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Interim Senior Reward Lead (HR)

Eden Brown SynergyChelmsford, Essex🇬🇧United KingdomPosted 8 Oct 2026

Quick Overview

Seniority
Mid Senior
Employment type
Temporary/Casual
Work mode
Hybrid
Location
Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom

Job Description

Eden Brown Synergy are working with a Local Authority in Essex who are looking for an experienced Interim Senior Reward Lead.

The role is full time for 3 months initially, to start ASAP and paying 550 Umbrella per day (inside IR35)

The Role:

The People & Organisational Development (P&OD) function helps ensure we have the people, skills and culture needed to deliver excellent services for residents and communities. Within P&OD, the Reward team provides specialist expertise across pay, grading, job evaluation, benefits, market benchmarking and equal pay.

This is an exciting opportunity to join us as our interim lead reward specialist, shaping reward frameworks that are fair, transparent, legally compliant and financially sustainable. Working closely with senior leaders, people professionals, trade unions and external partners, you will provide expert advice and insight that supports workforce strategy, organisational change and a positive employee experience across a large and complex Council.

The Senior Reward Consultant is the organisation's lead specialist for reward, providing expert professional advice and leadership across pay, grading, job evaluation, reward policy, benefits and reward governance. The role is responsible for ensuring reward frameworks and practices remain fair, compliant, financially sustainable and aligned with organisational priorities, enabling the organisation to attract, retain and motivate the workforce required to deliver excellent services.

Accountabilities

  • Lead the development, implementation and ongoing review of reward, pay and grading policies, frameworks and processes, ensuring they remain equitable, legally compliant, financially sustainable and aligned with organisational requirements and workforce priorities.
  • Act as the organisation's lead professional adviser on job evaluation, grading and pay design, providing expert guidance, quality assurance and governance to ensure consistent application of policies and robust decision-making across the organisation.
  • Provide specialist reward consultancy and advice to senior leaders, People colleagues and managers on complex reward matters, supporting informed decisions on organisational change, recruitment, retention, recognition, market positioning and employment reward issues.
  • Lead the collection, interpretation and presentation of reward-related data, workforce metrics and market intelligence, using insight and evidence to support decision-making, identify risks and opportunities, and inform reward recommendations.
  • Maintain effective governance arrangements for reward-related activities, ensuring compliance with legislation, organisational policy, audit requirements and recognised best practice, while identifying and mitigating potential risks.
  • Manage the organisation's reward and benefits provision, including the review, procurement, implementation and monitoring of schemes and contractual benefits, ensuring value for money, operational effectiveness and a positive employee experience.
  • Lead the organisation's approach to equal pay, reward assurance and pay equity, undertaking analysis, reviews and improvement activity to identify and mitigate risk, ensure compliance with legislative requirements and support fair, transparent and equitable reward practices across the organisation.
  • Develop effective relationships with senior stakeholders, trade unions, external partners and professional networks to support the successful delivery of reward priorities, influence decisions and share best practice.
  • Maintain expert knowledge of reward practice, employment legislation, job evaluation methodologies, market trends and emerging developments, providing subject matter expertise to support organisational decision-making and continuous improvement.

The Experience You Will Bring

  • Chartered CIPD, CIPP or equivalent professional qualification, with evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Extensive knowledge and experience of reward strategy, pay frameworks and benefits design within large, complex organisations.
  • Expertise in pay equity, equal pay and reward governance, with a strong understanding of relevant employment legislation.
  • Significant experience of pay and grading, market benchmarking, reward analytics and salary surveys.
  • Expert knowledge and practical application of job evaluation methodologies and organisational workforce frameworks.
  • Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to translate complex data into strategic insight and recommendations.
  • Proven experience of leading complex change, programmes and projects, including business case development and risk management.
  • Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to advise and challenge senior leaders and stakeholders

This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. The role allows for some home-working with a requirement to attend the office 1 day per week, in line with business need.

Please only apply for this role if you have all the skills, knowledge and experience as mentioned above.

Thank you

Charlotte

Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.

Eden Brown Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number (phone number removed). Our registered address is 5th floor 4 Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5AR, part of nGAGE Specialist Recruitment Limited T/A nGAGE Talent. Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. This message is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to us, and immediately and permanently delete it. Do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. We take reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email but cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage sustained as a result of computer viruses and the recipient must ensure that the email (and attachments) are virus free.

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