Senior Assistant Vice President - Corporate Rewards

Rewards Lead: The Rewards & Benefits will lead the design, implementation, and management of all employee rewards programs, including compensation, benefits, and incentive plans. This role partners with Global Rewards and HR teams to ensure competitive, equitable, and compliant reward practices that attract, retain, and motivate talent.

As the Rewards & Benefits leader, you will oversee the end-to-end management of the organization’s compensation and benefits programs. You will ensure that policies are market-competitive, aligned with business strategy, and compliant with local legislation. This role involves collaborating with Global Rewards, HR, Finance, and Compliance teams to deliver strategic reward initiatives, manage long- and short-term incentives, and optimize operational efficiency. You will also lead employee benefits benchmarking, manage vendor relationships, and provide actionable insights through reporting and analysis, ultimately supporting a high-performing culture and strong employee value proposition.

Chief of Staff: The Chief of Staff will act as a strategic partner to the SA Geo HR Leader, managing and optimizing the department’s reporting processes, delivering strategic insights, and administering key HR systems. The role combines skills in management information systems (MIS), data analysis, strategic reporting, and the administration of BI tools to ensure that the department operates efficiently and requires a strong background in data analysis, business intelligence tools (especially Power BI), and HR systems administration.

Key Responsibilities:

Rewards Lead (C&B Lead):

Design, implement, and manage compensation, benefits, and incentive programs.
Partner with Global Rewards to review and update C&B policies for internal equity and market competitiveness.
Benchmark salary, benefits, and participate in industry surveys and forums.
Drive annual processes such as Merit Increases, Bonus, and Equity programs.
Evaluate and design hiring ranges with Recruitment, HRBP, and business leaders.
Manage STI (Bonus, P4P, Sales Commission) and LTI (Equity) plans, monitoring effectiveness.
Ensure compliance with regulations and company policies in compensation and benefits decisions.
Develop dashboards and reports, partnering with HR Business Partners and management for recommendations.
Work with Finance on budgeting and job pricing.
Manage data processes and resolve errors with HR shared services as needed.
Lead employee benefit benchmarking and alignment (Pension Fund, Medical Aid, Leave benefits).
Oversee day-to-day management of benefit brokers to maintain industry-comparable offerings.
Sign off monthly Pension Fund files for processing.
Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Investigate and resolve escalated employee issues in collaboration with HR leaders.

Chief of Staff Functionality:

• Serve as the right-hand advisor to the SA Geo HR Leader, ensuring strategic HR priorities are executed efficiently.
• Drive HR process optimization and project execution across the SA HR function.
• Act as a liaison between the SA Geo HR Leader and business, regional, and global HR teams.
• Oversee HR communications, ensuring clear and consistent messaging within the organization.
• Monitor and track key HR metrics, performance dashboards, and workforce analytics
• Lead the execution of SAHR’s strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Partner with finance, legal, and HR functions to manage budgets, reporting, and compliance.
• Prepare presentations, reports, and strategic documents for senior leadership.
• Support change management initiatives by ensuring smooth transitions and effective communication.
• Act as a sounding board on key organizational challenges and people strategies.

MIS/ Strategic Reporting:

MIS & Strategic Reporting: Deliver actionable HR insights through data analysis and strategic reporting.

Power BI Dashboard Creation: Design and maintain dynamic Power BI dashboards to visualize key HR metrics.

Management Reporting: Design, compile and present regular HR reports to support leadership decision-making.

Collect and analyze HR data: Evaluate metrics like turnover rates, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism.

Generate reports and dashboards: Present insights to HR teams and leadership to inform decision-making.

Monitor workforce trends: Identify patterns in hiring, productivity, or retention to recommend improvements.

Support compliance efforts: Ensure HR practices align with employment laws and company policies

Collaborate on strategy: Work with HR and management teams to develop strategies for workforce planning.

Evaluate HR tools and systems: Assess the performance of HR software and suggest optimizations.

Develop and manage accurate and timely MIS reports for the Human Resources Department, providing insights into key metrics such as attrition, Performance Management, early Warning System insights etc.

Design, develop, and maintain HR dashboards and reports to support strategic decision-making.

Analyze HR data to identify trends, patterns, and insights that inform workforce planning and organizational development.

