Senior Reward Specialist

Job description

Job Description The Reward team plays an important role in attracting, retaining and motivating talented colleagues across Aberdeen. Working closely with HR, Finance, Payroll and business leaders, the team delivers fair, data-driven reward strategies, governance and market insight. Through robust analysis, effective processes and continuous improvement, the team supports Aberdeen’s goal of enabling our clients to be better investors. About the Role Based in Edinburgh, this permanent Senior level role is an opportunity to play a key part in the delivery and continuous improvement of Aberdeen’s reward framework. You will combine reward expertise, advanced analytics and strong systems knowledge to provide meaningful insight across compensation, benefits, market benchmarking and regulatory reporting. Working with large and complex datasets, you will influence reward decisions, support annual compensation activities and help strengthen governance and compliance. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your expertise while making a visible impact across the organisation. About the role The Senior Reward Analyst plays a key role in the delivery, governance and continuous improvement of Aberdeen’s reward framework. This role provides experienced analytical, technical and operational support across reward processes. The role requires reward experience and confidence working with large, complex datasets and systems to produce clear strategic insight and recommendations for Reward Consultants and Managers, HR and business stakeholders. Key Responsibilities: Reward Analysis & Reporting Lead and deliver detailed reward analysis across salary, bonus, benefits, market positioning, equal pay and pay transparency reporting requirements. Produce high-quality reward dashboards, reports and insights for Reward Consultants and Managers, HRBPs and senior stakeholders using Power BI and Workday data. Undertake data modelling, validation, reconciliation and quality assurance to support robust reward decisions and governance. Contribute to regulatory reporting including gender and ethnicity pay gap reporting. Reward Processes Support the end-to-end delivery of annual compensation review cycles, including salary review, bonus modelling, configuration of Advanced Compensation module, testing, reporting and post-cycle analysis. Maintain and enhance reward data in Workday, including compensation-related fields, job matching and reporting outputs, ensuring accuracy and compliance with internal governance. Contribute to process improvement, automation and control enhancements across reward operations and compensation cycle delivery. Market Insight Co-ordinate participation in external reward surveys and benchmarking exercises, including Aon/McLagan data submissions and outputs. Undertake job matching and cataloguing activity, applying internal career frameworks and external market frameworks consistently. Analyse market trends, peer data and compensation insights to inform recommendations on pay positioning, ranges and reward policy application. Operational & Stakeholder Support Act as a knowledgeable point of contact for reward-related queries from Workday Help, HRBPs and business stakeholders, resolving issues where appropriate and escalating complex matters to Reward Consultants. Work closely with HR, Finance, Payroll, Technology and external providers to support smooth reward process delivery, data integrity and system readiness. Risk, Governance & Compliance Operate within reward policies, frameworks, controls and regulatory requirements, applying strong judgement and maintaining robust audit trails. Support equal pay reviews, pay transparency readiness, remuneration reporting and governance activity through accurate analysis, documentation and reporting. Technical & Analytical Strong Workday experience, ideally including experience with the Advanced Compensation module, compensation cycle support, configuration inputs, testing and reporting. Advanced numerical, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex reward data and identify clear insights. Strong PowerBI and Excel capability, including data modelling, lookups, pivots, validation and reconciliation. High attention to detail and confidence working with sensitive data, controls and governance requirements. Communication & Collaboration Clear and confident written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex reward data in a practical, business-relevant way. Able to present insight, risks and recommendations clearly to Reward Consultants and Managers, HRBPs and wider stakeholders. Collaborative and credible, with the confidence to challenge data quality, assumptions and process gaps constructively. Organisation & Problem Solving Well-organised and able to manage multiple priorities, deadlines and data dependencies across annual reward activity. Curious, proactive and improvement-focused, with the ability to identify opportunities to simplify, automate and strengthen reward processes. Able to work independently within defined frameworks, escalating judgement-based or higher-risk matters appropriately. About the candidate: Experience in a reward, compensation, people analytics or HR systems role, ideally within financial services, asset management or a similarly complex business. Good understanding of reward principles, including pay structures, market benchmarking, job evaluation/job matching, incentives, benefits and annual compensation reviews. Practical experience of Aon/McLagan job matching, market data frameworks and survey participation is strongly preferred. Experience supporting compensation cycles, bonus management systems, Workday reporting and compensation tooling is preferred. Exposure to equal pay analysis, pay transparency reporting, regulatory remuneration reporting or related governance activity would be advantageous. Extensive experience using PowerBI and workday. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process. Our benefits There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported. When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here. Our business Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here . An inclusive way of working Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you. At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business. An inclusive culture , where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help. We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment. We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance. We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone. If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.