At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape and lead compensation strategies for a leading consumer brand.
- Company: Join a well-known UK brand with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, car allowance, and career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how talent is rewarded and recognised.
- Qualifications: Degree in Reward and experience in retail or hospitality required.
- Other info: High-profile role with exposure to senior leadership and strategic influence.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 77000 ÂŁ per year.
Compensation Manager – retail or hospitality
England (ideally Midlands or South based)– remote working with weekly visits to Head Office
ÂŁ65-77,000 + bonus + car allowance + benefits + career opportunities
Are you ready to shape the future of reward in one of the UK’s most recognisable consumer brands?
We’re seeking a strategic, commercially-minded Compensation Manager who can bring fresh thinking to pay structures, incentive design and reward frameworks that truly engage a diverse, fast-paced workforce. This is a role for someone who wants to be more than an analyst or partner – you’ll be a trusted advisor to senior leaders, influencing decisions that impact thousands of colleagues across the UK & Ireland.
The Role
This is a pivotal role within our Clients People function, sitting at the heart of how we attract, retain and recognise talent. You’ll be responsible for shaping and leading the full compensation agenda, ensuring their reward offering is both competitive in the market and compelling for colleagues.
In practice, this means:
Owning the annual pay and bonus cycles, from design and modelling to execution and communication, ensuring fairness, accuracy and alignment with business performance.
Benchmarking and pay positioning, staying ahead of the market to make sure their pay structures remain competitive and sustainable.
Advising senior leadership, acting as the go-to expert for compensation decisions, balancing commercial priorities with fairness, equity and compliance.
Leading on executive and long-term incentives, supporting the design and delivery of schemes that drive leadership accountability and business growth.
Data-driven insights, analysing pay trends, equal pay and gender pay to provide actionable recommendations that shape strategy and enhance EVP.
Governance and compliance, ensuring all compensation practices meet legal requirements and company policy, while anticipating future legislation.
Continuous improvement, proactively challenging current ways of working and introducing new approaches, tools and frameworks to keep us at the forefront of reward practice.
This is a high-profile, business-facing role where you’ll have exposure to the Exec team, Board-level reporting and external regulators. It’s about shaping reward in a way that not only supports growth but also reflects their culture and values.
About you
Degree educated with further qualifications in Reward
To thrive, you’ll bring the blend of technical expertise, commercial judgement and influencing ability needed to set the standard in compensation. You will have incredible progressive experience gained within fast moving retail or hospitality organisations and understand what world class Compensation programmes look like in progressive organisation
We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate:
Compensation expertise, deep knowledge of compensation principles including pay structures, incentive design, executive reward and benchmarking frameworks (experience with WTW global grading is essential).
Commercial acumen, you connect reward outcomes with business performance, and can articulate the “so what” to senior stakeholders.
Analytical strength, comfortable modelling complex pay scenarios, handling large datasets, and producing insight that drives action.
Strategic mindset, able to look beyond process to consider how compensation underpins engagement, retention and EVP.
Influence and impact, you can hold your own with senior leaders, simplify complexity for a broad audience, and inspire confidence with your recommendations.
Resilience & pace, you enjoy working in a dynamic environment where priorities shift and deadlines are tight.
Credibility in context, ideally experience gained in a multi-site, consumer-facing or service-led organisation, where agility and pragmatism are key.
Why join?
This is a chance to make your mark in a high-profile role, where your work directly shapes the colleague experience and the organisation’s ability to attract and retain top talent. You’ll join a collaborative HR team with big ambitions and a leadership group that values innovation in reward.
If you’re ready to bring your expertise to a household-name brand and help set the standard for compensation excellence, we’d love to hear from you.
To apply please email your CV to nicola.eddy@hprtalent.com or call 0115 870 0115 for more details
Compensation Manager employer: HPRtalent
Contact Detail:
HPRtalent Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Compensation Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts on LinkedIn or attend local events. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its compensation strategies. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals, especially in shaping reward frameworks.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your analytical skills! Bring examples of how you've used data-driven insights to influence compensation decisions in previous roles. This will demonstrate your value as a strategic advisor.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Compensation Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Compensation Manager. Highlight your experience in retail or hospitality, and showcase your expertise in compensation principles. We want to see how you can bring fresh thinking to pay structures!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've influenced compensation decisions in the past and how you can help shape our reward strategy.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since this role involves handling large datasets and producing actionable insights, make sure to highlight your analytical strengths. We love seeing how you've used data to drive decisions in previous roles, so don’t hold back!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at HPRtalent
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Compensation Manager, you'll need to be comfortable with data. Brush up on key metrics related to compensation trends, pay structures, and incentive designs. Be ready to discuss how you've used data in past roles to influence decisions or improve processes.
✨Understand the Business
Familiarise yourself with the company's business model and how compensation strategies align with their goals. Think about how you can connect reward outcomes with business performance and be prepared to articulate this during your interview.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Mindset
This role requires a strategic approach to compensation. Prepare examples of how you've challenged existing practices and introduced innovative solutions in previous positions. Highlight your ability to think beyond the numbers and consider the broader impact on employee engagement and retention.
✨Prepare for Senior Stakeholder Engagement
You'll be advising senior leaders, so practice simplifying complex compensation concepts for a non-technical audience. Think of scenarios where you've successfully influenced decision-makers and be ready to share these stories to demonstrate your credibility and impact.