Reward and Benefits Lead, CE

This is an outstanding opportunity for a bright, motivated and talented Reward professional to make a real difference. Strategically biased but operationally expert, the successful individual will have the opportunity to design and implement across the entire Reward spectrum, and be expected to build the competence and capability of the broader HR team at the same time.

In order to provide the first-class service our clients expect from Clifford Chance, the firm requires an outstanding level of support across a large number of function areas. Human Resources management forms a key part of the firm's infrastructure, and it is an important part of the firm's global strategy to attract, motivate and retain exceptional talent across the firm and to become a recognised employer of choice in the legal profession.

Reward is a critical element of the Global People and Talent Strategy, with significant opportunities to create and contribute new approaches to designing reward programmes for the entire population of lawyers and Business Professionals (with the exception of the equity Partnership). Equally, the successful candidate will need to be able to design and support the implementation of compensation processes and ensure that the HR Business Partners ("HRBPs") and Service Delivery are capable of delivering core processes.

Key Accountabilities

• Work closely with the Global Head of Reward and Benefits and the relevant HRBPs in each office to develop and implement leading edge reward guidelines, policies and packages which are aligned to the People and Talent Strategy, and the business needs of the CE region, and communicate these to the business.

• Develop and contribute to a governance framework for reward across the offices in the CE region- share ownership and responsibility for reward data in all HR systems and ensure that appropriate processes, procedures and audit trails are in place consistent with global approaches and standards.

• Liaise and collaborate with all members of the Reward and Benefits teams globally in developing an approach to Total Reward.

• Work closely with the Global Head of Reward and Benefits and Regional Head of HR, CE region to ensure that the reward strategies for all offices in the CE region are benchmarked, competitive and in line with the organisational strategy and employer brand proposition, consistent with global approaches and standards.

• Manage the delivery of new reward packages to the business to agreed time, cost and quality standards - including provision of appropriate resources (people, technology etc) and resolution of issues.

• Working closely with the HR Information and Analytics team to establish a modelling tool to facilitate frequent and accurate budgeting and costing of Reward packages.

• Manage the provision of salary planning and budgeting for all Office and Regional HR teams, consistent with global approaches and standards. 

• Design and implementation of appropriate job evaluation process and procedures for mapping Business Professional roles to market positioning, consistent with global approaches and standards.

70 % Strategy, Planning and Delivery

• Provide expert knowledge in Reward - be recognised as the designated expert within the CE region, working with and supporting relevant HRBPs in each office.

• Working with the relevant HRBPs in each office, proactively manage the planning, design, delivery and implementation of annual Reward reviews to the CE region, consistent with global approaches and standards.

• Working closely with the HR teams and firm Leadership to identify and promote improvement for the firm, identifying potential synergies and opportunities for increasing value e.g. relationships with external providers, new processes and methodologies and improved supplier management.

• Management of stakeholders throughout the process including facilitating Partner and business leader focus groups.

20% Research and Benchmarking

• Conduct regular monitoring and analysis of industry trends and best practice to inform HR strategy.

• Monitor and review HR performance against set benchmarks and best practice.

• Provide advice and facilitation to the Global Head of Reward and Benefits on strategic direction and industry trends.

10% Coaching and thought leadership  

Through group presentations and production of materials and guidelines, set up a framework to coach HRBPs and HR Leads to ensure that they are aware of new policies and trends.

Skills & Experience

• Excellent analytical and cost modelling skills supported by systems experience. The job holder will be expected to help to define and implement systems support for all Reward processes within the CE region. Job holder needs to be an expert user of Excel (or similar spreadsheet tools) and ideally familiar with Workday and in particular Core and Advanced Compensation planning in Workday.

• Recognised expert in Rewards with substantial experience of delivering Reward processes in a comparable multi-jurisdictional environment.

• Progressive career to date in a benefits and reward position preferably a professional services or law firm or Partnership.

• Strong planning, budgeting and strategy formulation experience.

• Sound industry and business understanding with experience of translating commercial dynamics into value led HR practices.

• Ideally a member of a recognised professional body.

• Role holder should be able to co-ordinate and manage  the overall portfolio of Reward for the CE region. The role holder will need to be able to keep track of multiple project schedules, be capable of analysing project interdependencies and continuously assess the impact of changes to the schedule, while taking an innovative but pragmatic approach.

• Role holder should be able to provide input to the overall strategic direction of the Global Reward and Benefits strategy.

• Role holder needs to be able to anticipate and adapt to the differing reactions of stakeholders at all levels, in order to ensure buy-in to timeframes and resourcing requirements.

• Role holder needs to have excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Will liaise with project teams and the management team, input to strategy and planning and give presentations to communicate strategic goals.

• Role holder needs to be persuasive and enthusiastic in order to engage stakeholders and overcome resistance to change.

• Role holder will be required to be able to manage relationships with external suppliers where appropriate.

• Role holder needs to build relationships with business contacts in order to keep up to date with changes and developments in the business which may impact HR.

• Ability to speak one or more of the languages used in the offices within the CE region would be considered an advantage.

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

In order to provide the first-class service our clients expect from Clifford Chance, the firm requires an outstanding level of support across a large number of function areas. Human Resources management forms a key part of the firm's infrastructure, and it is an important part of the firm's global strategy to attract, motivate and retain exceptional talent across the firm and to become a recognised employer of choice in the legal profession.

Reward is a critical element of the Global People and Talent Strategy, with significant opportunities to create and contribute new approaches to designing reward programmes for the entire population of lawyers and Business Professionals (with the exception of the equity Partnership). Equally, the successful candidate will need to be able to design and support the implementation of compensation processes and ensure that the HR Business Partners ("HRBPs") and Service Delivery are capable of delivering core processes.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a bright, motivated and talented Reward professional to make a real difference. Strategically biased but operationally expert, the successful individual will have the opportunity to design and implement across the entire Reward spectrum, and be expected to build the competence and capability of the broader HR team at the same time.

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

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