Senior Reward Consultant in Chelmsford

Permanent, Full Time

£60,469.00 to £71,140.00 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 17th September 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

The People & Organisational Development (P&OD) function helps ensure we have the people, skills and culture needed to deliver excellent services for residents and communities. Within P&OD, the Reward team provides specialist expertise across pay, grading, job evaluation, benefits, market benchmarking and equal pay. This is an exciting opportunity to join us as our lead reward specialist, shaping reward frameworks that are fair, transparent, legally compliant and financially sustainable.

The Senior Reward Consultant is the organisation's lead specialist for reward, providing expert professional advice and leadership across pay, grading, job evaluation, reward policy, benefits and reward governance. The role is responsible for ensuring reward frameworks and practices remain fair, compliant, financially sustainable and aligned with organisational priorities, enabling the organisation to attract, retain and motivate the workforce required to deliver excellent services.

Accountabilities:

• Lead the development, implementation and ongoing review of reward, pay and grading policies, frameworks and processes, ensuring they remain equitable, legally compliant, financially sustainable and aligned with organisational requirements and workforce priorities.
• Act as the organisation's lead professional adviser on job evaluation, grading and pay design, providing expert guidance, quality assurance and governance to ensure consistent application of policies and robust decision-making across the organisation.
• Provide specialist reward consultancy and advice to senior leaders, People colleagues and managers on complex reward matters, supporting informed decisions on organisational change, recruitment, retention, recognition, market positioning and employment reward issues.
• Lead the collection, interpretation and presentation of reward-related data, workforce metrics and market intelligence, using insight and evidence to support decision-making, identify risks and opportunities, and inform reward recommendations.
• Maintain effective governance arrangements for reward-related activities, ensuring compliance with legislation, organisational policy, audit requirements and recognised best practice, while identifying and mitigating potential risks.
• Manage the organisation's reward and benefits provision, including the review, procurement, implementation and monitoring of schemes and contractual benefits, ensuring value for money, operational effectiveness and a positive employee experience.
• Lead the organisation's approach to equal pay, reward assurance and pay equity, undertaking analysis, reviews and improvement activity to identify and mitigate risk, ensure compliance with legislative requirements and support fair, transparent and equitable reward practices across the organisation.
• Develop effective relationships with senior stakeholders, trade unions, external partners and professional networks to support the successful delivery of reward priorities, influence decisions and share best practice.
• Maintain expert knowledge of reward practice, employment legislation, job evaluation methodologies, market trends and emerging developments, providing subject matter expertise to support organisational decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Work collaboratively across the People and Organisational Development function to support wider workforce priorities and organisational objectives, contributing professional expertise to corporate initiatives and service improvement activities.

The Experience You Will Bring:

• Degree educated (RQF Level 6) or equivalent through relevant professional experience.
• Chartered CIPD, CIPP or equivalent professional qualification, with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of reward strategy, pay frameworks and benefits design within large, complex organisations.
• Expertise in pay equity, equal pay and reward governance, with a strong understanding of relevant employment legislation.
• Significant experience of pay and grading, market benchmarking, reward analytics and salary surveys.
• Expert knowledge and practical application of job evaluation methodologies and organisational workforce frameworks.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to translate complex data into strategic insight and recommendations.
• Proven experience of leading complex change, programmes and projects, including business case development and risk management.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to advise and challenge senior leaders and stakeholders.

This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. The role allows for some home-working with a requirement to attend the office 1 day per week, in line with business need.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.