Reward Lead

Apply on JLP Jobs - the official careers website for John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis & Partners, and Waitrose & Partners.

About the role

We are looking for a Reward Lead to support John Lewis with the design and development of reward and recognition propositions that align with our unique purpose and overarching People strategy. In this role, you will act as a trusted strategic advisor, shaping reward frameworks while ensuring all solutions meet industry-leading standards and embedding robust risk and assurance frameworks to ensure the long term health and competitiveness of our reward offering. You will be responsible for translating complex business objectives into strategic reward outcomes that effectively balance cost, risk, and organisational impact.

Beyond proposition design, you will be accountable for leading and developing a high performing team of Reward Managers and Specialists. Success in this position requires a blend of creative problem solving, highly developed analytical abilities and excellent stakeholder management skills to navigate a complex landscape. You will collaborate closely with teams across the People function to support our brands and shared capabilities with reward related work which makes a difference to our Partners and our customers.

Salary - £71,200 - £110,500

Contract type - Temporary until January 2027

Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home. This role will support John Lewis and is likely to require on average 1 or 2 days a week in the office to connect and collaborate, primarily in Pimlico, although travel to other locations may be required for example for our regular team or ad hoc meetings. This role will not be offered on a fully remote basis.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of reward and recognition propositions, aligning them with the Partnership's purpose and contributing to the overarching People strategy.
• Identify the impact of the Partnership plan and People strategy on reward and recognition, developing a responsive workplan.
• Act as the Reward expert for your specific business area (PL10-PL5), maintaining a deep understanding of client groups' reward needs to inform strategic solutions.
• Effectively engage stakeholders across the organisation, fostering cross functional collaboration and championing propositions with senior teams to advocate for change.
• Accountable for embedding robust risk and assurance frameworks within all reward processes and propositions.
• Stay abreast of legal and regulatory changes, collaborating with the Employment Legal Team to ensure compliance.
• Lead, inspire, and develop a team of reward professionals, setting strategic direction and prioritising their activities to ensure timely and high quality outcomes.
• Set clear team direction and outcomes, with a customer centric approach, and ensure Partner opinions are heard and taken into consideration.
• Utilise your external network to ensure the team proactively monitors and responds to market developments, building strong market knowledge.
• Be confident presenting to and responding to feedback from various audiences on reward and recognition. Work closely with our democratic and leadership teams to ensure Partners understand what, why and how we develop our reward offer in the Partnership.

Essential skills/experience you'll need

• Deep understanding of reward strategies and experience of developing reward propositions.
• Experience of managing an annual compensation review process.
• Experience leading a team.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the HR lifecycle.
• Proven experience of partnering senior stakeholders.
• Data and analytical skills.