VP – Country Head of Total Rewards, Manila (PH)

We are partnering with a leading financial services institution with a strong presence across key global markets. The organisation continues to evolve and drive growth through strategic investments and talent. This is a unique opportunity to join a high-performing HR team in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

The VP – Country Head of Total Rewards will lead the Total Rewards function for the Philippines, establishing governance, project management discipline, and execution frameworks that align compensation, benefits, and recognition programs with the company's global rewards strategy, while operating with high accountability in a low-oversight environment. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, the position will shape rewards strategy, workforce cost decisions, and talent trade-offs, and will own execution of the compensation philosophy in the Philippines, including base pay, variable pay, and allowances, through annual compensation planning, job architecture and levelling, market pricing, and offer governance in partnership with HRBPs and business leaders. The role will also design and continuously optimise the local benefits portfolio, spanning health, wellness, leave, retirement, insurance, and employee assistance programs, while providing strategic direction for HRIS capabilities and establishing robust governance frameworks for rewards decisions, documentation, and audit compliance. This includes proactively identifying and remediating governance or control issues, partnering closely with Payroll to ensure accurate and timely execution of pay-related changes, and leading, developing, and coaching a high-performing Total Rewards team.

The ideal candidate brings proven senior leadership experience in Compensation and Benefits, ideally within complex, matrixed organisations, along with strong expertise in budgeting, incentive structures, and benchmarking methodologies. You should be able to operate independently, influence stakeholders, and deliver results with minimal supervision. Experience working across HRIS, governance, and payroll functions is highly desirable, complemented by excellent strategic, analytical, and communication skills.

This role offers high visibility as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing direct influence over major workforce cost and talent decisions, while its broad scope spanning compensation, benefits, HRIS, and payroll governance builds a well-rounded, cross-functional HR leadership profile.

Balancing strategic leadership (long-term Total Rewards strategy) with hands-on execution (budgeting, incentive design, benchmarking) can stretch focus thin, especially if the team or systems supporting these functions are still maturing.