Merlin Entertainments
Global Reward Senior Business Partner
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Location: Basingstoke/Hybrid
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent - Salaried
Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in branded entertainment, creating memorable experiences for millions of guests through world-famous attractions and resorts including LEGOLAND®, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds
The Senior Reward Business Partner is a key member of the Reward team, partnering with regional leadership teams to deliver strategic reward solutions that align with Merlin’s global reward principles while reflecting local market needs. The role leads the development and application of job architecture and pay frameworks, providing data-driven insights and tools that support fair, consistent and compliant pay decisions. Working closely with global People teams, the role drives reward best practice, enhances operational effectiveness, and ensures a cohesive approach to pay, bonus and reward programmes across the organisation.
Responsibilities
- Partner closely with regional leadership teams to deliver tailored reward solutions that support business priorities and workforce strategy.
- Build strong relationships across the region, providing expert guidance on all reward matters and driving increased alignment between global frameworks and regional needs.
- Lead the annual salary review process within the assigned region, developing and implementing tools to drive consistent, fair, and commercially aligned decisions.
- Lead the annual bonus process within the region, including deployment of tools, governance, and partnership with Finance on bonus accruals.
- Support the VP Reward & Recognition in the ongoing management of LTIPs, acting as a key regional interface and point of contact with plan administrators where required.
- Own and deliver the communications plan for all cyclical reward activities (e.g. pay review, bonus, total reward statements), ensuring clear, engaging, and regionally relevant messaging.
- Conduct pay equity analysis within the region, generating insights and recommendations to support fair and equitable outcomes.
- Set up and oversee a formal job evaluation panel process to ensure rigorous governance, consistency, and alignment in job levelling decisions across the organisation.
- Use data and market insights to inform decision-making and influence regional stakeholders.
- Support the ongoing development and application of job architecture and pay structures, ensuring consistent application while reflecting regional nuances.
- Evaluate senior roles and apply job levelling frameworks, maintaining governance and alignment with global standards (e.g. WTW methodology).
- Build and maintain effective relationships with external partners (e.g. WTW), leveraging insights and best practice to enhance reward delivery.
- Drive the systemisation, automation, and standardisation of reward processes across the region, improving efficiency and user experience.
- Oversee international medical insurance plan
- Support the delivery of local legislative requirements (e.g. gender pay gap submissions, and the EU pay directive) ensuring accuracy and compliance with legislation
- Lead, mentor and develop a reward analyst, providing direction, coaching and oversight to build capability and ensure high-quality delivery of reward processes
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Qualifications & Experience
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Deep expertise in job evaluation and benchmarking: Proven experience applying WTW grading and benchmarking methodologies, with the ability to interpret outputs and provide credible, commercially sound recommendations.
- Global organisational experience: Experience operating within complex, multinational organisations, with a broad understanding of diverse role structures, market dynamics, and regional reward considerations.
- Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of relevant reward legislation and reporting requirements (e.g. EU Pay Directive, Gender Pay Gap), with the ability to ensure compliant and risk-aware delivery across regions.
- Advanced Data Analysis & Insight Generation: Expert-level Excel and analytical capability, with a track record of translating complex data into clear, actionable insights that inform and influence business decisions.
- Professional Qualifications & Continuous Development: Relevant certification or training in Reward, Compensation, or HR (e.g. CIPD, or equivalent) is preferred but not required, alongside a commitment to ongoing professional development in reward practices, analytics, and regulatory changes.
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SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
- Advanced Excel & Tool Development: Expert-level capability in Excel, with a proven ability to design, build and maintain complex, scalable and user-friendly tools that enable robust decision-making and drive efficiency.
- Strategic & Commercial Thinking: Strong ability to translate business strategy into reward insights and solutions, ensuring pay decisions are aligned with organisational priorities, market positioning and financial outcomes.
- Advanced Analytical Capability: Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience interpreting complex data sets to generate clear, actionable insights that influence senior stakeholders.
- Influential Communication: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to distil complex reward concepts and data into clear, compelling narratives tailored to a range of audiences, including senior leadership.
- Rigour & Attention to Detail: Demonstrates a high degree of accuracy and diligence, ensuring all reward analysis, processes and outputs are robust, compliant and consistently high quality.
Benefits
- ‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes - 6 in total per year, 1 for you, plus 5 to gift to loved ones!
- Merlin Magic Pass - 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all our Merlin Attractions across the world rising to 40 after a year’s service
- 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
- Company bonus
- Private pension scheme
- 40% discount online off LEGO
- 25% discount in our on-site retail shops and restaurants
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- Plus, many more…
If you have any questions or if you require any assistance, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by email at Recruitment@Merlinentertainments.biz and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Pay Range
Competitive
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