PRINCIPAL – TOTAL REWARD (PUBLIC SECTOR), London
Public sector reward is changing fast. Pay models are being rewritten. Performance‑linked reward is on the table. Government departments are being pushed to become leaner, more agile, more digitally enabled — backed by a £3.25bn transformation fund driving AI adoption, digital redesign and workforce restructuring.
If you know this world — and you know how to navigate it — we want you.
This is your chance to influence how government pays, motivates, and retains the people delivering essential services.
Why This Role Will Excite You
Right now the UK public sector is undergoing major transformation:
* New flexibility in departmental pay strategies to target skills, address low pay, and build a more productive, mission‑driven state.
* Big reforms on the horizon: performance‑related pay, faster exits for under‑performance, and reward models that mirror modern organisational effectiveness.
* Pay frameworks under intense scrutiny — with unions and civil servants pushing for modern, fair, future‑ready reward approaches.
If you’re motivated by real change, this is where it’s happening.
What You’ll Be Doing
You’ll advise government departments, councils, ALBs and other public institutions on how to modernise reward during a period of intense reform and public expectation.
You'll lead on:
* Designing future‑proof pay structures
* Overhauling reward strategy for accountability and transparency
* Building incentive schemes that work in political, unionised and regulated environments
* Job evaluation, career architecture, pay equity, transparency and performance models
* Guiding senior leaders through highly sensitive change
* Shaping thought leadership on public sector reward futures
This is a role for someone who loves complexity, influence and impact.
Who You Are
We’re looking for someone who already speaks the language of public service:
Either:
A management consultant specialising in reward for government, civil service, local authority or wider public sector clients
OR
A public sector reward/HR specialist from central government, council, NHS, ALB or similar
You also bring:
* Expertise in public‑sector reward frameworks and constraints
* Comfort navigating unions, scrutiny, politics and high‑stake stakeholders
* Strong analytics (Excel/Power BI)
* Confidence, clarity, influence
* Curiosity, grit and a love of solving messy reward challenges
What You’ll Get at Korn Ferry
* A global powerhouse in organisational consulting
* A platform to shape the future of public sector reward
* Autonomy, flexibility, and a diverse, values‑driven culture
* Global learning, world‑class IP and career mobility
* Competitive reward and the chance to genuinely make an impact
Ready to Shape the Future of Public Service Reward?
If you want to be at the centre of public‑sector transformation — and you have the background to match — this is your move.
Let’s reinvent public sector reward together.