Collaborate with HR leadership to define KPIs and reporting requirements. Collaborate with senior leadership to prepare monthly, quarterly and annual strategic reports.

Collaborate with colleagues in the Global HRIS team to align efforts and approach in reporting.

Power BI Dashboard Creation:

Build and manage interactive Power BI dashboards and visual reports for various HR metrics (e.g., headcount, attrition, diversity, recruitment funnel) to provide stakeholders with easy access to key HR metrics and trends.

Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and real-time reporting capabilities.

Train Leaders and HR team members on dashboard usage and interpretation

Customize dashboards based on department and leadership needs, ensuring actionable insights are at hand.

Continuously improve dashboard usability, accessibility, and functionality, providing training as necessary to end-users.

Management Reporting:

Prepare monthly and quarterly HR performance reports for management, ensuring all KPIs and targets are tracked.

Work with various teams to gather and compile data, ensuring consistency and accuracy in all reporting.

Highlight key issues and provide recommendations for operational improvements in HR performance.

Consolidate data from multiple sources (HRIS, ATS, payroll systems) into comprehensive reports.

Support audit and compliance reporting requirements

Requirements:

+/- 12 years’ experience in Compensation & Benefits and a minimum of 5 years in a leadership role.

Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel; Exposure to Tableau, Power BI, or Qlik Sense.

Proven ability to influence stakeholders in a global environment.

Deep knowledge of remuneration, benefits, and compliance frameworks.

Experience in ITES, KPO, or Analytics industries (Preferred).

Track record of driving cost efficiencies and operational improvements.

Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship- building skills.

Strategic mindset with a focus on operational excellence.

*** In alignment with the Employment Equity Act, preference will be given to applicants from historically underrepresented groups and in line with EXL’s EE targets ***

Key Responsibilities for Rewards Lead:

• Design, implement, and manage compensation, benefits, and incentive programs.
• Partner with Global Rewards to review and update C&B policies for internal equity and market competitiveness.
• Benchmark salary, benefits, and participate in industry surveys and forums.
• Drive annual processes such as Merit Increases, Bonus, and Equity programs.
• Evaluate and design hiring ranges with Recruitment, HRBP, and business leaders.
• Manage STI (Bonus, P4P, Sales Commission) and LTI (Equity) plans, monitoring effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and company policies in compensation and benefits decisions.
• Develop dashboards and reports, partnering with HR Business Partners and management for recommendations.
• Work with Finance on budgeting and job pricing.
• Manage data processes and resolve errors with HR shared services as needed.
• Lead employee benefit benchmarking and alignment (Pension Fund, Medical Aid, Leave benefits).
• Oversee day-to-day management of benefit brokers to maintain industry-comparable offerings.
• Sign off monthly Pension Fund files for processing.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Investigate and resolve escalated employee issues in collaboration with HR leaders.

Key Responsibilities for Chief of Staff:

• Serve as the right-hand advisor to the SA Geo HR Leader, ensuring strategic HR priorities are executed efficiently.
• Drive HR process optimization, and project execution across the SA HR function.
• Act as a liaison between the SA Geo HR Leader and business, regional, and global HR teams.
• Oversee HR communications, ensuring clear and consistent messaging within the organization.
• Monitor and track key HR metrics, performance dashboards, and workforce analytics
• Prepare presentations, reports, and strategic documents for senior leadership.

MIS / Strategic Reporting:

• MIS & Strategic Reporting: Deliver actionable HR insights through data analysis and strategic reporting.
• Power BI Dashboard Creation: Design and maintain dynamic Power BI dashboards to visualize key HR metrics.
• Management Reporting: Design, compile and present regular HR reports to support leadership decision-making.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• 12 years’ + experience in Compensation & Benefits with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel proficiency; familiarity with Tableau, Power BI, Qlik Sense.
• Excellent written, verbal communication, influencing, and presentation skills.
• Strong stakeholder management experience in a global setting.
• Knowledge of remuneration and benefits, local legislation, and HR statutory compliance.
• Experience in ITES, KPO, or Analytics industries preferred.
• Proven ability to implement cost-saving initiatives and improve operational efficiency.
• Effective conflict management, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic and commercial thinking with the ability to drive operational excellence.
• Must hold a master's degree in any field.

*** In alignment with the Employment Equity Act, preference will be given to applicants from historically underrepresented groups/ aligned with our EE targets ***