Pennon Group
Reward Lead
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Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose
South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.
We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.
Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.
Reward Lead (11-Month FTC Maternity Cover)
Salary: £65,000 - £75,000 + Benefits
Location: Exeter or Bristol (with regular travel to Exeter if Bristol-based)
Help Shape the Future of Reward at South West Water
Behind every great organisation are people who feel valued, recognised, and inspired to do their best work.
At South West Water, we're on a journey to deliver trusted services to the communities we serve while creating an exceptional employee experience for our people. As we continue to evolve, we're looking for an experienced Reward Lead to join our People & Culture team on an 11-month fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave.
This is more than a reward role. It's an opportunity to influence how we attract, engage and retain talent across a business that provides an essential service to millions of customers across the South West.
The Opportunity
As our Reward Lead, you'll be the driving force behind our reward strategy, ensuring our pay, benefits and recognition programmes are competitive, fair and aligned to our values and business goals.
You'll partner with senior leaders across the organisation, providing expert advice on all aspects of reward while helping to create a workplace where people can thrive.
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A key part of the role will be leading our job evaluation and grading approach, including applying WTW methodologies, maintaining grading frameworks and supporting organisational design and workforce planning initiatives.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading the delivery of South West Water's reward agenda and annual reward activities
- Managing salary reviews, benchmarking and compensation frameworks
- Providing expert guidance on reward policy, pay governance and market trends
- Leading job evaluation and grading activities using WTW methodologies
- Supporting organisational change, role design and workforce planning projects
- Analysing reward data and delivering insights to inform business decisions
- Partnering with senior stakeholders to drive fair, transparent and competitive reward practices
- Championing pay equity, employee experience and continuous improvement
What We're Looking For
We're keen to hear from reward professionals who bring:
- Significant reward and compensation experience within a complex organisation
- Strong job evaluation and grading expertise, ideally using WTW Global Grading System (GGS)
- Experience managing reward frameworks, salary benchmarking and annual reward cycles
- Excellent analytical and commercial thinking skills
- The confidence to influence and build relationships at all levels
- A passion for creating fair, engaging and future-focused reward solutions
Why South West Water?
Every day, our teams work together to deliver one of life's most essential services. In return, we're committed to creating an environment where our people feel empowered, supported and able to make a real difference.
This role can be based in Exeter or Bristol. If based in Bristol, you'll regularly connect with colleagues in Exeter, giving you the opportunity to build strong relationships and remain close to the heart of our business.
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If you're an experienced reward professional looking for your next challenge and want to play a key role in shaping the employee experience within a purpose-driven organisation, we'd love to hear from you.
Join us and help create a rewarding future for our people, our customers and the communities we serve.
At South West Water, we believe in rewarding our people for their hard work and dedication. As our Reward Lead you'll enjoy:
- Competitive Salary – Based on experience and skills
- Company car or car allowance - Supporting your travel and mobility needs
- Bonus Scheme – Rewarding your performance
- Pension Scheme – Helping you plan for your future
- Healthcare Benefits – Access to employee assistance programs
- Professional Development – Support for career growth with training opportunities
- Employee Discounts – On various products and services
- Generous Annual Leave – Take time to recharge with our holiday entitlement
Closing Date:
We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.
Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:
- Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
- Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
- Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.
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