Reward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC)

About Unity Advisory
Unity Advisory is a modern advisory business built for today's CFO, with connected solutions across finance, deals and tax. Focussed on client outcomes, seasoned experts lead every engagement, in an operating model powered by AI and free from audit conflict.

Unity Advisory is a scaling business with strong reward foundations already in place. We now need a senior reward specialist to strengthen them, fill the gaps and shape them into a framework that grows with the firm. We want reward that reflects how Unity actually works: Partner-led client teams, Functional Leader-led enablement teams, and a culture built on trust, direct feedback and progress over process. We don't want a generic framework lifted from a larger, more traditional firm.

This is a fractional role, working a small number of focused days a week. You'll take what we have, judge what's working and what isn't, and build it out where it needs to go next. You'll also run it: pay reviews, benefits renewals, and the data and reporting that keep it trusted. You'll refine it each cycle. You'll make sure the framework is well documented and easy for others to work with, so it stays strong whoever runs it next.

It suits someone who gets energy from building and improving, and who knows that reward only proves itself once it's live. You'll be comfortable with ambiguity and confident making judgement calls. You'll respect what's already been done while being willing to challenge it. You'll also take satisfaction in the steady work of keeping a system accurate, fair and well-run. It would equally suit an experienced interim or contract reward specialist or someone looking for a longer-term home.

What you'll own

• Reward strategy and philosophy: build on and evolve Unity's approach to pay. That covers how we position against the market, how pay works across client-facing and enablement tracks, and how reward reinforces Unity's "progress over process" culture rather than working against it.

• Pay structure and benchmarking: develop and maintain salary bands and grading across roles and levels, benchmarked against relevant professional services and advisory market data.

• Pay review cycles: design and run the annual (or biannual) pay and bonus review. That includes timelines, guidance for Partners and Functional Leaders, calibration support, and sign-off with the Management Team / Partners Group.

• Benefits: own the benefits offering end to end, including provider relationships, renewals, flexible benefits design and clear communication of value to employees.

• Pay equity and compliance: run regular pay equity analysis (including gender pay gap reporting where applicable), keep Unity compliant with UK reward-related employment law, and flag risk to the CPO early.

• Reward governance and data: keep reward data accurate and current in our people systems, and produce clear reporting for the Management Team on pay spend, equity and market position.

• Advisory support: partner directly with Partners and Functional Leaders on individual pay decisions, such as new hire offers, promotions and retention cases. Your recommendations will be clear, defensible and grounded in the framework, not one-off improvisation.

• The future reward model: work with the CPO to define how reward should be resourced and run at Unity once this contract ends, including the capability, capacity and structure we'll need as we continue to grow.

What success looks like in your first 12 months

• A refined, published pay and grading framework that Partners and Functional Leaders trust and actually use

• A clean, well-governed annual pay review with no surprises for the Management Team

• Reward decisions that are consistent, benchmarked and easy to explain, in keeping with Unity's "trust and accountability" and "no surprises" principles

• A clear, agreed model for how reward runs at Unity from here, with everything documented so the framework can be run confidently, whether by you or by others

What we're looking for

• Senior reward / compensation & benefits experience, ideally including time in professional services, consulting or another partnership-style environment

• Equally at home developing and extending an existing framework and running it well day to day, from benchmarking data and banding mechanics to benefits contracts and review timelines

• Someone who sees the operational side of reward as part of the craft. Each pay cycle, renewal and equity report is a chance to test and improve the framework.

• A pragmatic operator who can scope reward work realistically into 2.5 focused days a week, prioritising the highest-leverage work first

• Confident advising Partners and senior leaders directly, with recommendations grounded in evidence rather than precedent alone

• Comfortable working with light process and high trust, building just enough structure and no more

• Interim, contract or fractional experience is welcome. We value people who can make an impact quickly and leave things better than they found them.

How this role fits at Unity

You'll sit in the People Team, working closely with the Chief People Officer, the Performance Lead (a fellow fractional specialist), People Ops, and Partners and Functional Leaders across the business. Reward decisions at Unity draw on the same "collective insight, direct feedback" approach that runs through how the firm manages performance and probation. They're calibrated and evidence-based, never made in isolation.

The contract

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract at 2.5 days a week. We're deliberately keeping the longer-term shape open. Depending on how Unity grows and what suits you, the role could continue after the initial contract, on a contract or permanent basis. Or it could finish with you helping us design and set up the right long-term reward model. Either outcome is a success, and we'll talk about it openly with you as the contract progresses.

We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments or support when applying or arranging your interview.

We do not accept unsolicited CVs from third-party agencies.