Financial Professional

Pay and Reward Manager

Location:

Slough.

Contract:

£370.40 per day PAYE or £500 per day limited paid via umbrella company inside IR35.
Minimum 2 days in the office.

Our client is looking for an experienced Pay and Reward Manager. The role involves leading the organisation's pay, reward and payroll framework, ensuring it supports organisational objectives, workforce sustainability and financial governance.

Lead the review, development and maintenance of local pay and reward conventions, ensuring alignment with NJC arrangements, Council policies and workforce requirements.
Develop and review paylines and pay structures to maintain competitiveness with neighbouring local authorities within a 25-mile radius.
Ensure pay and reward arrangements are fair, transparent, legally compliant and support recruitment and retention objectives.
Provide expert advice on pay and reward matters to senior leaders, Members and stakeholders.

Lead detailed pay and reward analysis using internal and external data to assess competitiveness, affordability and equal pay risk.
Undertake regular benchmarking and market analysis, comparing NJC points, local conventions and market pressures across comparable authorities.
Develop evidence‑based business cases to support changes to pay structures, market supplements and allowances.
Monitor the impact of pay decisions on recruitment, retention, turnover and workforce planning, making recommendations for improvement.
Translate complex pay data into clear, accessible insight to support decision‑making.

• Market supplements
• Shift pay
• On‑call allowances
• Standby payments

Ensure allowances are applied consistently, transparently and in line with policy, governance and NJC guidance.
Establish clear approval, review and withdrawal processes for allowances, ensuring appropriate documentation and audit trails.

Lead a programme of continuous improvement across payroll and pay‑related processes, driving efficiency, accuracy and service resilience.
Identify, assess and mitigate single points of failure through process redesign, cross‑skilling, documentation and system optimisation.
Champion the effective use of Unit4 (ERP) to streamline workflows, reduce manual intervention and strengthen controls.
Review end‑to‑end payroll processes to improve data quality, compliance and customer experience.
Ensure robust governance, quality assurance and escalation arrangements are in place.

Provide leadership and day‑to‑day management of the payroll and/or pay and reward team.
Set objectives, manage performance and support the development of team members, ensuring skills coverage and succession planning.
Promote a high‑performing, customer‑focused culture with a strong emphasis on accuracy, professionalism and continuous improvement.
Ensure the team operates in line with Council policies, values and professional standards.

Act as the Council's lead professional advisor on pay and reward matters in formal and informal engagement with Trade Unions.
Support consultation and negotiation on changes to pay, reward and related policies, maintaining constructive industrial relations.
Prepare reports, proposals and briefing papers for Joint Negotiating Committees, senior leadership and elected Members as required.

• NJC terms and conditions
• Equal pay and employment legislation
• Local government best practice

Support audits, reviews and inspections relating to pay, reward and payroll.
Identify and manage risks associated with pay and payroll delivery.

• Significant experience working in a UK Local Authority in a senior pay, reward or payroll‑related role.
• Extensive working knowledge of NJC pay, terms and conditions and their practical application.
• Proven experience of reviewing and developing pay structures, paylines and local conventions.
• Strong analytical skills with experience of pay modelling, benchmarking and market analysis.
• Demonstrable experience of working constructively with…