PS
Senior Pay and Reward Adviser
- Salary
- £40K–£42K
- Hiring from
- United Kingdom
- Work type
- Hybrid
- Posted
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Senior Pay & Reward Adviser
Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week
Salary: £40,031 - £42,033 per annum
London-based employees receive an additional £3,217 London weighting.
A £312 tax-free working from home allowance is also payable annually.
Location: London, Belfast, Cardiff or Edinburgh Office (Hybrid - min. 2 days in office) or Remote (UK)
About the Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do is about ensuring trust, participation, and integrity in the democratic process.
As we continue to deliver our five-year Corporate Plan, the Commission is building on a period of growth and change, expanding our workforce and modernising how we deliver our services to better support the needs of a changing democracy. As our organisation develops and adapts to meet future challenges, this post will play a vital part in supporting that progress and helping ensure we remain responsive to the democratic needs of voters, campaigners, parties and electoral administrators across the UK.
We believe people do their best work when they have the flexibility, support and recognition they need to thrive. That's why we offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements that help colleagues balance work and personal commitments, supported by a flexi-time scheme that gives greater autonomy over the working day. With generous leave allowances, a highly competitive Civil Service pension and performance-related pay, our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, reward your contribution and provide security for the future.
About the role
This is an opportunity to build your career in pay and reward in a role where your analysis, judgement and advice will directly influence the experience of colleagues across the Electoral Commission.
Working across People Services, you will deliver a varied portfolio covering pay reviews, promotions, retention cases, payroll assurance, statutory and contractual pay, job evaluation, benchmarking and reward. You will work with colleagues and senior stakeholders to turn complex pay information into clear, practical advice and support fair, consistent and evidence-based decisions.
No two periods of the year will look exactly the same. You could be analysing pay data and identifying an issue, reviewing payroll outputs, advising on a complex pay case or contributing evidence to future reward and benefits decisions.
In particular, you will:
* deliver annual and ad hoc pay activity, providing professional advice and constructive challenge to support fair and consistent decisions
* review and validate payroll outputs, investigating discrepancies and coordinating their resolution
* calculate and validate statutory and contractual pay entitlements, including family-related and sickness pay
* analyse pay and reward data, undertake benchmarking, job evaluation and reporting, and translate findings into clear recommendations
* contribute to the development of our reward and benefits approach by analysing uptake, cost, value and market information
* provide technical guidance and coaching to colleagues, sharing your knowledge and helping build capability across People Services
* identify practical improvements to our processes, guidance and controls, helping make our services simpler, more accurate and effective.
About the team
You will join a newly created team within People Services, giving you an exciting opportunity to be part of the team as it develops and establishes new ways of working.
We want to bring together colleagues with different experiences, perspectives and ideas. You will be encouraged to share what you have learned elsewhere, contribute ideas and help us develop practical, effective ways of delivering our services. This is an opportunity not simply to step into established processes, but to contribute to how the team works and continuously improve the experience we provide to colleagues and managers across the Commission.
Working closely with the People Services Manager and colleagues across the wider People function, you will also build relationships with People Partners, Finance, our external payroll provider, senior leaders and external reward specialists.
As the team’s Pay and Reward Adviser, you will bring specialist knowledge while continuing to develop your own expertise. You will provide technical guidance, coaching and quality assurance to an Adviser and Support Officer, sharing knowledge and helping to build capability across the team. The role has no formal line management responsibility.
Who we’re looking for
We are looking for someone who combines strong analytical ability with sound professional judgement and a practical approach to solving problems.
You may already work in pay and reward, compensation, payroll or a broader HR or People Services environment. More important than your current job title is your ability to work confidently with pay information, spot discrepancies, understand their implications and turn your findings into accurate, accessible advice.
You will bring:
* Experience of working in an HR/People Services, payroll or reward environment and providing advice on pay and employee matters.
* Practical experience of pay and payroll activity, including reviewing information, identifying discrepancies and supporting their accurate and timely resolution.
* Experience of calculating or validating statutory and contractual pay entitlements, including maternity, paternity, sickness or other family-related pay.
* Strong analytical and numerical skills, with experience of using people, payroll or reward data to identify issues and inform recommendations.
* The ability to explain technical or complex information clearly and work constructively with a range of stakeholders.
Knowledge of broader reward practices such as pay structures, benefits, job evaluation, market benchmarking and equal pay considerations would be valuable.
We are interested in the evidence you can bring from your experience, including transferable experience gained in different sectors and working environments.
Why work for us?
The Role:
This is an opportunity to join at an important point in the development of People Services. As part of a newly created team, you will have the space to bring your experience and ideas, learn from colleagues and contribute to how our pay and reward services develop.
