Compensation & Benefits Specialist

Compensation & Benefits Specialist

The Compensation & Benefits Specialist supports the reliable delivery of compensation and benefits activities across Iberia. The role combines data analysis, process administration and coordination with HR, Payroll and Finance to help apply Group and Iberia C&B policies consistently.

This position is designed for a C&B professional with 2-4 years of experience. The Specialist is expected to manage defined recurring activities with a good level of autonomy, produce accurate analyses and raise issues or exceptions to the C&B Manager. The role does not own C&B strategy, policy approval, executive compensation, global programmes or final compensation decisions.

Responsibilities

• Compensation cycles and individual requests
• Support the preparation and administration of salary review, promotion and bonus processes across Iberia, following the calendar, eligibility rules and governance defined by the Group (Janus) and the market.
• Prepare employee files, calculations, budget tracking and control reports; reconcile results before and after implementation.
• Review the completeness and consistency of hiring, salary increase, promotion and market adjustment requests against approved ranges, internal positioning and policy requirements.
• Identify missing information, unusual outcomes or policy exceptions and escalate them to the C&B Manager for review.
• Maintain clear process documentation, trackers and audit trails.
• Salary structures, benchmarking and job data
• Support the maintenance of Spain & Portugal salary ranges, market references and related compensation tools in line with the Group job architecture and methodology.
• Participate in salary surveys and benchmarking exercises (WTW©, Mercer©), including data preparation, job matching, quality checks and consolidation of results.
• Analyse employee pay positioning using approved indicators such as compa-ratio, range penetration and market positioning, and summarise the main findings.
• Support the maintenance of job grades and job classification data by checking that role information is complete and consistent and by preparing the information required for evaluation.
• Monitor external compensation and benefits practices relevant to Iberia and share factual insights with the C&B Manager.
• Benefits administration and analysis
• Support the day-to-day administration of employee benefits across Iberia in coordination with HR, Payroll and external providers.
• Maintain accurate eligibility and enrolment information and help resolve routine employee or provider queries.
• Support benefit cost analysis, participation and utilisation analyses to support renewals and improvement discussions.
• Support employee communications and implementation activities when approved benefit changes are introduced.
• Escalate non-standard cases, policy questions and material service issues to the C&B Manager.
• Data, HRIS and process improvement
• Maintain accurate compensation and benefits and HR data in the HRIS and related files, and perform regular controls and reconciliations with HRIS and Payroll.
• Investigate data discrepancies, document corrections and follow up until issues are resolved.
• Support testing of compensation or benefits system changes and validate outputs before implementation.
• Help simplify recurring activities through standard templates, clear procedures, automation and approved digital tools.
• Handle employee and pay information with a high level of confidentiality and in accordance with applicable data governance requirements.
• Level of responsibility
• Manages defined recurring activities and analyses from preparation through quality control and follow-up.
• Works within established policies, methodologies, calendars and approval rules.
• Provides factual analysis and practical recommendations to the C&B Manager.
• Escalates exceptions, sensitive cases and decisions requiring judgement or policy interpretation.
• Does not independently design or approve C&B policies, salary structures, individual exceptions, executive compensation, LTI plans or global programmes.
• Key working relationships

Compensation & Benefits Manager, Iberia HR and Talent teams, HR Business Partners, Payroll, Finance, HRIS teams, external benefits providers and other local stakeholders involved in compensation and benefits processes

Qualifications

Experience and qualifications

• 2-4 years of professional experience in Compensation & Benefits, Total Rewards, HR Analytics or a related HR role with meaningful exposure to compensation processes.
• Practical experience working with compensation data, reporting, salary benchmarking, salary ranges or recurring compensation cycles.
• Experience handling HR data and confidential employee information.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Data Analytics or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience in a multinational, consulting or complex organisation is an advantage.

Technical skills

• Strong Excel skills, including data cleaning, reconciliations, lookup formulas, pivot tables and basic analytical controls.
• Good numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to identify inconsistencies and explain results clearly.
• Working knowledge of compensation concepts such as salary ranges, benchmarking, compa-ratio, internal equity and variable pay.
• Ability to prepare clear reports and presentations using Excel and PowerPoint.
• Good organisation skills and the ability to manage several deadlines during compensation cycles.
• Professional English (B2).

Desirable

• Experience with SuccessFactors, or another HRIS.
• Experience with Power BI or another reporting and data visualisation tool.
• Exposure to job evaluation, pay equity analysis or compensation survey providers.
• Knowledge of compensation and benefits practices in Spain and/or Portugal.
• Experience using approved automation or AI tools to improve recurring HR processes.

Behavioural competencies

• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Analytical thinking and the ability to summarise complex information.
• Reliability and ownership of assigned deliverables.
• Curiosity and willingness to build deeper C&B expertise.
• Clear and professional communication.
• Collaborative approach across HR, Payroll, Finance and external partners.
• Discretion when handling sensitive compensation and employee information.
• Practical and solution-oriented approach to process improvement.

Additional Information

Why join us? Because we offer reasons such as:

• Flexible Benefits (Coverflex): Enjoy more than just work with flexible compensation including meal vouchers, health insurance, transportation, and more.
• Growth Opportunities: You can advance in your career not only through the experience of working with major clients but also by accessing local and global training programs specialized according to your role, covering both technical and soft skills.
• Free Online Training: You can access unlimited courses from LinkedIn Learning and Udemy Catalogs through our artificial intelligence platform "Marcel".
• Partner Certifications: You'll have the opportunity to obtain certifications from industry giants such as Meta, Google, or Amazon.
• Work from anywhere: Telecommute up to 6 weeks from over 100 countries with our #WorkYourWorld program.
• Attractive holidays package including your birthday & Advertising Day off plus some additional days off. Rest is also important!
• Well-being: We prioritize the well-being of our staff and organize various health initiatives such as daily meditation or yoga among others.

Employee benefits are an integral part of the company's annual compensation package. These benefits are subject to the company's current policies and guidelines and may be modified, updated, or adjusted at the company's discretion to reflect organizational needs, regulatory requirements, or business conditions.

We are certified as a Great Place to Work , your happiness and providing you with an outstanding experience means a lot to us, let's enjoy!

Here at Publicis Groupe, we are committed to building a culturally diverse workforce and therefore strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of their background: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender