accountable for providing relevant all inputs into Remuneration Committee and Board materials (executive remuneration, annual incentive performance, salary & merit reviews).
• Develop, administer and continually review global employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, wellness initiatives, and other programs that contribute to employee satisfaction and well-being.
• Ensure our processes, incentives and benefits are in compliance with local regulatory requirements and internal governance standards (including taxation, labour laws, and reporting) managing risk across all reward and benefits activity globally.
• Deliver clear and effective reward communication, both internally and externally where required, enabling transparency and understanding of pay and benefits across the organisation.
• Stay current with industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in rewards and benefits across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring our programs remain competitive and compliant.
• Work closely with teams across Aurora – within People & Culture, across other functional teams (particularly with Finance), business and senior leadership to ensure alignment, understanding and effective administration of all reward and benefits plans.
• Own and govern relationships with external vendors, such as benefits providers and compensation consultants, ensuring cost-effective solutions and high-quality services.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified or equivalent professional experience.
• Other relevant professional qualifications an advantage.

Skills & Experience

• Experience of administering complex pay and incentive structures across multiple geographies.
• Experience of leading global compensation and benefits practices, including regulatory compliance.
• Strong mathematical and analytical skills to support incentive calculation, pay scale & benchmarking and budgeting processes.
• Able to work at a detailed level, with the ability to zoom out and understand the broader strategy.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Experience of being able to successfully navigate an immature systems environment in a complex organisation.
• Highly structured and analytical in approach, able to bring governance and control across a fast-paced and movable environment.

Benefits

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary-Exchange Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle-to-work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity.