Assistant Vice President - Corporate Rewards at EXL South Africa

Job Description

• As the AVP Rewards & Benefits, you will oversee the end-to-end management of the organization’s compensation and benefits programs. You will ensure that policies are market-competitive, aligned with business strategy, and compliant with local legislation.
• This role involves collaborating with Global Rewards, HR, Finance, and Compliance teams to deliver strategic reward initiatives, manage long- and short-term incentives, and optimize operational efficiency.
• You will also lead employee benefits benchmarking, manage vendor relationships, and provide actionable insights through reporting and analysis, ultimately supporting a high-performing culture and strong employee value proposition.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage compensation, benefits, and incentive programs.
• Partner with Global Rewards to review and update C&B policies for internal equity and market competitiveness.
• Benchmark salary, benefits, and participate in industry surveys and forums.
• Drive annual processes such as Merit Increases, Bonus, and Equity programs.
• Evaluate and design hiring ranges with Recruitment, HRBP, and business leaders.
• Manage STI (Bonus, P4P, Sales Commission) and LTI (Equity) plans, monitoring effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and company policies in compensation and benefits decisions.
• Develop dashboards and reports, partnering with HR Business Partners and management for recommendations.
• Work with Finance on budgeting and job pricing.
• Manage data processes and resolve errors with HR shared services as needed.
• Lead employee benefit benchmarking and alignment (Pension Fund, Medical Aid, Leave benefits).
• Oversee day-to-day management of benefit brokers to maintain industry-comparable offerings.
• Sign off monthly Pension Fund files for processing.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Investigate and resolve escalated employee issues in collaboration with HR leaders.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Requirements

• 10+ years’ experience in Compensation & Benefits with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel proficiency; familiarity with Tableau, Power BI, Qlik Sense.
• Excellent written, verbal communication, influencing, and presentation skills.
• Strong stakeholder management experience in a global setting.
• Knowledge of remuneration and benefits, local legislation, and HR statutory compliance.
• Experience in ITES, KPO, or Analytics industries preferred.
• Proven ability to implement cost-saving initiatives and improve operational efficiency.
• Effective conflict management, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic and commercial thinking with the ability to drive operational excellence.