EMEA Head of Reward

Head of Reward – EMEA

Location: London or main hubs across Europe

Reports to: VP of HR (EMEA)

Direct Reports: EMEA Reward Managers / Analysts

Role Purpose

The Head of Reward – EMEA is responsible for leading the strategic direction, governance, and execution of reward across the EMEA region within a complex, matrixed technology organisation.

Operating within a global Centre of Expertise (CoE) model, this role ensures regional reward strategies are aligned to global principles while reflecting local market dynamics, regulatory requirements, and competitive positioning across diverse EMEA markets.

The role requires strong influencing capability, commercial acumen, and the ability to operate effectively in a highly matrixed, cross-functional environment.

Key Accountabilities

Regional Reward Strategy & Alignment

• Translate global reward philosophy into regionally relevant frameworks
• Partner with Global Reward CoE to shape policy and design enhancements
• Ensure alignment between regional business objectives and reward strategy
• Act as the regional subject matter expert across compensation, benefits, and incentives

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local legislation across EMEA, including pay transparency requirements
• Oversee pay equity analysis and remediation where required
• Maintain robust governance around offer approvals, salary positioning, and incentive awards
• Partner with Legal and Finance to manage regulatory and tax implications

Compensation & Incentive Management

• Lead annual salary review, bonus, and long-term incentive cycles across EMEA
• Oversee job architecture and grading frameworks in partnership with global teams
• Provide executive-level reward recommendations for senior hires and retention cases
• Guide the design and governance of sales incentive and commission structures

Executive & Board Support

• Provide regional reward analytics and insight for senior leadership
• Prepare materials for Remuneration Committee and Executive discussions (where applicable)
• Advise on senior leadership reward structures and succession implications

Benefits Strategy

• Oversee regional benefits governance and vendor management
• Drive cost optimisation while maintaining competitive positioning
• Support harmonisation initiatives where appropriate across key markets such as United Kingdom, Germany, France, and United Arab Emirates

Stakeholder & Matrix Leadership

• Partner with Regional HR Directors, Business Leaders, and Finance
• Influence without direct authority across countries and functions
• Lead and develop a geographically dispersed reward team
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on complex reward matters

Experience & Qualifications

• 12+ years progressive reward experience within multinational organisations
• Experience operating within a complex, matrixed global structure
• Strong knowledge of EMEA regulatory and compliance landscape
• Experience in listed or large private multinational technology businesses
• Demonstrated executive stakeholder management capability
• Strong financial modelling and reward analytics expertise