Compensation and Benefits Managers

Human Resources

Level 6617 of 1200 points

Job description

Compensation and Benefits Managers

Job purpose

To plan, direct and coordinate the organisation's compensation and benefits function, designing and evaluating pay and benefit policies and managing the staff who deliver them, so that reward is competitive, cost-effective, legally compliant and clearly communicated across the organisation.

Skills

Extensive specialist and managerial knowledge: compensation and benefits design, pension and insurance provision, employment and benefits legislation and statutory reporting, job classification and job family architecture, collective bargaining and arbitration, and the business and management principles needed to plan, resource and lead a function. Bachelor's or master's degree with several years of related experience.
Directs the preparation and distribution of information explaining benefits, compensation and personnel policy to the whole workforce. Mediates between providers and employees, negotiates bargaining agreements and vendor contracts, advises senior management on equal employment opportunity, harassment and discrimination, partners with other managers to define job levels and families, and represents the organisation at personnel-related hearings. Also directs and develops subordinate staff.
Analyses compensation policy, government regulation and prevailing wage rates to build a competitive plan; interprets legislation, arbitration decisions and collective agreements to assess industry trends; and analyses personnel statistics to determine causes of problems and recommend improvements. Problems are ambiguous and multi-stranded, with cost, legal and employee-relations consequences to balance.
Sets objectives and strategy for the function, formulates policy across recruitment, testing, placement, classification, orientation, reward and labour relations, prepares budgets for personnel operations, manages benefit integration following mergers and acquisitions, prepares employment forecasts, and coordinates subordinates against annual cycles and statutory deadlines.
Work is carried out at a desk and in meetings, using HR and payroll systems. No manual handling or dexterity demands.

Responsibilities

Manages a team, planning, directing, supervising and coordinating the staff who deliver compensation, benefits and related employment and labour relations work, and accountable for their output, development and conduct. Influence extends beyond the team through policy governing pay and benefits for the whole workforce.
Prepares and manages budgets for personnel operations, develops the organisation's competitive compensation plan, administers and directs benefit programmes, and contracts with vendors for employee services. Decisions commit significant recurring expenditure within limits set by senior management.
Ordinary care of workstation and HR and payroll systems. Responsible for the design of tools supporting employees in benefits selection and managers in compensation decisions.
Accountable for the integrity of compensation and benefits information organisation-wide: fulfils all statutory reporting obligations, produces detailed job descriptions and classification systems defining job levels and families, and compiles the personnel statistics on which pay and benefit decisions rest. Handles confidential pay data on which legal compliance and employee trust depend.

Effort required

Builds and defends pay structures from market, regulatory and financial evidence, interprets legislation and arbitration outcomes, and holds several policy strands and cycles in view at once while remaining available to staff and senior management. Decisions must be justified and their consequences are organisation-wide.
Manages contention from several directions — mediating between providers and employees, negotiating bargaining agreements, advising on discrimination and harassment matters, representing the organisation at hearings and investigations. Requires composure under challenge and the ability to hold unpopular positions in front of staff, providers and senior management.
Predominantly seated office work, with movement between meetings, hearings and provider premises. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

Office-based without physical hazard, with time away from base at bargaining sessions, personnel-related hearings and investigations, and provider and vendor meetings. Psychosocial demand stems from continuous handling of confidential pay data and from proceedings that are adversarial or emotionally charged.
Workload peaks sharply around programme design and review, bargaining, statutory reporting and one-off events such as integrating benefit programmes after a merger or acquisition, with a high interruption load from staff, managers and providers throughout. Operates with considerable autonomy and accountability within strategy and budget set by senior management.

Skills

40% · 283 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 5 of 8
90 of 144 points
Specialised and theoretical knowledge within a field of work and an awareness of the limits of that knowledge. The job requires a comprehensive range of cognitive and practical knowledge to develop creative solutions to abstract problems.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 4 of 5
77 of 96 points
Advanced communication and interpersonal skills. The job holder is required to manage complex interactions, mediate interpersonal conflicts and support group collaboration.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 4 of 5
58 of 72 points
Advanced organisational skills required. The job requires planning and managing complex, often overlapping tasks or schedules. The job requires a degree of autonomy and joint planning, and managing interdependencies across teams or departments.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 231 points▾

PeopleLevel 4 of 5
115 of 144 points
High level of responsibility for people. The job involves significant responsibility for the well-being and development of others. This includes making decisions that affect others' jobs, tasks or welfare, such as managing teams, providing care, teaching or ensuring psychological safety. It can also include hiring, evaluating, motivating, coaching and leading workers.
Goods and equipmentLevel 0 of 5
0 of 84 points
Not applicable. The job does not involve any responsibility for goods or equipment.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for financial resources. The job requires handling significant financial resources, including managing budgets, overseeing expenditures, being accountable for spending and participating in financial decision-making.

Effort

15% · 79 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires the regular management of emotional responses, such as dealing with sensitive or challenging individuals or situations.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.