Equity Plan Administrator
Location: London or Edinburgh
About the Company and the Role
Our client is a leading global financial services firm with a significant international presence and a sophisticated reward structure. This opportunity sits within the Reward function and offers the chance to become a key member of a high-profile Share Plans team. The successful candidate will play a central role in the day-to-day administration and governance of the firm's global equity programmes, working closely with stakeholders across Legal, Tax, Finance, Payroll and external advisers. This role is ideally suited to a share plans professional seeking broader responsibility, greater visibility across the business, and the opportunity to influence processes within a growing and evolving function.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the day-to-day administration of global share plans, including grant processing, participant onboarding, vesting events, exercises, leaver processing and data maintenance.
- Manage operational delivery of annual grant cycles and ad hoc award events, ensuring accuracy and alignment with approved documentation and governance processes.
- Act as a primary point of contact for plan participants, providing guidance on award mechanics and escalating specialist legal or tax matters where appropriate.
- Maintain data integrity through regular reconciliations between equity platforms, HR systems and payroll data, alongside periodic audits and controls.
- Support international compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions, coordinating with internal teams and external advisers.
- Prepare reporting and data extracts for Finance and Tax teams, while contributing to governance documentation, process improvement initiatives and platform management activities.
Candidate Profile and Experience
The ideal candidate will bring experience gained within an in-house share plans team at a listed company or a specialist equity administration provider supporting listed clients.
Key requirements include:
- Approximately 4-5 years' experience in share plan or equity plan administration.
- Strong understanding of equity award structures, including market value options, nil-cost options, RSUs and phantom awards.
- Excellent systems capability, with experience using equity administration platforms and advanced Excel skills. Experience of EWM, Computershare, Shareworks, Equity Edge or Global Shares would be advantageous.
- Exceptional attention to detail, with a strong appreciation of the legal, regulatory and tax implications associated with share plan administration.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex share plan concepts clearly and accurately to participants.
- Experience collaborating with Legal, Tax, Finance and Payroll stakeholders, coupled with sound judgement on when matters require escalation.
- Awareness of the challenges associated with administering global plans across multiple jurisdictions.
- CEP, ProShare or equivalent professional qualification would be beneficial but is not essential.
Why Apply?
This is an excellent opportunity to move into a highly visible position within a global organisation. The role offers meaningful exposure to senior Reward leadership and key business functions, alongside the opportunity to shape processes and contribute to the continued development of a sophisticated global share plans programme.