Compensation & Benefits
Designs the compensation policy: grids, equity, benefits, internal fairness and pay-transparency compliance.
Why this hire matters.
Compensation is your largest cost line and your first retention lever — steering it by intuition costs both ways: overpaying out of fear of losing people, underpaying and actually losing them, letting internal inequities widen until the day they surface and explode. C&B installs the method: level-based grids anchored to market data, a coherent equity policy (BSPCE), fair review cycles. The stakes are turning regulatory: the EU pay transparency directive (applicable June 2026) requires justifying gaps and publishing ranges — companies without solid C&B structure face litigation exposure and a hiring disadvantage. Long reserved for large groups, the role becomes critical in scale-ups from 150-200 people.
Key missions.
- Build compensation grids by level and job family
- Run market benchmarks and positioning
- Design the equity policy (BSPCE, RSU-equivalents) with finance and legal
- Orchestrate salary review cycles and their calibration
- Guarantee internal fairness and compliance (pay transparency, equality index)
- Structure benefits (health, savings, mobility)
- Model the budget impact of compensation policies
Skills.
Technical skills
- Compensation structures and job grading
- Market data (Figures, Mercer, Radford)
- Equity mechanics (BSPCE, free shares)
- Advanced Excel modeling
- Regulation (transparency, professional equality)
Expected qualities
- Analytical rigor
- Confidentiality
- Teaching
- Sense of fairness
Common stack
Salaries 2025-2026
| Level | Experience | Annual gross base |
|---|---|---|
| C&B Analyst | 1-3 yrs | 35–50 k€ |
| Mid-level | 3-6 yrs | 50–70 k€ |
| Senior | 6-9 yrs | 70–90 k€ |
| Head of C&B | 9+ yrs | 90–106 k€ |
Paris market ranges, 2025-2026.
Outside the Paris region, expect 10 to 15 % less.
Sources : Michael Page 2026 (Head of C&B jusqu'à 106k) · Robert Half 2026
Hiring this profile.
Typical background
Analytical HR, finance or compensation consulting. The data + HR dual culture is the heart of the profile.
When to hire
Around 150-200 people, or as soon as pay transparency and fairness become concrete risks — the June 2026 directive accelerates the timeline.
Career path
Senior C&B → Head of C&B → VP Total Rewards → CHRO.