Kao - Senior Manager Compensation & Benefits EMEA

Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high-quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values, we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation, and treating each other with trust and respect.

About the Role – Purpose:

Acts as the deputy of the Rewards Director, EMEA who manages all compensation and benefits plans and offering for our 2200 employees across 16 jurisdictions in the EMEA region.

This role is instrumental in supporting with complex legislative compliance, associated costs, best practice and audits; works in close partnership with our Finance team.

Delivers practical solutions and supports the design of relevant to our business and market competitive compensation and benefits plans; leads the implementation and management of the Employee Pay and Benefits Proposition (as required by law and best practice locally)

Works in close partnership with the HR Associate Director based in Germany, acts as the key liaison for the German Works Council with regards to all benefits and rewards issues in Germany. Reviews and advises on best practice to formulate relevant BVs (contractual agreements with the Works Council) and supports negotiations with the Works Councils with relevant data and facts. Key contact partner during the annual salary review process, for queries about the Variable Pay plans like Global Bonus plans, local commission plans, reward and recognition and benefits (for tariff and non-tariff employees). Leads in the Position evaluations applying the market (Mercer) job structure and evaluation processes.

Reward and Employee Benefits evolve and change with legislation annually and require constant review / upgrade / management and change of delivery to reflect local compliance and legislative requirements.

Some of our countries have regulated provisions and this role is critical to partner with business leaders, HR business Partners, suppliers and the Finance teams to ensure full compliance and best practice approaches.

The role partners closely with the Reward Team in the US on the delivery of a consistent pay and compensation strategy where appropriate and applicable.

Key Responsibilities

Manages the development, implementation and administration of compensation programs in line with local legislation, effectively deals with stakeholders and participates in suitable surveys in a timely manner.
Designs creative solutions to specific compensation-related programs and incentive plans. Monitors the effectiveness of existing compensation practices and recommends changes that are cost-effective and consistent with compensation trends and business objectives.
Provides advice to HR Business Partners on pay decisions, policy interpretations, and job evaluations. Compiles and presents data in most suitable format for varying stakeholder groups. Defines Market Data relevant for EMEA by business division, job family and geography
Manages the development and deployment as well as the ongoing management of the Employee Benefits proposition across EMEA
Delivers data and pay analysis linked to legislative requirements – e.g. Gender Pay Gap, Equitable Pay, etc and relevant to the local markets
Ensures compensation is up to date with Kao Career paths, Job structures and job family architecture. Maintains and enhances the compensation modules in Workday

Functional Competencies

Knowledge of EMEA regulations and compliance requirements related to employee compensation.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret and communicate data in a clear and concise way to a variety of stakeholders.
Fluency in written and spoken English and German. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong interpersonal skills in dealing with senior management and various stakeholders.
Computer proficiency and technical aptitude with the ability to use Microsoft products, Advanced Excel skills. Familiarity with data structures and reporting.
Excellent time management skills and ability to plan and set priorities. Ability to confidentially handle sensitive employee data
Experience with a HRIS system, such as Workday. Experience with a business intelligence tool, such as MS Fabric (MS Teams / PowerBI. Experience in creating database pools / storage / infrastructure and solutions
A curious and analytic mind that can find insights and spot trends using quantitative and qualitative data. An interest in a career in Human Resources or Business Intelligence. Interested in research, good with data requirements’ collection that can be applied into the design and build of data pools and solutions

Managerial Responsibilities

Reward operates as a Centre of Excellence within the EMEA Human Resources Team, the organisational structure is flat and the role has 2 direct reports. The role delivers through people but also as individual contributor. This role also partners closely with the Compensation Manager Americas and the Systems and Data Insights and Analytics Manager EMEA.

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Mathematics, Business studies, Data Analysis and Strategy, Finance, MA or professional degree in Human resources management or related field plus a minimum of six years of progressively responsible work experience in compensation & benefits
At least three years of experience managing compensation for an international organisation with strong representation in EMEA and DACH.
Knowledge of the legislation and regulations in EMEA (AEMEA is a plus) as they apply to base compensation and incentive compensation programs, compliance policies and operations

Who we are:
Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 16 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.
What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.
Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.
Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/