Korn Ferry
Senior Principal (Total Reward Specialist)
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Shape the Future of Pay. Drive Transparency. Influence Global Organisations.
Pay has never been more visible — or more critical.
From regulatory pressure to shifting workforce expectations, organisations are rethinking how reward works at a fundamental level. At Korn Ferry, we’re at the heart of that transformation, helping clients turn Total Rewards into a strategic lever for performance, fairness, and growth.
We’re now looking for a Senior Principal to join our EMEA Total Rewards practice — a role designed for a reward expert and trusted advisor who can lead complex client engagements while shaping the future of pay.
Why this role stands out
Korn Ferry’s Total Rewards capability goes far beyond traditional compensation projects. We partner with clients to:
- Design end-to-end Total Rewards strategies aligned to business and workforce priorities
- Build job architecture and career frameworks that enable clarity, mobility, and pay transparency
- Develop fair, equitable, and future-ready pay structures in line with evolving regulation
- Leverage market-leading data, insights, and digital reward tools to inform better decisions
- Position reward as a driver of performance, engagement, and DE&I outcomes
This is a space that’s rapidly evolving — particularly with the introduction of the EU Pay Transparency Directive — and our work sits right at the centre of it.
What you’ll be doing
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In this role, you’ll operate as both a senior delivery lead and strategic advisor, working closely with clients across EMEA.
You will:
- Lead complex, multi-country Total Rewards engagements, often spanning multiple workstreams and stakeholders
- Design and implement compensation and benefits strategies that align with business goals
- Advise on pay frameworks, job architecture, grading, and market positioning
- Act as a trusted partner to CHROs, Reward Leaders, and executive teams, bringing clear, insight-led recommendations
A key part of your role will be driving pay transparency and reward transformation, including:
- Helping organisations interpret and respond to EU Pay Transparency requirements
- Designing transparent salary structures, governance models, and communication approaches
- Using data to identify, understand, and address pay gaps
- Embedding fairness, consistency, and credibility into reward strategies
Beyond delivery, you’ll play an important role in growing the business and shaping the market:
- Building long-term client relationships and spotting opportunities to expand impact
- Supporting business development, proposals, and strategic client conversations
- Contributing to Korn Ferry’s thought leadership on Total Rewards and the future of work
- Representing the firm in the market through events, insights, and client engagement
What you’ll bring
We’re looking for someone who combines deep reward expertise with commercial and advisory strength.
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You’ll likely bring:
- Strong experience in Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits, or HR Consulting
- A track record (12 years +) of delivering complex reward programmes and transformations
- Expertise in reward design, job architecture, and pay governance
- Confidence operating with senior stakeholders in complex, matrixed environments
- A commercial mindset, with experience building and growing client relationships
- The ability to use data and insight to influence and challenge thinking
Why Korn Ferry
This is an opportunity to do some of the most high-impact reward work in the market, backed by a globally recognised brand.
At Korn Ferry, you’ll benefit from:
- A market-leading Total Rewards practice with best-in-class data, methodology, and tools
- The chance to work on cutting-edge topics including pay transparency, fairness, and workforce transformation
- A collaborative, international network of experts across consulting disciplines
- A business experiencing strong growth and continued innovation, particularly in digital reward solutions
Ready to influence how the world pays? If you’re excited by the opportunity to shape fair, transparent, and future-ready reward strategies — and to work at the forefront of one of the most important shifts in HR — we’d love to hear from you.
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