Head of Reward

The Commercial Capability Team within Cabinet Office supports the growing Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) in building commercial expertise and improving commercial outcomes across the Civil Service and in the wider public sector. An effective reward strategy is crucial to attract, motivate and retain a GCO population of 1,600 senior commercial experts deployed to over 25 different Government departments. As Head of Reward, you will join a large People Services Team comprising c. 50 HR professionals covering the full range of specialisms from workforce planning, recruitment, business partnering and employee experience to policy, operations, talent management and reward. You will manage a high performing team of reward specialists to design and deliver a programme of strategic reward projects which improve the employee value proposition and have a tangible positive impact on employees' lives. This is a pivotal leadership role in which you will also have the opportunity to make a wider strategic contribution as a member of both the People Services Leadership Team and the Capability Leadership Team. This role offers a fantastic challenge for a passionate and experienced reward professional to join a supportive and committed team and engage with a wide range of stakeholders. We offer a friendly working environment, flexible and hybrid working arrangements and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Reporting to the Deputy Director of People Services, your key responsibilities will include:

• Setting the strategic direction for reward in the GCO, adopting best practice and aligning to organisational objectives.
• Leading a team of reward specialists to design and deliver an ambitious programme of reward projects.
• Building and maintaining strong working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including, but not limited to, finance, project management office, Commercial Directors, Government People Group, benefits suppliers and our payroll provider.
• Engaging with and influencing HM Treasury and Cabinet Office to seek advice, develop business cases and secure pay flexibility where needed.
• Representing the GCO in cross-government forums, demonstrating visible leadership.
• Drawing on deep reward expertise and analytical skills to provide advice and recommendations to senior leaders and decision-makers, evaluating and mitigating risk to the organisation.
• Developing and presenting high-quality papers to the GCO Remuneration Committee, working closely with the governance team to ensure actions are taken forward.
• Writing new, and updating existing reward policies which embed core principles of diversity and inclusion and take account of changes in political, economic, or strategic direction, and/or legislation.
• Overseeing the delivery of the delegated and Senior Civil Service annual pay and performance awards in line with central guidance, including developing evidence-based proposals and leading trade union negotiations. This may include developing a pay flexibility business case in the future.
• Undertaking regular internal and external pay and benefits benchmarking and acting on the results to ensure the GCO remains a competitive employer of choice.
• Maintaining oversight of the pensions and benefits offer, including managing supplier relationships, procurements and ensuring legal compliance e.g. with regard to pensions auto-enrolment.
• Reporting annually on the GCO's gender and ethnicity pay and bonus gaps.
• Leading and contributing to projects and initiatives and as part of the wider People Services and Capability Leadership Teams, for example, strategy development, team away days, people survey action plans.
• Acting as a credible and inclusive leader and line manager, demonstrating exemplary behaviours in line with Cabinet Office Values and Leadership Commitments and building team capability and expertise.
These responsibilities are not exhaustive and the successful candidate will be expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional responsibilities at a similar level as may be necessary.

Disability Confident About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.