At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead compensation and benefits strategy, ensuring fair rewards and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
- Company: Bright Software Group, a fast-growing B2B SaaS company with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on innovation and AI integration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on employee satisfaction and drive strategic reward initiatives.
- Qualifications: Experience in compensation roles, strong analytical skills, and knowledge of pay equity principles.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Employees need to know they're rewarded fairly. Benefits need to work for people's real lives. And the data underpinning those decisions needs to be accurate, consistent, and ready when it matters. Bright is a PE-backed B2B SaaS business of approximately 400 employees, operating across Ireland, the UK, and India. As we scale, reward has become a strategic priority that requires dedicated focus. This role has been created to meet that need. You’ll own the reward and reporting function, bringing structure, rigour and strategic focus.
You'll work closely with the CPO, the Head of People Operations & Partnering, and our Finance team — and you'll be the trusted expert people come to when they have a question about their pay or their benefits.
Key Outcomes — Year One
- A compensation benchmarking framework that gives managers and the CPO clear, defensible answers to pay questions.
- A smooth salary review cycle — well-prepared, well-communicated, and delivered with confidence.
- Benefits that employees understand and actually value — with measurable improvement in awareness and utilisation.
- A reporting suite that gives the CPO, ELT, and RemCom accurate, consistent data on demand.
- EU Pay Transparency obligations met on time and with confidence.
- Payroll liaison running smoothly with Finance, with no gaps in accuracy or compliance.
What You'll Do
Compensation, Pay Reviews & Compliance- Lead the operational delivery of the annual pay review cycle — building merit models, preparing manager guidance and RemCom materials, and coordinating with HRBPs to execute across the business.
- Lead compensation benchmarking across Ireland, the UK, and India, maintaining working knowledge of how pay legislation and practice differ across jurisdictions.
- Support job evaluation and role levelling, providing market reference points for new and evolving roles.
- Develop and maintain pay bands and salary structures, with support of wider team.
- Prepare RemCom data packs, salary review scenarios, and supporting materials in advance of each RemCom meeting.
- Advise managers and HRBPs on pay decisions, acting as a trusted internal expert rather than a policy enforcer.
- Maintain a governance framework for reward decisions, clear approvals, audit trails, and version control.
- Lead Bright's EU Pay Transparency compliance programme, working with the CPO, Legal, and HRBPs to meet reporting obligations.
- Conduct and maintain pay equity analysis across all jurisdictions, identifying and flagging gaps for remediation.
- Own benefits administration across all jurisdictions — renewals, provider relationships, and ensuring documentation is current and accessible.
- Lead the annual benefits review, benchmarking the Bright offering against market and making evidence-based recommendations.
- Drive benefits awareness and utilisation across the business.
- Own the compensation and benefits data infrastructure — ensuring HiBob holds clean, accurate, audit-ready reward data at all times.
- Build and maintain a core reporting suite covering pay, benefits, headcount, and turnover — for CPO, ELT, RemCom, and investor reporting.
- Audit and elevate existing People reporting — identifying gaps, improving consistency, and using AI tools to increase the speed and quality of insight delivered to leadership.
- Produce accurate, structured data extracts and analysis on demand for leadership, audit, and investor review.
- Support the annual People budget planning process and manage the reward and benefits cost base on an ongoing basis.
- Ensuring compensation changes are accurately reflected, People-side data is complete, and any HR-context queries are resolved efficiently.
- Support payroll-related compliance checks, audits, and HMRC/Revenue queries that require HR data input.
What Skills We're Looking For
Essential- Demonstrable experience in a dedicated reward, compensation, or total reward role.
- Advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capability, you build models, interrogate data and present findings confidently to senior stakeholders.
- Experience preparing compensation data and analysis for senior leadership or governance reporting.
- Proven experience with compensation benchmarking methodologies and participation in salary surveys.
- Experience administering and reviewing employee benefits programmes.
- Working knowledge of pay equity principles and employment legislation across Ireland and UK.
- Experience working with an HRIS — ideally HiBob, but transferable.
- Confidence using AI tools to improve the speed and quality of your work.
- Experience working alongside a Finance team on payroll interfaces and data governance.
- Experience in a PE-backed, high-growth SaaS or technology business.
- Exposure to M&A, organisational change, or multi-jurisdictional reward harmonisation.
Skills can be developed. Attitude is harder to change. We're looking for someone who:
- Takes pride in the accuracy of their data — you're the kind of person who spots an anomaly and fixes it before anyone else notices.
