Strategic Reward Partner

Job Description This role is based in our 5 Howick Place, London Office or Milton Park, Oxford. We are seeking a Strategic Reward Partner to join the People function for a 15-month maternity cover role, supporting the Taylor & Francis division. In this role, you will work closely with the divisional People leaders to implement and evolve a comprehensive total rewards strategy across all areas. You will partner with key stakeholders to develop commercially driven reward solutions that support business growth within our academic publishing division. You will guide business partners and leaders through the annual compensation cycle to ensure clarity, operational excellence, and efficiency. In collaboration with Informa Group's Global Head of Reward & Benefits and the Reward Leads for our other divisions, you will maintain consistency and alignment in our reward strategies and programmes as needed. Your role will also involve ensuring that our strategies remain competitive in the marketplace, comply with all legal and regulatory requirements, and promote colleague engagement across our global operations. Key areas of responsibilities will include : Strategic Partnership Act as the strategic reward lead and go-to reward expert for Taylor & Francis, providing expert advice and insight to divisional leadership and HR Business Partners, while ensuring alignment of divisional priorities with Group reward strategy and principles. Represent the voice of Taylor & Francis in Group reward discussions, ensuring business needs and priorities are clearly articulated and considered in Group-wide reward planning. Champion the "One Informa" approach by embedding the Group Reward Framework in divisional processes and decision-making, promoting consistency, transparency, and equity in reward outcomes. Build strong, trusted relationships with divisional HR and business leaders, acting as a proactive partner in shaping and delivering effective reward outcomes. Contribute to strategic workforce planning, organisational design, and talent initiatives by providing reward expertise and insights at divisional level. Reward Cycle Management Lead the delivery of the annual reward cycle for Taylor & Francis, including pay reviews, bonus and variable pay processes, and compensation planning. This will require partnering with divisional HR and Finance teams. Be responsible for ensuring Taylor & Francis stay within salary budget throughout the year and provide regular updates to division leaders and Informa Group’s Global Head of Reward & Benefits. Oversee STIP management: input into decisions on STIP measures, weightings, target setting, template letter generation, performance tracking throughout the year. Provide analysis, insights, and controls to ensure effective salary management. Lead on benchmarking, salary range development, annual pay reviews, out-of-cycle increases, and Gender Pay Gap reporting. Support on senior hires and leavers including settlement agreements, buyouts, redundancy calculations. Manage benchmarking for and approval processes linked to senior hires for Taylor & Francis. Manage and track bespoke reward arrangements for colleagues as required from time to time. Provide analysis and support on executive reward for T&F including the creation of Executive contracts and offers. Business Integration & Stakeholder Management Act as the point of contact for internal divisional stakeholders on any / all reward matters, including working closely with finance, legal and other teams and educating others on reward best practice. Support the division on any / all M&A activity including (but not limited to) reward harmonisation. Collaborate with central Reward & Benefit Operations team to help deliver One Informa Initiatives such as job levelling, job families, pay ranges, progression and reward principles. Lead the data validation process for both divisions if / when a new HRIS is implemented. Support the development and execution of Group reward initiatives within the division, ensuring smooth implementation and stakeholder engagement. Collaborate with the central Reward and Benefits Operations team to deliver operational support within the division as required. Drive the continued evolvement of career architecture and pathways, ensuring seamless integration with job architecture and job levelling methodologies to create pay scales / internal salary ranges. Market Intelligence & Innovation Proactively monitor and analyse reward trends and best practices, recommending and implementing changes as appropriate. Analyse and interpret internal and external reward data to inform decision-making and support robust, evidence-based recommendations to leadership. Monitor reward trends, market practices, and regulatory developments to ensure divisional reward approaches remain competitive, compliant, and aligned with Group and best practices. Provide strategic input to the design and evolution of reward frameworks, policies, and processes, drawing on divisional insights and business needs. Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs that educate, upskill, and empower managers to effectively implement reward practices. Design strategic communications that highlight total reward offerings, strengthen our employee value proposition, and enhance retention of key talent and critical capabilities. Qualifications Previous experience in a reward partner or similar role within a global organisation. Experience supporting global reward initiatives in a fast-paced environment, building collaborative relationships at all levels. Relevant degree or professional qualification (CIPD). Ability to understand complex financial performance metrics for incentive and commission plan development. Skilled in building trust with senior executives and influencing at all levels of the organisation. Experience managing vendor relationships across countries with a focus on continuous improvement. Knowledge of key reward programmes that drive effective behaviour. Experience with international compensation structures and practices across multiple regions. Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights. Must have excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex reward concepts clearly. Experience supporting organisations through periods of growth and change – specifically, experience with M&A reward harmonisation is desirable. Experience implementing job levelling frameworks is desirable. Experience with project management, global mobility and / or academic publishing, research institutions, or knowledge-based industries would be advantageous. Exposure to unions would be beneficial but is not essential. Additional Information We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That's why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces – like at an Informa event – you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely. We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to say at Our benefits include : Great community : a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks Broader impact : take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too Career opportunity : the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves Time out : 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost) anywhere for up to four weeks a year A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application. If you would like to request reasonable adjustments or accommodations to assist your participation in the hiring process and, or in the advertised position, please inform the appropriate Talent Acquisition Partner for the role once they have been in touch. Your request will be reviewed and considered in confidence. At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information. 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