Director Compensation & Benefits - EMEA

Overview

The Director of Compensation & Benefits will spearhead the Total Rewards approach for the EMEA region, crafting and overseeing compensation and benefits initiatives that align with company goals, maintain market competitiveness, and deliver a uniform employee experience. This role requires collaboration with business leadership, HR partners, Finance, Global Rewards, and Talent teams to build reward frameworks that attract, retain, and inspire top talent.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead EMEA's Compensation & Benefits strategy in harmony with the global Total Rewards philosophy.
• Manage the yearly compensation cycle encompassing salary revisions, promotions, variable pay, bonus schemes, and market adjustments.
• Develop and refine compensation structures, salary bands, job frameworks, and pay governance mechanisms.
• Perform market benchmarking via premier compensation surveys and external intelligence to ensure competitive pay positioning.
• Collaborate with business leaders and HR Business Partners on compensation advice for recruitment, promotions, retention, and critical roles.
• Design and oversee executive compensation and incentive schemes as needed.
• Evaluate and enhance employee benefits programs ensuring competitiveness, value for employees, and cost efficiency.
• Maintain compliance with statutory regulations, internal governance, and company compensation policies.
• Create compensation models, financial impact analyses, and executive-level presentations to support reward decisions.
• Lead compensation-focused projects including harmonization, policy updates, and organizational restructures.
• Work with Global Rewards teams to adapt global initiatives for local markets.
• Offer strategic insights on pay equity, governance of rewards, and emerging market trends.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Compensation & Benefits team.

Qualifications

• 13 to 18 years of experience in Compensation & Benefits or Total Rewards functions.
• Proven leadership in compensation strategy within large multinational corporations.
• Hands-on management of annual compensation programs, including salary and variable pay planning and incentive administration.
• Expertise in job evaluation, compensation benchmarking, salary surveys, and market pricing analyses.
• Experience handling executive compensation and governance of reward programs.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in advanced Excel and data-driven decision-making.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement abilities, capable of influencing senior leadership.
• Experience operating within global, cross-functional teams.
• Background in consulting firms or technology sectors is favored.

Additional Attributes

• Highly organized, adaptable in dynamic environments, and capable of thriving in fast-paced settings.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with a proactive 'make-things-happen' attitude, motivating teams to achieve impactful results.

Benefits

• Gender-Neutral Policy.
• 18 paid holidays annually.
• Generous parental leave and structured new parent transition program.
• Flexible work arrangements.
• Employee Assistance Programs supporting wellness and well-being.

About Publicis Sapient

Publicis Sapient serves as a digital transformation partner, enabling established enterprises to reach digitally advanced states by evolving work models and customer engagement. Leveraging a startup mindset and contemporary techniques, combining strategy, consulting, customer experience, agile engineering, and creative problem-solving, its workforce of over 20,000 professionals in 53 global offices merges technology, data sciences, consulting, and customer obsession to accelerate client growth by designing highly valued products and services.