- Communicates clearly at all levels — you can take a complex pay analysis and explain it simply to a manager or confidently to a board.
- Builds trust quietly — people come to you with difficult pay questions because they know they'll get a straight answer.
- Is comfortable in ambiguity — this is a new role, and you'll need to build the processes alongside doing the work.
- Uses AI tools as a genuine accelerator — not because you're told to, but because you've seen what they can do.
- Brings a business lens — reward decisions have cost implications, and you hold both the people and the commercial perspective simultaneously.
Working at Bright
Bright is a collaborative culture where you can be yourself. Even at 400+ people, there is still a team feel. People are genuinely looked after here, it’s not just something we say. You get real autonomy to learn, to grow, to make an impact. And right now is a genuinely exciting time to join. We’re growing fast, we’re investing heavily in AI, and that creates real opportunity for the business and for the people in it. It’s a place where curious people thrive.
What you can expect:
- Hybrid working — we trust people to manage their time.
- A People team that's building something, not maintaining the status quo.
- Genuine visibility — you'll work directly with the CPO.
- A company that takes AI adoption seriously — we have an active AI Champions Network, a Literacy Framework, and a CPO who will expect you to use the tools.
- Competitive salary, benefits, and a business that's going places.
Total Rewards Manager employer: Bright
Bright in Warwick is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Employees benefit from competitive salaries, performance-based bonuses, and comprehensive health and life insurance, alongside generous annual leave. With a strong focus on professional development, Bright provides ample opportunities for growth, making it an ideal place for those looking to advance their careers in a supportive environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Total Rewards Manager
✨Join HR Networks
Get involved in HR-specific communities, like the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and local HR meetups. This is a fantastic way to connect with industry professionals and learn about job openings before they even hit job boards!
✨Make Your Presence Known
Attend HR conferences and workshops in your area to network with potential employers. Don't be shy—introduce yourself, exchange business cards, and let them know you're keen on a full-time role in HR. Who knows, you might just land a friendly face at Bright!
✨Leverage Your University Connections
If you’re a recent grad or still in uni, tap into your career services and alumni network. Many universities have connections with companies looking for HR talent, so get those leads and apply through our website for a smoother application process.
✨Showcase Your HR Passion
Create content around HR topics you’re passionate about, like employee engagement or diversity initiatives. Share articles or insights on LinkedIn to demonstrate your knowledge and get noticed by recruiters. It’s a subtle yet effective way to show you’re the right fit for a full-time role at Bright.
We think you need these skills to ace Total Rewards Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your HR Skills:When you’re crafting your CV, make sure you highlight specific HR skills that are relevant to the role at Bright. Include any experience with recruitment processes, employee relations, or performance management, and don’t forget to mention your familiarity with HR software or tools that could give you an edge.
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine, so tailor it to Bright and the specific HR role. Highlight your passion for people management and how your unique approach can help foster a positive workplace culture. Be sure to sprinkle in examples from your past experiences that illustrate your problem-solving abilities and interpersonal skills.
Include Relevant Certifications:If you’ve got any HR certifications or relevant training under your belt, be sure to showcase them! These qualifications can really set you apart from other candidates when applying for this full-time HR position at Bright. List them prominently on your CV to catch the hiring manager's eye.
Align with Company Culture:Make sure your application speaks to Bright's values and culture. Research the company and align your experiences or values with what they stand for. This will show them that you're not only a fit for the role but also for the overall vibe of the team and organisation.
How to prepare for a job interview at Bright
✨Brush Up on HR Best Practices
As you're diving into human resources, it’s crucial to be well-versed in the latest HR practices and legislation. Get familiar with key topics like employee engagement, talent acquisition, and diversity initiatives, as these could easily pop up in your interview with Bright.
✨Know Your Recruitment Tools
Most HR roles involve using various recruitment tools and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). Make sure you can comfortably discuss platforms like Workday or Greenhouse. If you've had direct experience, share those examples; if not, show your eagerness to learn!
✨Highlight Your People Skills
A full-time HR role at Bright will require strong interpersonal skills. Prepare to share stories that demonstrate how you’ve successfully navigated conflicts or supported team members in past experiences. Authenticity goes a long way in this field.
✨Stay Current with HR Trends
Being up to speed with current HR trends, like remote working protocols or mental health initiatives, can set you apart. Be ready to discuss how these trends could impact Bright and how you would contribute to adapting HR strategies.