---
title: 'Reward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC) at Unity Advisory'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/reward-lead-fractional-12-month-ftc-unity-advisory-london-zjz9eq3kazr0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-30'
---

# Reward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC) at Unity Advisory

- **Company:** Unity Advisory
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-30
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory/b56b1bfb-97f1-4ecc-90b6-acb246a9b1f2

## Job description

## About Unity Advisory

Unity Advisory is a modern advisory business built for today's CFO, with connected solutions across finance, deals and tax. Focussed on client outcomes, seasoned experts lead every engagement, in an operating model powered by AI and free from audit conflict.

## About the role

Unity Advisory is a scaling business with strong reward foundations already in place. We now need a senior reward specialist to strengthen them, fill the gaps and shape them into a framework that grows with the firm. We want reward that reflects how Unity actually works: Partner-led client teams, Functional Leader-led enablement teams, and a culture built on trust, direct feedback and progress over process. We don't want a generic framework lifted from a larger, more traditional firm.

This is a fractional role, working a small number of focused days a week. You'll take what we have, judge what's working and what isn't, and build it out where it needs to go next. You'll also run it: pay reviews, benefits renewals, and the data and reporting that keep it trusted. You'll refine it each cycle. You'll make sure the framework is well documented and easy for others to work with, so it stays strong whoever runs it next.

It suits someone who gets energy from building and improving, and who knows that reward only proves itself once it's live. You'll be comfortable with ambiguity and confident making judgement calls. You'll respect what's already been done while being willing to challenge it. You'll also take satisfaction in the steady work of keeping a system accurate, fair and well-run. It would equally suit an experienced interim or contract reward specialist or someone looking for a longer-term home.

## What you'll own

- Reward strategy and philosophy: build on and evolve Unity's approach to pay. That covers how we position against the market, how pay works across client-facing and enablement tracks, and how reward reinforces Unity's "progress over process" culture rather than working against it.
- Pay structure and benchmarking: develop and maintain salary bands and grading across roles and levels, benchmarked against relevant professional services and advisory market data.
- Pay review cycles: design and run the annual (or biannual) pay and bonus review. That includes timelines, guidance for Partners and Functional Leaders, calibration support, and sign-off with the Management Team / Partners Group.
- Benefits: own the benefits offering end to end, including provider relationships, renewals, flexible benefits design and clear communication of value to employees.
- Pay equity and compliance: run regular pay equity analysis (including gender pay gap reporting where applicable), keep Unity compliant with UK reward-related employment law, and flag risk to the CPO early.
- Reward governance and data: keep reward data accurate and current in our people systems, and produce clear reporting for the Management Team on pay spend, equity and market position.
- Advisory support: partner directly with Partners and Functional Leaders on individual pay decisions, such as new hire offers, promotions and retention cases. Your recommendations will be clear, defensible and grounded in the framework, not one-off improvisation.
- The future reward model: work with the CPO to define how reward should be resourced and run at Unity once this contract ends, including the capability, capacity and structure we'll need as we continue to grow.

What success looks like in your first 12 months

- A refined, published pay and grading framework that Partners and Functional Leaders trust and actually use
- A clean, well-governed annual pay review with no surprises for the Management Team
- Reward decisions that are consistent, benchmarked and easy to explain, in keeping with Unity's "trust and accountability" and "no surprises" principles
- A clear, agreed model for how reward runs at Unity from here, with everything documented so the framework can be run confidently, whether by you or by others

## What we're looking for

- Senior reward / compensation & benefits experience, ideally including time in professional services, consulting or another partnership-style environment
- Equally at home developing and extending an existing framework and running it well day to day, from benchmarking data and banding mechanics to benefits contracts and review timelines
- Someone who sees the operational side of reward as part of the craft. Each pay cycle, renewal and equity report is a chance to test and improve the framework.
- A pragmatic operator who can scope reward work realistically into 2.5 focused days a week, prioritising the highest-leverage work first
- Confident advising Partners and senior leaders directly, with recommendations grounded in evidence rather than precedent alone
- Comfortable working with light process and high trust, building just enough structure and no more
- Interim, contract or fractional experience is welcome. We value people who can make an impact quickly and leave things better than they found them.

How this role fits at Unity You'll sit in the People Team, working closely with the Chief People Officer, the Performance Lead (a fellow fractional specialist), People Ops, and Partners and Functional Leaders across the business. Reward decisions at Unity draw on the same "collective insight, direct feedback" approach that runs through how the firm manages performance and probation. They're calibrated and evidence-based, never made in isolation.

