Total Rewards Specialist

Job Description:

Who Are We:

Exemplar Luxury Group, formerly Saks Global, is the luxury collective that comprises iconic luxury retailers, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman. Driven by a relentless devotion to our customers and powered by our talented colleagues, we offer curated product assortments, unparalleled service and personalized experiences across our integrated retail model. Through strong partnerships with the world's most esteemed names in luxury and deep customer relationships enhanced by the industry's most comprehensive insights, Exemplar Luxury Group is uniting coveted brands with unrivaled customer experiences.
 

Role Summary:

The Specialist, Total Rewards will be responsible for executing and administering the compensation and benefits strategy for our India office (Headcount: ~1,000). Reporting directly to the Rewards Leader, this role bridges strategic design and seamless delivery, ensuring market competitiveness, internal equity, and absolute statutory compliance.

The role is responsible for leading the execution of annual survey submissions, designing pay mix models, and managing the end-to-end administration of merit programs, short-term incentives, and long-term incentive plans. Additionally, the role will own day-to-day India benefits administration, lead local vendor and broker negotiations within global budget parameters, and leverage predictive analytics to recommend program optimizations.

Responsibilities:

Compensation Management and Execution

• Annual Review Cycle Management : Lead and project manage the operational execution of the end-to-end annual salary increment cycle, promotion allocations, and off-cycle adjustment frameworks, delivering finalized, data validated spreadsheets for approval 

• Market Benchmarking : Manage the end-to-end participation in industry compensation surveys, conduct job evaluation and matching to ensure competitive positioning, and translate survey data into actionable market gap analyses, range designs, and budget impacts to provide data-backed recommendations

• Pay Governance : Partner with business stakeholders to review, and maintain equitable hiring ranges and salary structures, act as the expert to govern pay equity and provide consultative guidance on hiring, and offer structuring

• Incentive Administration : Manage the calculation, validation, and operational rollout of incentive programs, adapting existing internal frameworks to resolve structural data or alignment issues

• HRIS Data Governance : Ensure the technical accuracy of the HRIS by auditing and managing compensation objects, salary structures, and compensation eligibility. Ensure all job profiles, titles, and job levels are accurately mapped and aligned with global standards

• Payroll and Compliance : Oversee the preparation and accuracy of monthly payroll inputs related to compensation interventions. Ensure 100% compliance with labor codes and statutory regulations in partnership with finance and compliance for compensation matters

• Process Optimization: Identify structural gaps in compensation administration, and implement automation workflows and leverage tools / analytics to improve data accuracy, and streamline cycles

Benefits

• Program Management : Evaluate and optimize the delivery of India benefits programs (Insured and Non-Insured). Monitor market trends and propose updates to the Rewards Leader to maintain a competitive edge

• Vendor Partnerships : Lead vendor evaluation and discussion, annual premium renewals, and contract structuring. Drive vendor accountability through robust SLA frameworks, and resolve critical, sensitive escalation points independently

• Governance and Audits : Conducts audits on benefits policies, ensuring adherence to Indian statutory norms and internal corporate parameters

• Data and Analytics : Conduct deep-dive analyses on benefits utilization trends. Provide independent, data-backed recommendations to the Rewards Leader to maximize program ROI and elevate employee experience

• Market Insights : Conduct independent research into competitive benefits practices to support India strategy

Key Qualifications:

• Experience: 2-4 years of experience within the Total Rewards / Compensation & Benefits function, preferably handling an employee base of ~ 1,000

• Technical Acumen: Advanced expertise in MS Excel (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, complex formulas) and data modeling. Strong proficiency in MS PowerPoint for presenting insights to leadership

• Vendor Management: Proven experience in handling India benefit vendors, insurers, and third-party administrators

• Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of Labour Codes, statutory compliances, and taxation rules related to compensation and benefits (e.g., PF, ESIC, Gratuity)

• Analytical Skills: Exceptional numerical and analytical ability with a sharp eye for data validation and process auditing

• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate with internal HR teams, business leaders, and external partners

Preferred Qualifications (nice to haves):

• Experience working with HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, SuccessFactors, etc).

• Certifications in VBA/Macros, Google AppScript, or data visualization tools (e.g., PowerBI, Tableau)

Your Life and Career at Exemplar Luxury Group:

• Opportunity to work in a dynamic fast paced environment at a company experiencing growth and transformation

• Exposure to rewarding career advancement opportunities across the largest multi-brand luxury retailer from retail to distribution, to digital or corporate

• Comprehensive benefits package for all eligible full-time employees

Exemplar Luxury Group is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with Exemplar Luxury Group and would like to request special assistance or an accommodation, please contact [email protected].