The role also offers breadth that is not always available in a specialist pay position. You will gain exposure across pay, payroll assurance, statutory pay, job evaluation, benchmarking, reward and benefits rather than focusing on one narrow area.
You will be able to deepen your professional expertise while seeing the practical impact of your work across the Commission, whether that is resolving an individual pay issue, improving a process or providing analysis that informs wider pay and reward decisions.
The Office:
Our offices provide welcoming, collaborative spaces where colleagues can connect, share ideas and work together across teams. Whether based in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, or even remotely you will be part of a supportive working environment that balances the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of hybrid working.
The Benefits:
Alongside the professional development offered by the role, you will join an organisation that recognises the importance of flexibility, wellbeing and long-term financial security.
We offer a strong total reward package, including:
* Flexible working and hybrid model for office-based staff, with a minimum of 40% of working time spent in the office
* Flexi-time scheme, allowing flexible hours with the option to accrue and take flexi leave
* 28 rising to 30 days annual leave + bank holidays
* Civil Service pension scheme (28.97% employer contribution)
* Performance-related pay
How to apply
We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. To help reduce unconscious bias and ensure all applicants are assessed solely on their skills, knowledge and experience, we use an anonymous recruitment process.
When applying, please provide an anonymised CV which omits your protected characteristics and any personally identifiable information:
Do not include:
* Your name, address, phone number, email or other contact details
* Your date of birth or age
* Gender, ethnicity, nationality or other personal identifiers
* A photo of yourself
* Remove educational dates as these are a clear indication of your age
* There is no requirement to include your primary education details.
Do include:
* Your employment history including employers and dates of employment
* Explanation for gaps in your history
* Your duties, responsibilities and achievements
If your CV contains personal details (such as your name or contact information), we will be unable to consider your application. Please double-check your documents before submitting, including the file name you use to save and upload your CV.
Supporting disabled applicants
The Electoral Commission is proud to be a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. As part of this commitment, we aim to prioritise interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the job description.
There may, however, be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. For example, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or seasonal recruitment activity, the Commission may need to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled and non-disabled applicants.
If you have a disability and would like to be considered under this commitment, please indicate this when you apply. We also welcome requests for reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process or within the workplace.
Key dates
* Application deadline: 19th October 2026 (23:59)
* Interviews: Week commencing 26th October 2026 (TBC)
* Anticipated start date: 7th December 2026
Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week
Salary: £40,031 - £42,033 per annum
London-based employees receive an additional £3,217 London weighting.
A £312 tax-free working from home allowance is also payable annually.
Location: London, Belfast, Cardiff or Edinburgh Office (Hybrid - min. 2 days in office) or Remote (UK)
About the Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do is about ensuring trust, participation, and integrity in the democratic process.
As we continue to deliver our five-year Corporate Plan, the Commission is building on a period of growth and change, expanding our workforce and modernising how we deliver our services to better support the needs of a changing democracy. As our organisation develops and adapts to meet future challenges, this post will play a vital part in supporting that progress and helping ensure we remain responsive to the democratic needs of voters, campaigners, parties and electoral administrators across the UK.
We believe people do their best work when they have the flexibility, support and recognition they need to thrive. That's why we offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements that help colleagues balance work and personal commitments, supported by a flexi-time scheme that gives greater autonomy over the working day. With generous leave allowances, a highly competitive Civil Service pension and performance-related pay, our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, reward your contribution and provide security for the future.
About the role
This is an opportunity to build your career in pay and reward in a role where your analysis, judgement and advice will directly influence the experience of colleagues across the Electoral Commission.
Working across People Services, you will deliver a varied portfolio covering pay reviews, promotions, retention cases, payroll assurance, statutory and contractual pay, job evaluation, benchmarking and reward. You will work with colleagues and senior stakeholders to turn complex pay information into clear, practical advice and support fair, consistent and evidence-based decisions.
No two periods of the year will look exactly the same. You could be analysing pay data and identifying an issue, reviewing payroll outputs, advising on a complex pay case or contributing evidence to future reward and benefits decisions.
In particular, you will:
* deliver annual and ad hoc pay activity, providing professional advice and constructive challenge to support fair and consistent decisions
* review and validate payroll outputs, investigating discrepancies and coordinating their resolution
* calculate and validate statutory and contractual pay entitlements, including family-related and sickness pay
* analyse pay and reward data, undertake benchmarking, job evaluation and reporting, and translate findings into clear recommendations
* contribute to the development of our reward and benefits approach by analysing uptake, cost, value and market information
* provide technical guidance and coaching to colleagues, sharing your knowledge and helping build capability across People Services
* identify practical improvements to our processes, guidance and controls, helping make our services simpler, more accurate and effective.