The contract This is a 12-month fixed-term contract at 2.5 days a week. We're deliberately keeping the longer-term shape open. Depending on how Unity grows and what suits you, the role could continue after the initial contract, on a contract or permanent basis. Or it could finish with you helping us design and set up the right long-term reward model. Either outcome is a success, and we'll talk about it openly with you as the contract progresses.

Additional Information We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments or support when applying or arranging your interview.

We do not accept unsolicited CVs from third-party agencies.

## About Unity Advisory

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Unity Advisory is a professional services firm built for the Office of the CFO, combining big‑firm expertise with AI‑enabled delivery to help CFOs and leadership teams make sharper decisions and move faster.
- **Entity Type**: Private (backed by Warburg Pincus)
- **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom (with offices in Malaysia and India)
- **Founded**: 2025 (launched with Warburg Pincus backing)
- **Founders**: Marissa Thomas (CEO) and David Tapnack (Co‑founder, departed Jan 2026)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Professional Services (Finance, Tax, Deals & Advisory)
- **Target Customers**: CFOs and leadership teams of mid‑ to upper‑mid‑market businesses, including private equity‑backed companies; B2B / enterprise
- **Mission**: “Help CFOs and leadership teams make sharper decisions, and move faster with confidence – bringing clarity, challenge, and real‑world experience when it counts.”

## Products & Services
- **Tax Services**: Covering R&D Tax, VAT & Indirect Tax, Transfer Pricing, Corporate Tax, Employment Tax, Capital Allowances, Tax Managed Services, and Tax Compliance – all delivered with AI‑driven efficiency.
- **Deals & Value Capture**: Deals Analytics, Deals Tax & Structuring, Due Diligence, Carve‑out, Integration & Synergy Delivery, Deal Readiness Assessment, and Equity Story Craft.
- **Finance & Commercial Services**: Accounting Advisory & Technical Reporting, Financial Control, Performance Acceleration & Cost Optimisation, Process Optimisation, Data & Cloud Architecture, Risk & Control Frameworks, and Organisation Design.
- **Advisory & Transformation**: Rapid Function Diagnostics, Enterprise Architecture & Technology, and CFO‑focused strategic advice.

All services are delivered via a proprietary AI workflow platform that accelerates insights while keeping human expertise central.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Backed by a long‑term investment from Warburg Pincus (amount not publicly disclosed)
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Warburg Pincus (sole institutional backer); strong relationships with corporate, private equity and sovereign clients; non‑exec chair is Steve Varley (former EY UK Chair & Global Vice‑Chair Sustainability).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount surged from ~1 to 76 employees (+4700% YoY) within the first year; presence across UK, Malaysia, and India; actively hiring for 16 open positions; monthly headcount growth of +2.1%.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Experience + Agility**: Leadership includes former Managing Partner of PwC UK and partners from EY, Deloitte, KPMG, yet operates with startup speed and flat hierarchies.
- **AI Built‑In, Not Bolted‑On**: Proprietary AI workflows and cloud‑first architecture are embedded into every offering, delivering faster, smarter outcomes without replacing human judgment.
- **No Conflicts of Interest**: Free from the traditional conflicts that can arise in large firms, allowing truly client‑first advice.
- **Senior‑Led, Lean Teams**: Work is delivered by experienced partners and senior managers, not junior staff; high autonomy and true ownership for client outcomes.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling Rapidly**: Driven by strong client demand, Unity Advisory is expanding its team and service lines while maintaining a partner‑led, high‑performance culture.
- **Continuous Innovation**: Investing in data, cloud, and AI capabilities to keep delivery ahead of traditional consulting models.
- **Geographic Reach**: Growing its UK base while leveraging nearshore talent in Malaysia and India to serve global clients.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “Straightforward, Intentionally Commercial, Open, Experimental, and Team‑First.” The firm is designed for high performers who value impact over politics.
- **Work Style**: Flat teams with high autonomy; every employee owns delivery for client outcomes. Remote/hybrid policy not specified, but roles appear to be UK‑based with some global presence.
- **Perks & Environment**: Modern tools, strong leadership support, and the chance to shape a fast‑growing firm from an early stage. Emphasis on “the right tools, culture, capital, and leadership to enable people to do their best work.”
- **Engineering Culture**: Technical roles (Data Engineer, Solution Architect) are embedded in a firm that treats AI as a core capability, offering engineers exposure to real‑world finance transformation.

## Sources
1. [unity-advisory.com](https://unity-advisory.com/)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory)
3. [linkedin.com/company/unity-advisory](https://www.linkedin.com/company/unity-advisory)
4. [unity-advisory.com/careers](https://unity-advisory.com/careers)
5. [unity-advisory.com/what-we-do](https://unity-advisory.com/what-we-do)

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