Job Description

Job Category: Human Resources
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About the role:
We have a great opportunity for an experienced As Head of Reward, you will work closely with the HR Director in developing and implementing the firm's compensation and benefits strategy. You will focus on attracting, retaining, and motivating talent through competitive and equitable reward programs.
Your key responsibilities will include managing salary structures, bonus schemes, and benefits packages, as well as overseeing the annual pay review process.
The Head of Reward manages two direct reports and holds direct influence over reward and benefits expenditure, including responsibility for managing the Total Reward budget.
The direct reports follow as:

• 1 x Senior Compensation Specialist
• 1 x Benefits Specialist

About you:
We're seeking a dynamic and driven professional with deep expertise in reward principles and practices across compensation, benefits, and performance management. You'll thrive in a high-performing, fast-paced environment, bringing a proactive and self-motivated approach to leadership. With a proven ability to inspire and guide teams, you'll set clear priorities and deliver impactful results. Your ability to communicate complex ideas in a clear and engaging way will be key-especially when influencing senior stakeholders. You'll use data to uncover insights and shape strategic recommendations, while building trusted relationships across the legal sector and broader markets.
Experience within a partnership structure or the legal industry is highly desirable, and knowledge of international reward practices-particularly in Europe and the UAE-is a strong advantage. However, we also welcome individuals who demonstrate a genuine passion and curiosity to expand their global expertise.
To succeed in this role, you'll embody our firm-wide values: working as one team, being open and honest, ambitious and accountable. You'll bring the courage and creativity to challenge existing practices and introduce fresh, forward-thinking ideas.
What We Can Offer You:
The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work for 25 consecutive years.
Excellent benefits, including:

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working.
• 25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave
• Free private medical insurance, and the option to add family members
• A generous pension allowance
• Life assurance covering four times your annual salary
• The chance of a three-month sabbatical every five years
• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes
• A range of health and wellbeing programmes
• State of the art offices in Birmingham, with an onsite restaurant
• Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development

Equal Opportunities:
Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.
At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.
If you have any queries in relation to this position or would like to see a full job description please contact Meg Astley at
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Skills Required