About the team
You will join a newly created team within People Services, giving you an exciting opportunity to be part of the team as it develops and establishes new ways of working.
We want to bring together colleagues with different experiences, perspectives and ideas. You will be encouraged to share what you have learned elsewhere, contribute ideas and help us develop practical, effective ways of delivering our services. This is an opportunity not simply to step into established processes, but to contribute to how the team works and continuously improve the experience we provide to colleagues and managers across the Commission.
Working closely with the People Services Manager and colleagues across the wider People function, you will also build relationships with People Partners, Finance, our external payroll provider, senior leaders and external reward specialists.
As the team’s Pay and Reward Adviser, you will bring specialist knowledge while continuing to develop your own expertise. You will provide technical guidance, coaching and quality assurance to an Adviser and Support Officer, sharing knowledge and helping to build capability across the team. The role has no formal line management responsibility.
Who we’re looking for
We are looking for someone who combines strong analytical ability with sound professional judgement and a practical approach to solving problems.
You may already work in pay and reward, compensation, payroll or a broader HR or People Services environment. More important than your current job title is your ability to work confidently with pay information, spot discrepancies, understand their implications and turn your findings into accurate, accessible advice.
You will bring:
* Experience of working in an HR/People Services, payroll or reward environment and providing advice on pay and employee matters.
* Practical experience of pay and payroll activity, including reviewing information, identifying discrepancies and supporting their accurate and timely resolution.
* Experience of calculating or validating statutory and contractual pay entitlements, including maternity, paternity, sickness or other family-related pay.
* Strong analytical and numerical skills, with experience of using people, payroll or reward data to identify issues and inform recommendations.
* The ability to explain technical or complex information clearly and work constructively with a range of stakeholders.
Knowledge of broader reward practices such as pay structures, benefits, job evaluation, market benchmarking and equal pay considerations would be valuable.
We are interested in the evidence you can bring from your experience, including transferable experience gained in different sectors and working environments.
Why work for us?
The Role:
This is an opportunity to join at an important point in the development of People Services. As part of a newly created team, you will have the space to bring your experience and ideas, learn from colleagues and contribute to how our pay and reward services develop.
The role also offers breadth that is not always available in a specialist pay position. You will gain exposure across pay, payroll assurance, statutory pay, job evaluation, benchmarking, reward and benefits rather than focusing on one narrow area.
You will be able to deepen your professional expertise while seeing the practical impact of your work across the Commission, whether that is resolving an individual pay issue, improving a process or providing analysis that informs wider pay and reward decisions.
The Office:
Our offices provide welcoming, collaborative spaces where colleagues can connect, share ideas and work together across teams. Whether based in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, or even remotely you will be part of a supportive working environment that balances the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of hybrid working.
The Benefits:
Alongside the professional development offered by the role, you will join an organisation that recognises the importance of flexibility, wellbeing and long-term financial security.
We offer a strong total reward package, including:
* Flexible working and hybrid model for office-based staff, with a minimum of 40% of working time spent in the office
* Flexi-time scheme, allowing flexible hours with the option to accrue and take flexi leave
* 28 rising to 30 days annual leave + bank holidays
* Civil Service pension scheme (28.97% employer contribution)
* Performance-related pay
How to apply
We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. To help reduce unconscious bias and ensure all applicants are assessed solely on their skills, knowledge and experience, we use an anonymous recruitment process.
When applying, please provide an anonymised CV which omits your protected characteristics and any personally identifiable information:
Do not include:
* Your name, address, phone number, email or other contact details
* Your date of birth or age
* Gender, ethnicity, nationality or other personal identifiers
* A photo of yourself
* Remove educational dates as these are a clear indication of your age
* There is no requirement to include your primary education details.
Do include:
* Your employment history including employers and dates of employment
* Explanation for gaps in your history
* Your duties, responsibilities and achievements
If your CV contains personal details (such as your name or contact information), we will be unable to consider your application. Please double-check your documents before submitting, including the file name you use to save and upload your CV.
Supporting disabled applicants
The Electoral Commission is proud to be a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. As part of this commitment, we aim to prioritise interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the job description.
There may, however, be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. For example, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or seasonal recruitment activity, the Commission may need to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled and non-disabled applicants.
If you have a disability and would like to be considered under this commitment, please indicate this when you apply. We also welcome requests for reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process or within the workplace.
Key dates
* Application deadline: 19th October 2026 (23:59)
* Interviews: Week commencing 26th October 2026 (TBC)
* Anticipated start date: 7th December 2026