Aligning growth with equitable, data-driven reward frameworks​

A leading Australian consultancy, renowned globally for its innovative engineering solutions across buildings, infrastructure, and sustainability, has earned a strong reputation for technical excellence and delivering client-centric outcomes.​

Amidst accelerated growth, the firm faced increasing pressure to realign internal roles, maintain market-competitive remuneration to retain top talent, and effectively navigate its annual pay review process within a tightly governed, data-driven budget.​

In the absence of a structured reward framework, the business faced growing risks to internal equity, performance outcomes, and employee engagement ​

​Establishing a unified job architecture and market-aligned pay framework​

We commenced the engagement by conducting a comprehensive job evaluation and role mapping exercise, applying the AON methodology across all business functions. This enabled the development of a unified job level matrix spanning individual contributors through to senior leadership. Through this process, we identified key challenges including role overlaps and instances of pay compression—particularly within operational and support functions.

By clearly defining progression pathways enhanced transparency and promoted equity across the organisation.​ In parallel, we undertook a rigorous market benchmarking exercise in collaboration with two leading remuneration survey providers. More than 100 critical roles were benchmarked, uncovering several key talent segments that were underpaid by 10–15% relative to market medians. In response, we developed market-aligned remuneration ranges designed to improve consistency and fairness across business units. Furthermore, we integrated a performance differentiation lens into the annual pay review process, enabling merit-based recommendations that supported both retention and strategic workforce objectives.

Benefits​ : Real impact through strategic reward design​

• The engagement delivered measurable outcomes across multiple dimensions of reward effectiveness. All roles across the organisation were evaluated and aligned to a consistent job architecture, ensuring internal pay equity and transparency. Over 85% of benchmarked roles were brought within competitive market ranges, addressing long-standing gaps in external competitiveness and supporting talent retention.
• The organisation entered its annual remuneration review cycle with unprecedented clarity and structure, completing the process ahead of schedule. In addition, people leaders were equipped with practical tools, data-backed insights, and tailored messaging to conduct confident, informed pay conversations—enhancing credibility and trust across the workforce​​

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