Croud
Head of Compensation & Benefits (US & EMEA)
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LONDON, UK (Hybrid Working - 3 days in the office per week)
A benchmarked salary between £87,500 to £98,500. Your salary level is determined by skills and experience within our progression framework.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Croud is an independent global media, creative, and data agency helping our clients make their next best move. We help brands unlock growth with Return on Intelligence - applying innovative intelligence across brand strategy, integrated media, social, creative, and data. We deliver this through our proprietary tech platform, CroudOS, our Croudie network and our award-winning global teams.
Founded in 2011 to reinvent the agency model, Croud combines 600+ in-house digital experts with a global network of 2,900 on-demand marketing specialists. This unique business model enables us to operate with agility, delivering tailored solutions that drive meaningful and measurable growth for our clients in over 120 markets and 60+ languages.
Croud was recently named a Sunday Times Best Place to Work for the second year in a row, and was named Performance Marketing Employer of the Year by PMW
At Croud, we unlock potential by elevating our people, clients, and communities within a rapidly advancing and complex economy. We operate as a unique scaled network of Intelligent, Creative Specialists, enabling us to deliver superior brand outcomes and unlock potential for our people, our clients and our communities.
Our culture is strategically driven and inspired by a shared long-term vision. It is collaborative and connected, with a focus on continuous learning and mutual support.
ROLE OVERVIEW
As Head of Compensation & Benefits (US & EMEA), you will be the strategic lead and operational owner of our total rewards strategy, employee benefits and payroll operations across North America and EMEA.
Reporting directly to the CPO, you will shape and deliver a globally aligned reward framework that supports our business strategy, attracts and retains world-class talent, and enables consistent, competitive and equitable reward practices across our markets.
The role combines strategic leadership across job architecture, market benchmarking, salary structures and incentive design with strong operational oversight. You will have accountability for the end-to-end payroll process, including final checks and sign-off on global payroll runs, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely delivery.
You will also lead the selection and management of reward and payroll partners, ensuring robust governance and compliance with the legal and tax requirements of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you will bring together strategy, data and operational rigour to continuously evolve our compensation and benefits offering.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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Strategic Reward & Compensation Planning
- Design, implement, and govern market-competitive salary structures, bonus schemes, and incentive programs tailored across EMEA and US markets.
- Conduct annual global salary benchmarking, equity, and market adjustments using industry data (e.g., Mercer).
- Co-lead the annual performance, bonus and compensation review cycle, partner with Finance on budget allocation, and model scenario planning.
- Oversee job architecture, grading frameworks, and role evaluation systems across diverse regions.
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Benefits Management & Provider RFP
- Evaluate, consolidate, and manage external benefits, health, wellness, and pension providers across US (e.g., 401(k), medical options) and EMEA locations.
- Lead RFP processes and contract negotiations to streamline multi-market benefits under unified, cost-effective vendors where appropriate.
- Monitor market practices to ensure regional benefits programs are competitive, inclusive, and compliant with local tax/legal mandates.
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Payroll Governance & Operational Oversight
- Execute final checks and formal approval on monthly/bi-weekly multi-country payroll submissions prior to release, ensuring 100% accuracy and compliance.
- Manage third-party payroll providers across US and EMEA jurisdictions, establishing strict SLAs and performance benchmarks.
- Oversee payroll operations integration, standardising workflows and reducing manual intervention.
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Compliance, Tax & Risk Mitigation
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of US (Federal/State) and EMEA regional employment law, statutory tax requirements, and statutory benefits mandates.
- Manage statutory reward reporting processes with help of the People Operations Team, including mandatory disclosures (e.g., Gender Pay Gap reporting where applicable).
- Lead cross-functional alignment with Legal and Finance on tax, audit readiness, and risk management.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
We’re looking for an experienced Compensation & Benefits / Total Rewards leader who can operate confidently at both strategic and operational levels. You’ll be comfortable shaping reward strategy for a complex, international organisation while also being hands-on enough to challenge the detail, spot risk and ensure our payroll and benefits operations are delivered accurately and effectively.
Experience & Expertise
- Significant experience in Compensation & Benefits, Total Rewards or Reward leadership, ideally within a complex, multi-country organisation.
