Purpose
The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for designing, optimizing, and governing the organization's Compensation, Benefits, and Reward frameworks to ensure competitiveness, internal equity, and alignment with the organization's strategic, financial, and Emiratization objectives.
The role plays a central part in supporting EIA's ability to attract, motivate, and retain top investment and corporate talent by developing
market-responsive, performance-linked, and data-driven Total Rewards programs.
Operating in a sovereign wealth fund environment, the role also leads the integration of
AI-enabled analytics, digital reward systems, automation, and predictive workforce cost modelling to enhance decision-making, compliance, and operational accuracy.
Strategic Responsibilities
- Design and implement a holistic Total Rewards Strategy covering compensation, benefits, recognition, allowances, performance-linked pay, and long-term incentives (where applicable)
- Lead market intelligence and benchmarking exercises to ensure reward competitiveness for investment, specialist, and corporate roles
- Embed AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, and digital dashboards into reward governance, enabling proactive decision-making on workforce costs, equity risks, and talent retention
- Support financial planning, workforce modeling, and organizational design decisions by providing compensation implications, forecasts, and scenario analysis
- Ensure reward frameworks support Emiratization, mobility, internal progression, and leadership development pathways
- Maintain strong governance, documentation, and compliance across all reward programs in alignment with regulatory requirements and Board-approved policies
Core Responsibilities
1. Compensation Structure & Pay Governance
- Maintain and enhance salary structures, job grading systems, career levels, and compensation architecture across all functions
- Conduct job evaluations using methodologies such as Hay, Mercer, and Willis Towers Watson to ensure internal equity and role clarity
- Keep pay structures aligned with market trends, organizational priorities, and external competitiveness
- Ensure accurate and timely delivery of annual compensation cycles, including merit, promotions, off-cycle requests, and salary adjustments
- Performance-Linked Rewards & Incentives
- Manage the execution of the annual bonus and incentive processes, ensuring data accuracy, compliance, and alignment with performance outcomes
- Provide modelling and analytical support on short-term incentives (STI) and long-term incentive (LTI) structures, including deferral implications and risk alignment
- Partner with Talent Management to integrate performance ratings, KPIs, and competency outcomes into reward decisions
- Benefits & Allowances Management
- Oversee benefits programs including medical, life insurance, education allowances, pension (GPSSA/alternative plans), end-of-service benefits, and employee wellness offerings
- Manage vendor relationships, RFPs, contract renewals, service level agreements, and cost control measures
- Evaluate and enhance benefits offerings using employee utilization data, benchmarking insights, and satisfaction feedback
- HRIS, Digital Rewards & AI Integration
- Lead digital transformation of Total Rewards processes by optimizing HRIS, payroll integrations, and compensation planning tools
- Develop dashboards using Power BI/Tableau for compensation analytics, workforce cost forecasting, attrition risk modelling, and pay equity monitoring
- Support the design and maintenance of AI-enabled HR chatbots that provide employees with automated responses to reward-related queries
- Ensure data governance, privacy compliance, and process automation across reward workflows
- Workforce Costing & Reporting
- Partner with Finance to monitor and forecast workforce budgets, headcount costs, and reward spend
- Prepare Board- and Executive-level reporting on compensation trends, regulatory updates, and market outlooks
- Provide insights on pay competitiveness, turnover risk associated with pay, and cost modeling for organizational changes
- Compliance, Audit, & Policy Management
- Ensure compliance with UAE labor law, regulatory requirements, GPSSA, tax obligations (if applicable), and internal governance frameworks
- Maintain all reward-related policies, ensuring clarity, transparency, and alignment with organizational risk appetite
- Lead internal and external audit processes for compensation and benefits, ensuring timely closure of findings
People & Leadership Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and guidance to the Total Rewards team to ensure effective execution of all reward initiatives
- Partner with HR Business Partners to support business units in addressing compensation and benefits matters
- Build awareness among line managers and employees on reward principles, policies, and practices
- Foster a culture of accountability, fairness, and recognition within the organization
Requirements
Education & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field
- Professional certifications such as CIPD, WorldatWork (CCP/CBP), or equivalent are preferred
Experience Requirements
- 10-12 years of progressive experience in Compensation, Benefits, or Total Rewards, including 3-5 years in a managerial or leadership role
- Experience in a sovereign wealth fund, asset management firm, investment bank, or large government-linked organization preferred
- Expertise in compensation design, salary benchmarking, job evaluation frameworks, and performance-linked reward programs
- Demonstrated experience integrating analytics, HRIS, automation, or AI-driven rewards systems
- Strong knowledge of UAE labor law, GPSSA requirements, compliance, and regulatory compensation standards
Technical Expertise / Skills / Knowledge
- Advanced analytical, modeling, and forecasting capability; expert-level Excel, Power BI, and HR analytics tools
- Strong understanding of pay structures, incentive design, job evaluation, and compensation governance
- HRIS proficiency (Workday, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent)
- Familiarity with AI tools, automated workflows, and chatbot development for HR services
- High accuracy and integrity when working with confidential data
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and reporting skills
