Head, People Operations & Compensation

About the role

We are looking for a Compensation and People Operations professional to build and establish our group-wide compensation framework as we continue to expand across multiple jurisdictions.

This is a newly created role with a primary focus on developing a structured, data-driven salary band framework across different markets, ensuring compensation decisions are consistent, competitive and aligned with business needs. You will translate market benchmarks into practical salary structures, establish clear guidelines for compensation decisions and exceptions, and build scalable processes for compensation reviews and equity incentives.

Alongside compensation strategy, you will oversee key HR operations across our multi-jurisdiction workforce, covering payroll, employment compliance, HRIS data and external employment providers. This is an opportunity to shape the foundation of our compensation and people operations infrastructure as the business grows.

Key responsibilities

Compensation Strategy & Salary Framework

• Lead the development and implementation of a group-wide salary band framework across multiple jurisdictions, incorporating market benchmarks, geographic pay differentials, role scope and internal equity.
• Establish consistent compensation principles, salary ranges and guidelines to support hiring, promotions, salary adjustments and retention decisions.
• Analyse market data and internal pay structures to identify gaps, assess competitiveness and make informed recommendations where benchmark data is limited.
• Partner with business leaders to evaluate compensation proposals, manage exceptions to established salary bands and ensure decisions are supported by data and clear rationale.
• Design and manage the annual compensation review cycle, including salary adjustments, promotions and budget planning.
• Develop a consistent approach to benefits benchmarking and sourcing across jurisdictions, taking into account local market practices and statutory requirements.

Equity & Incentive Management

• Manage the equity incentive framework, including option pool utilisation, grant administration and ongoing records reconciliation.
• Coordinate regular three-way reconciliation of equity records with Finance and Company Secretariat to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Support the administration and review of equity incentives, considering relevant corporate governance, regulatory and cross-border tax requirements.

Payroll & People Operations

• Oversee payroll operations across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring timely processing, accurate calculations and appropriate reconciliation.
• Establish and maintain standardised onboarding, offboarding, employment contract and employee documentation processes.
• Maintain HRIS data integrity and establish the system as the reliable source of truth for employee and compensation information.
• Manage Employer of Record (EOR) providers and local employment partners, evaluating service quality, cost efficiency and compliance.
• Assess when to transition employees from EOR arrangements to direct employment entities, and coordinate the implementation and migration process.
• Work with external employment counsel to review employment practices across jurisdictions, identify compliance gaps and coordinate remediation.
• Monitor developments in pay transparency, equal pay and gender pay gap reporting, implementing relevant requirements where applicable.

About you

• 8+ years of experience across compensation, total rewards, payroll or people operations, with hands-on exposure to multiple jurisdictions.
• Proven experience building and implementing a salary band or compensation framework across at least three jurisdictions.
• Strong understanding of compensation benchmarking, salary structure design, internal pay equity and compensation governance.
• Experience designing or managing annual compensation review cycles and advising business leaders on salary decisions and exceptions.
• Practical experience managing multi-country payroll and EOR providers, such as Deel or Remote.
• Knowledge of equity incentive programmes, including option pools, grants, exercise processes and cross-border tax considerations.
• Experience implementing, migrating or improving HRIS platforms such as HiBob, Workday or BambooHR.
• Strong Excel and data modelling capabilities, with a high level of attention to detail and data integrity.
• A structured, systems-oriented approach, with the ability to turn manual processes into clear policies, workflows and controls.

Nice to Have

• Experience as the first compensation, total rewards or people operations hire in a growing business.
• Experience developing compensation frameworks in a fintech, financial services or technology environment.
• Experience managing an EOR-to-entity transition.
• Familiarity with SQL or Python for compensation analysis and data management.
• Knowledge of background screening and fit-and-proper requirements within regulated financial institutions.