- Strong experience designing and implementing global or multi-market compensation frameworks, including salary structures, job architecture, grading and benchmarking.
- Demonstrable experience managing US and EMEA compensation and benefits, with a strong understanding of the differences between markets and the ability to balance global consistency with local requirements.
- Strong knowledge of market benchmarking, pay structures, incentive and bonus design, and the use of external market data to inform reward decisions.
- Experience leading or significantly contributing to annual compensation, bonus and performance review cycles, including modelling budgets and scenarios in partnership with Finance.
- Proven experience managing employee benefits programmes and providers, including RFPs, contract negotiations, renewals and vendor performance.
- Strong understanding of multi-country payroll operations and governance, including experience managing third-party payroll providers and reviewing payroll outputs for accuracy and compliance.
- Good working knowledge of US federal/state and EMEA employment, payroll, tax and statutory benefit requirements, with the judgement to know when specialist Legal or tax advice is required.
- Experience working with HRIS, payroll and reward technology, with a track record of improving processes, data quality and automation.
- Experience working with senior stakeholders, including C-suite and executive leadership, and the confidence to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations on complex reward matters.
Skills & Capabilities
- Strategic thinker: able to translate business and people strategy into practical, scalable reward programmes.
- Commercially astute: understands the financial implications of reward decisions and can balance competitiveness, affordability and employee value.
- Data-driven: confident analysing market data, modelling scenarios and using insight to inform recommendations and decisions.
- Operationally rigorous: highly detail-oriented, with a strong focus on accuracy, governance, controls and risk management — particularly where payroll is concerned.
- Strong communicator: able to explain complex compensation, benefits, payroll and compliance matters clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Influential partner: builds trusted relationships with People, Finance, Legal and senior business leaders and can confidently challenge when required.
- Problem solver: comfortable navigating ambiguity, resolving complex issues and finding pragmatic solutions across different markets.
- Change-oriented: able to simplify, standardise and improve processes while recognising where local market requirements need to be retained.
- Highly organised: able to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, vendors and stakeholders across different countries without losing sight of the detail.
- Discreet and trusted: demonstrates sound judgement when handling highly confidential employee, salary and business information.
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What would make you stand out
- Experience in a high-growth, international or PE-backed organisation where reward frameworks and processes are evolving.
- Experience bringing together or harmonising different reward, benefits or payroll approaches following organisational change, acquisition or international expansion.
- Experience working within a professional services, agency, technology or similarly talent-driven environment.
- Experience implementing or optimising reward technology, payroll systems or HRIS integrations.
- A track record of using automation, data and technology to improve the employee and People team experience while strengthening controls.
- Professional qualification or relevant accreditation in Reward, Compensation & Benefits, HR, Payroll or a related discipline is desirable but not essential.
Our ideal person
You’re a strategic reward leader who is not afraid of the detail. You can move comfortably from presenting a global compensation recommendation to the CPO, to challenging a payroll variance or negotiating with a benefits provider.
You bring curiosity, commercial judgement and a continuous-improvement mindset, and you’re motivated by building reward programmes that are fair, competitive, sustainable and genuinely support the way our people and business operate.
COMPANY BENEFITS
Croud operates a hybrid working model with a minimum of 3 days a week based in our London office and the remaining days from home if you wish.
Croud offers a clear path to progression for all members of staff. We are committed to offering development opportunities alongside a support system of regular performance reviews. The opportunities are endless!
On completion of the three-month probation period, every employee is eligible for the benefits listed on our careers site which include:
- Sabbatical: Paid sabbatical at 7 years with an option to take it unpaid at 5 years
- 25 days holiday a year
- Discretionary annual performance based incentive
- Sale commission
- Recruitment referrals bonus
- Health & Wellbeing contribution
- 2 Recharge Days each holiday year
- Ride to Work scheme
- Railcard
- Season Ticket loan
- Home office screen
- Daily office perks: Free fruit, breakfast cereals, snacks, and tea & coffee
- Weekly treat: Enjoy a complimentary lunch on us every week
- Enhanced Primary and Secondary family leave as well as extended Parental Leave and Shared Family Leave
- Life insurance and income protection
- Medical Cash Plan
- Pension
- Curated 3rd party learning platform as well as access to Cro
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