Lead Total Rewards

Who we are:

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open-source technology and multi-cloud solutions. Our vision is to become the trusted Data & AI Platform for everyone, leveraging the most popular open-source technologies like Apache Kafka®, Aiven for PostgreSQL®, Aiven for Clickhouse®, and Aiven for OpenSearch®. to help companies accelerate time-to-market, drive efficiency, and build innovative solutions across any cloud. 

So, how do we become the trusted open-source data platform for everyone? By listening closely to our customers and taking action to ensure they achieve their business goals. You see, the software we create is merely a means of delivering value. Our thinking is customer-first. That’s why our customers are at the front and center of all we do. And in the spirit of sideways thinking, we’re by their side as well. Actively helping them solve their challenges. Collaborating. Sharing. And innovating. In other words, it really isn’t just about who we are. It’s about who our customers are – and where they want to be.

The Role:

As Lead Total Rewards, you play a critical part in shaping Aiven’s global reward strategy. The individual will design forward-looking approaches to compensation and benefits to attract, motivate, and retain our Crabs. This is a senior role with high visibility, requiring strategic thinking and engagement with senior leaders and the executive team, while also demanding detail-oriented work such as compensation analytics, equity run rates, process management, system oversight, and vendor relationship navigation, all to ensure the reward framework is built on trust, transparency, and drives business growth.

The role involves leading core reward processes and acting as a thought partner to the business, bringing external insights, shaping new initiatives, and ensuring practices remain competitive, fair, and transparent. This role helps define and operationalize the global rewards strategy, ensuring programs are equitable, competitive, scalable, and legally compliant. This role will continuously improve cyclical Rewards processes by leveraging digital rewards capabilities including automation and the use of AI.

What You'll Do:

• Executive & Senior Stakeholder Engagement: Advise senior leaders and partner with the executive team on reward decisions, pay structures, and incentive design.
• Benefits Strategy: Partner with local teams to refine and evolve benefits offerings across Europe, ensuring relevance, consistency, and employee impact.
• Job Architecture & Salary Ranges: Oversee and enhance job architecture, ensuring clear career pathways and alignment with pay structures.
• Stock Option Management: Manage the process, system, and administration of stock options as a long term incentive program.
• Operational Excellence: Drive all reward-related processes linked to performance and talent cycles, ensuring seamless delivery and strong business alignment. Be structured thorough and detailed in regular business processes, including stock option management, pay review
• Data, Insights & Market Intelligence: Provide senior leadership with robust analysis, benchmarks, and insights to inform decision-making and future strategy. Identify industry trends and incorporate research and macro-economic insights into recommendations.
• Rewards Analytics: Support decision-makers and stakeholders with planned and ad hoc Rewards utilization metrics, KPIs, and analytics. Present complex data clearly and accessibly to business and people leaders. 

What We’re Looking For: 

• 6+ years of experience with Total Rewards, with exposure to international business environments.
• Strong knowledge of European compensation, equity practices and regulatory trends.
• Skilled at engaging and influencing senior leaders, with confidence presenting to executive-level stakeholders.
• Experience leading complex reward cycles, driving process improvements, and embedding change.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to translate data into insights and strategic recommendations.
• Strong project management and stakeholder management skills
• Experience with compensation systems and familiarity with both monetary and non-monetary reward approaches.
• Strategic and tactical mindset.
• Thrives in the fast-paced, dynamic environment of an international company in hyper-growth.

Our Offer:

If you ask us what’s the best thing about working for Aiven, many will probably say it’s the high concentration of talent from around the world that we have here. Enjoy the agile environment of a hyperscale scale-up where you can truly make an impact and have fun while at it.

We invest in you:

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• With Aiven locations spanning the globe, we want all of our crabs to find the right balance with our hybrid work policy.
• Get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Step up your career game with real employer support (use one of our learning platforms, annual learning budget, and more).
• Get holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.

Make a difference at Aiven:

• Contribute to open-source projects that you find meaningful outside of work - and get paid for it! Our Plankton program recognizes extra work to the open-source ecosystem for developers and non-developers alike.
• Use up to 5 days per year to volunteer for a good cause of your choice.
• Join one of our team member resource groups - empower yourself and others in missions that resonate with you.

What else:

• Your wellbeing matters: we provide extensive Occupational Health Care, Dental Care, as well as sports, culture, massage, commute and lunch benefits
• Love breakfast? So do we! Join us at our weekly office breakfast
• We also have you covered by statutory accident insurance

Amazing! What’s next:

Once applying you should hear from our Talent Experience team within 5 days regarding the status of your application. If you are selected to move forward you can generally expect 4 stages with us 

1. 45-minute call with one of our Talent Experience Partners 
2. 60-minute Depth of Expertise Interview with the hiring manager 
3. 60-minute Skills Interview / Presentation with the wider team 
4. 60-minute Values Interview 

How to Recognise and Avoid Employment Scams:

There has been a rise in fake job postings used by scammers to get personal information. Please familiarise yourself with the red flags of a potential scam.

Here at Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted over video call or in person, our interviews will never occur over text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at recruitment@aiven.io.

Equal Opportunities:

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at recruitment@aiven.io.