People Analytics and Reward Analyst - #2173292

Job Title: People Analytics and Reward Analyst

Location: Manchester | Hybrid (2 days in the office)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week | Monday–Friday

Salary: £45,000-£50,000 per annum (dependent on experience)

Contract: 12-month Fixed Term | Full Time

UK applicants only | No sponsorship

We’re the UK’s largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, empowering every child to thrive through personalised learning and opportunity

About the Role

The People Analytics and Reward Analyst will improve the quality and consistency of People data across the Group, transforming the data into clear, actionable insight that supports workforce planning, reward decisions and the effective management of people costs.

An initial priority will be to cleanse and align employee data, working closely with HR systems and other stakeholders to improve the way information is captured and maintained within PeopleXD HR system. The role will also provide analysis and modelling to support pay, benefits, pensions and workforce planning, helping People and Finance teams operate from a shared, trusted view of the workforce and its associated costs.

This is a hands-on analyst role. The postholder will interpret data, identify trends and insights, challenge assumptions constructively, and provide practical, evidence-based recommendations. They will support senior colleagues in developing reward approaches and making informed decisions that contribute to the Group’s strategic workforce objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

People data and insight

• Cleanse, reconcile and align employee data across PeopleXD, Payroll and Finance sources, investigating inconsistencies and coordinating corrections with data owners.
• Recommend consistent data definitions, structures and capture processes in PeopleXD, including the information needed for reliable reward analysis.
• Develop clear dashboards and management information on headcount, workforce costs and agreed people measures, explaining trends, exceptions and their implications.
• Maintain documented validation checks and reconciliations, and improve the efficiency and accessibility of reporting through appropriate automation.

Reward, benefits and pensions

• Provide salary benchmarking, internal pay analysis and total reward comparisons to support decisions on job levels, pay bands, salary ranges and reward frameworks.
• Support the assessment of roles against the Group’s developing job levelling framework, providing relevant data and analysis.
• Support pay review, bonus and incentive processes through scenario modelling, affordability analysis and validation of eligibility and payment data.
• Analyse benefits and pensions participation, utilisation and cost; maintain an inventory of eligibility, providers, renewal dates and contractual commitments.
• Support benefit reviews and renewals with HR Directors, Finance, Payroll and providers, identifying opportunities to improve value and modelling the impact of proposed changes.
• Work with Payroll and pension providers to investigate data and contribution discrepancies and supply accurate information for employee reward communications.

Workforce planning and Finance partnership

• Work with FP&A, Finance and Payroll to establish consistent headcount and workforce-cost assumptions for budgets, forecasts and longer-term plans.
• Model the financial impact of pay, benefits, incentives and workforce changes, clearly explaining assumptions, risks and options.
• Provide analysis for people investment business cases and build agreement with stakeholders on the data and assumptions used.

Data governance and continuous improvement

• Work with HR Systems and data owners to maintain reliable PeopleXD data processes, including clear ownership, validation and correction of priority information.
• Document key data definitions, calculation methods and modelling assumptions so reporting is consistent, repeatable and understood by stakeholders.
• Maintain appropriate controls, handle confidential employee information securely and translate findings into clear recommendations for decision-makers.

You will have:

Essential

• Experience in people analytics, reward, workforce planning, finance or another analytical role, with evidence of applying analysis to practical business decisions.
• Strong Excel skills, including manipulating and reconciling substantial datasets and building financial or workforce models.
• Ability to interpret complex data, identify trends and explain findings and recommendations clearly to non-specialist stakeholders.
• Experience improving data quality, investigating discrepancies and maintaining accurate, validated reporting.
• Confidence working with workforce costs or comparable financial data, with strong numerical skills and attention to detail.
• Effective stakeholder skills, including working across teams, challenging assumptions constructively and building agreement.
• Ability to organise competing priorities, deliver analysis to agreed deadlines and handle confidential information appropriately.

Desirable

• Experience of salary benchmarking, compensation analysis, pay reviews or bonus processes.
• Experience of, or an interest in, job evaluation and levelling.
• Knowledge of benefits and pensions data, costs, participation or reconciliation.
• Experience using HR information systems and BI or reporting tools (such as Power BI), with the ability to learn new platforms quickly.
• Experience in a multi-site, acquisitive or international organisation, or supporting workforce integration.
• Relevant sector experience is not essential. No specific professional qualification is required; applicants should demonstrate the analytical capability and experience described above.

Standard Responsibilities

All employees, irrespective of their role or level of seniority within OFG Education, are expected to:

• Participate in the annual performance review programme.
• Work in accordance with Group policies, procedures and applicable statutory requirements.
• Maintain confidentiality appropriate to the role and work attentively and accurately with data.
• Comply with Health and Safety requirements to protect their own wellbeing and that of colleagues.
• Uphold the Group’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Undertake other duties reasonably assigned and appropriate to the role.

Measures

SLAs

• Reporting, analysis and data-correction activity delivered to agreed deadlines, with validation completed and material issues escalated promptly. Service standards will be agreed with the line manager and relevant stakeholders.

KPIs

• Improved completeness and consistency of agreed priority data fields, with identified discrepancies resolved or tracked to an accountable owner.
• Regular reconciliation of workforce and cost information across People, Finance and Payroll.
• Accurate and timely analysis supporting pay reviews, benefits decisions and workforce planning, with documented assumptions and controls.
• Reporting improvements that reduce manual effort and provide clearer insight for stakeholders.

Why Join Us?

Outcomes First Group is the UK’s largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, operating across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Our divisional brands include Acorn Education, Options Autism, Blenheim Schools, and Momenta Connect.

By joining our central teams, you’ll help shape strategy, provide expert support, and drive continuous improvement across a growing organisation renowned for quality, impact, and innovation. We value collaboration, professionalism, and creativity, offering the opportunity to influence change at scale while staying true to our core values of care, aspiration, and inclusion.

Benefits

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with flexible contribution options
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental and physical health support
• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible benefits via Vista, including discounts, Cycle to Work, Electric Car Scheme, critical illness cover, and more

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of suitable applications is received.

Outcomes First Group is committed to a fair, thorough, and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. While we aim to keep applicants informed, we do not accept liability for any loss of earnings or costs incurred due to delays or changes in compliance processes. All stages are subject to safeguarding checks and statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.