Head of Reward

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

AJ Bell is looking for an exceptional Head of Reward to shape and run its reward strategy from Manchester in a hybrid role. You will own base pay, incentives, benefits and executive remuneration, ensuring alignment with business goals, UK FCA requirements and market best practice. The role combines strategic leadership with hands on delivery, partnering with the HR Director, senior management, RemCo and the Board to support attraction, motivation and retention. You’ll lead executive remuneration design and disclosure, oversee market benchmarking and employee share plans (SIP, CSOPs, Free Shares), and manage benefits provision and governance. To apply, tailor your CV to demonstrate strategic impact, RemCo experience, regulatory know-how, and success communicating with investors and auditors.

Job Description

We’re looking for an exceptional Head of Reward to join AJ Bell as part of the HR team based in Manchester.    

As Head of Reward, you will be responsible for the development, implementation, and management of AJ Bell’s reward strategy.  This will include base pay, incentives, benefits and executive remuneration, ensuring alignment with business objectives, UK FCA regulatory requirements, and market best practices.

This new role will give you the opportunity to operate at a strategic level alongside ‘rolling up your sleeves’ and getting into the detail, partnering closely with the HR Director, senior management, RemCo and Board to support the attraction, motivation, and retention of AJ Bell’s talent.

What you will do:

• Reward strategy development:  you will work with the HR Director and other members of the Executive Committee to develop and deliver a competitive and compliant reward strategy, supporting business performance and long-term value creation, talent management and employee engagement.
   
• Executive remuneration: taking the lead on all matters related to exec pay, including supporting with the design and management of long-term incentive plans (LTIPs), annual bonus schemes, and all other senior reward arrangements.    You will also support with the preparation of recommendations for the Remuneration Committee and ensure effective disclosure in line with UK Corporate Governance Code and Listing Rules.   The role also engages with investors, proxy advisors, and other stakeholders on executive remuneration policy as required.
   
• Market benchmarking: oversee regular market benchmarking, salary surveys, and analysis to ensure all reward structures remain competitive, equitable, and aligned with corporate goals.  The role will also involve advising on salary and benefits positioning across all levels within the organisation.
   
• Incentives & recognition:  you will design, deliver, and communicate incentive plans and recognition programmes that drive a high-performance culture and support the AJ Bell’s purpose, principles and strategy.

• Reward governance & compliance: Ensure all reward policies and practices comply with relevant legislation and regulations.  You will also liaise with external auditors as needed.    The Head of Reward also plays an active role in the preparation of the annual remuneration report and relevant disclosures for the annual report and accounts.

• Employee share plans:  you will oversee our Share Incentive Plan (SIP) and employee share ownership schemes (e.g. our Free Shares Award plan and CSOPs).
   
• Benefits management:  responsible for our employee benefits proposition, e.g. pensions (including relevant AJ Bell products and services), healthcare and life assurance, you will ensure a competitive and cost-effective benefits provision, working with external providers and brokers as appropriate.  You will also ensure that our proposition is communicated effectives to all employees throughout the year.

About us: 

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2025 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

Our perks and benefits

• Competitive salary and discretionary bonus scheme
• Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service plus a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8% (9% after 2 years)
• Death in service scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Annual Free Shares Award Scheme
• PMI
• Health Cash Plan
• Free gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Professional qualification support
• And much, much more!

Hybrid working

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.