Head of Reward

Head of Reward

Farringdon, London

Competitive Salary (dependent on skills and qualifications)

Full time Hybrid (3 days office)

Competitive pension scheme - Enhanced maternity/paternity pay - Life assurance - HolidayPlus - Cycle2work Scheme & more

REQ5545

We are looking for a strategic and commercially minded Head of Reward. Reporting to the Group People Director, you will lead the development and delivery of SGN's total reward strategy. You will be the organisation's centre of expertise, ensuring our reward frameworks attract, retain, and motivate top talent while balancing affordability and regulatory expectations as SGN navigates significant transformation.

You will provide organisation-wide leadership on compensation, benefits, and recognition supporting a diverse workforce that includes both unionised and management populations. A crucial part of the role is ensuring a consistent, transparent and equitable approach to reward - including ensuring all roles are robustly benchmarked and evaluated before they are advertised, reinforcing fairness and governance in our hiring processes.

We deliver safety, warmth, and comfort to homes and businesses. Every role, whether in the office or on the front line, plays a key part in this mission. Here's how you will contribute

• Develop and implement a modern, forward-looking total reward strategy aligned with business priorities, workforce needs, and long-term affordability.
• Own the design of pay structures, annual pay reviews, and variable pay and incentive arrangements (including Short-Term and Long-Term Incentive Plans - STIP and LTIP), ensuring robust governance and high-quality insight and decision support to senior leadership
• Lead major reward projects end-to-end (e.g. job architecture implementation, annual pay review cycles, incentive redesign), ensuring delivery to time, budget and governance standards.
• Lead benchmarking and analytics to ensure SGN remains externally competitive while maintaining internal equity and modelling costs for strategic decisions.
• Ensure all roles are robustly benchmarked and evaluated before recruitment activity begins, strengthening consistency, transparency and organisational equity
• Personally undertake and oversee detailed modelling and analysis, translating data into practical, evidence-based recommendations.
• Advance the benefits strategy and manage key vendor relationships (pensions, healthcare, insurance), focusing on sustainability, value and continuous improvement.
• Provide expertise to support consultation processes where reward changes impact our recognised Trade Union populations.
• Champion a safety-first culture by ensuring incentive structures and recognition frameworks align with safe behaviours and responsible performance.
• Build reward capability across the People function and act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders on the reward implications of organisational change.
• Manage and coach a small team of Reward Specialists, setting direction and ensuring consistently high standards of delivery

What you will need:

• You have extensive and progressive experience in reward, compensation, and benefits within large, complex or highly regulated organisations.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering reward strategy within regulated, unionised or asset-rich environments.
• Experience designing reward frameworks for both management and unionised/salary-graded populations.
• Experience preparing papers and supporting discussions for Executive Committees and Remuneration Committees.
• Ability to articulate complex reward matters clearly and confidently to senior stakeholders and Board-level audiences.
• Proven ability to operate at pace, delivering high-quality outputs to tight deadlines in a transforming environment.
• High levels of analytical capability with the ability to interpret complex data and provide insightful, decision-ready recommendations
• You have confident communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership and navigate governance forums.
• Experience in regulated, asset-intensive or unionised environments (utilities experience desirable but not essential).
• You are able to balance high-level strategic thinking with hands on operational delivery in an evolving business.
• High levels of personal drive, intellectual rigour and attention to detail.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and competing priorities in a transforming organisation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree level education (or equivalent experience) in HR, Business, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Professional qualification such as CIPD (Level 7) or equivalent is highly desirable.
• Engagement with recognised professional reward networks (e.g. REBA, CIPD Reward Forum) is desirable, demonstrating commitment to continuous professional development and market insight

You may have to travel between business area sites across South England and Scotland. You may need to spend occasional nights away from home.

We are looking for a proactive, solutions oriented individual who is comfortable challenging the status quo and contributing to a culture of continuous improvement. If you are an experienced reward leader who combines strategic thinking with hands on delivery and thrives in a fast paced, high accountability environment, we would love to hear from you.

Not sure you meet every requirement?

Research shows some people - particularly women and those from underrepresented backgrounds - may hesitate to apply unless they meet every criteria. At SGN, we value diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

If this role interests you but you're not sure you tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you. You might be just who we're looking for - now or in the future.

Why SGN?

SGN is a leader in pioneering research and development toward a net zero energy system. Our cutting edge technologies and innovative thinking are driving change in the gas industry, all while keeping people safe and warm.

About us Benefits Diversity and inclusion

If you require any accommodations or support during the application process, reach out to us. We're here to help ensure an inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.