Total Rewards Leader
Optasia
Total Rewards Leader
Optasia
AI-driven credit decisions for financial inclusion
Optasia · Johannesburg, South Africa (Hybrid) · — · Posted 2026-11-05
Workplace: hybrid
Department: People
At Optasia we use the latest technologies and tools to build impactful customer experiences, grow our network and provide comprehensive financial access for millions of customers in countries across continental Africa, Asia and beyond.
We are seeking a dynamic Total Rewards Leader, who has a deep understanding of global reward strategies across Africa, Middle East and Asia, coupled with experience in startup/scaleup culture.
The ideal person will possess strong analytical skills, a strategic mindset, with proven leadership experience in daily delivery of compensation, benefits, immigration and mobility activities.
Familiarity with regional labor laws related to remuneration and a passion for fostering a positive workplace culture are essential.
This is a senior team role in a growing organization - an opportunity to work in a company where a go-getter spirit and customer orientation are valued as highly as technical excellence.
Detailed overview
Location: Johannesburg, Dubai, Athens
Candidate profile
A commercially-minded Total Reward leader with proven experience diagnosing, designing and delivering cost effective reward frameworks in high-growth, international, technology-led or fintech organizations, ideally including African and Asia markets.
Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on levels, using data, benchmarking and market insight to shape competitive, scalable, and equitable compensation and benefits offerings across multiple countries.
Passionate about building transparent, employee-centric reward philosophies, partnering effectively with senior leaders, and navigating complex regulatory environments with sound judgement and integrity.
Key Responsibilities
Oversee the development and execution of a comprehensive & standardized compensation structure across all functions, regions, and levels within the organization, including base pay, variable pay programs, sales incentives, long and short-term incentive plans, stock options, and executive compensation.
Own and administer immigration and relocation/mobility activities which will be a core focus of the role. Coordinating and managing relocations and commuters’ programs, EEA arrangements, work permits and related reward elements (correct ICP and equity tax allocation and recording across jurisdictions, equal pay calculations, FX equalization allowances and payments coordination with relevant payroll teams) and local authority reporting.
Liaise with senior leadership, and the Legal team on all legal issues relating to compensation & benefits, maintaining a working knowledge of local laws, customs, and practices influencing compensation and benefits.
Provide relevant data and recommendations to guide decision-making related to compensation, org structure, attrition, promotions, and other people-related activities.
Analyze trends in the business, economy, and employment marketplace to identify issues and opportunities to enhance global workforce planning strategies.
Facilitate the process of job evaluation and salary surveys, advise on salary budgets, and prepare policies and procedures to ensure equitable and competitive employee compensation.
Monitor, evaluate and harmonize the company's benefits programs, ensuring they are globally aligned, locally relevant, cost-effective, flexible, consistently applied, and do not expose the company to undue risks.
Lead on communicating the company compensation philosophy and framework to employee and manager groups and delivering associated training as required.
Train regional and local People team members to support compensation, benefit, and reward programmes.
Manage vendor performance and relationships ensuring ROI.
Requirements
6+ years experience fully owning the international Compensation & Benefits agenda of a company over several countries in Africa, Asia and beyond.
A passion for data-driven, People-centric, and business-oriented compensation philosophy & practices.
Experience in a remuneration and compensation environment in the countries where the company operates.
Ability to create effective working partnerships with key stakeholders.
Experience in a challenging, dynamic, and complex business environment with a focus on multiculturalism and internationalism.
Ability to quickly build trust with staff, vendors, and partners.
Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills with high levels of professionalism and integrity.
Knowledge of in-country employment regulations and ability to apply them to the company.
Proven experience conducting total reward benchmarking using formal 3rd party data and conducting full job architecture and evaluation systems.
Ability to plan and prioritize work under tight deadlines, work on own initiative, and as a member of a team.
Proven experience educating employees and managers about transparent compensation philosophy and framework.
Why Optasia?
Optasia is a high-growth, AI-powered financial infrastructure platform serving over 432 million users in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. By harnessing the power of AI and real-time data we unlock financial opportunities for customers. We have been recognized as a top fintech by Forbes Middle East, culminating in a successful JSE listing in 2025.
At Optasia, our global team builds the tech, products and services which will change the game for the world’s unbanked population. We empower our people by offering unique employee experiences and support individual careers by prioritizing well-being and embracing flexibility.
Benefits include:
Work From Anywhere Policy
Competitive remuneration package
Performance-based bonus scheme
Extra day off on your birthday
Comprehensive private healthcare insurance
All the tech gear you need to work smart
Join us in shaping the future of Optasia as we grow together. Explore more at optasia.com
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Optasia provides AI-driven fintech tools for intelligent credit decisions designed for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), mobile wallet operators, and financial institutions. It uses a fully automated decisioning algorithm to evaluate data and generate millions of financing decisions in real time. The company operates on a B2B2X model, delivering real-time credit scoring, omnichannel delivery, and personalized marketing to partners who then serve end customers. Its solutions aim to enable scalable growth and broader financial inclusion for retail SME customers across multiple markets.
Explore more opportunities at Optasia