Head of Global Compensation Programs

Head of Global Compensation Programs

UCB – Union Chimique Belge

Brussels, Belgium

We are looking for a Compensation Operations Lead who is detail‑oriented, collaborative, and forward‑thinking to join us in our Global Compensation team, based in our Brussels office in Belgium.

About the role

You will ensure the smooth delivery of global compensation programs and play a key role in maintaining high‑quality compensation processes across countries. You will drive operational excellence by managing compensation systems, supporting annual review cycles, enabling job leveling governance, and ensuring our pay practices remain consistent, transparent, and compliant with local regulations.

Who you’ll work with

You will be part of the Global compensation team, reporting to the global compensation head. Alongside to your colleagues in Talent, Finance and Business leadership, you’ll collaborate with teams around the world to enable consistent compensation processes, support leaders during review cycles, and ensure that market data, job leveling, and compensation systems are managed effectively and responsibly.

What you’ll do

• Own global compensation administration, including salary structures, job architecture, leveling frameworks, and recognition programs;
• Lead annual and off-cycle compensation reviews (merit, promotions, market adjustments), ensuring alignment with global philosophy, internal equity, and local market practices;
• Manage global compensation tools and systems, including configuration for merit, bonus, and LTI programs, and support new tool implementations and automation initiatives;
• Coordinate and execute global compensation cycles end-to-end, partnering with Talent, HRBPs, and business leaders, and presenting outcomes to senior leadership;
• Support benchmarking and market data activities, including job matching, survey participation, and pay competitiveness analysis;
• Own and govern job leveling processes, ensuring consistent application and strong stakeholder understanding;
• Develop, maintain, and enforce global compensation policies, ensuring compliance with local laws, pay transparency requirements, and audit standards.

Interested?

For this role we’re looking for the following education, experience and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred);
• Extensive experience in compensation operations and analysis, including salary structures, benchmarking, and job leveling;
• Recognized subject matter expertise across core compensation disciplines; experience in a leadership or people management role is a plus;
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills, with excellent attention to detail and data accuracy;
• Solid understanding of pharmaceutical business areas, roles, and skill sets;
• Proven ability to manage complex operational processes efficiently and accurately;
• Experience working with digital compensation tools and systems, with an interest in process efficiency and automation;
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to lead stakeholder discussions on complex topics;
• Experience with change management, data visualization, and storytelling is an advantage.