About KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 

KalVista is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to delivering life-changing oral therapies for individuals affected by rare diseases with significant unmet needs. The KalVista team discovered and developed EKTERLY®—the first and only oral on-demand treatment for hereditary angioedema (HAE)—and continues to work closely with the global HAE community to improve treatment and care for this disease around the world.

For more information about KalVista, please visit www.kalvista.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.

 

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced Senior Director, Total Rewards & HR Technology to lead the optimization of Total Rewards and HR Technology globally. The individual we are seeking has a passion to maximize the candidate and employee experience while promoting health, purpose and data governance. You have experience designing and delivering a comprehensive annual rewards package that attracts, motivates and retains talent - including competitive compensation, health and wellness benefits, recognition and milestone programs, lifestyle perks, paid time off, protection benefits, retirement programs and scalable systems. Essentially, your driving focus will encompass almost everything of value to outline KalVista’s total investment to employees; ultimately thanking them for their contributions.  

In leading annual global Compensation Planning, thrive with an analytical mindset to interpret complex data and drive financial and talent decisions. This role will be pivotal as we continue to scale and will ensure our philosophy within a supportive environment as our scientific mission prevails.

While reporting to the Vice President, Talent Operations & Rewards, you will be an integral member of the Human Resources organization with close collaborations with executive leaders and finance partners to ensure informed decisions for the global enterprise. This role is ideal for a leader who thrives in a dynamic, high growth pharmaceutical environment.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Finance Leaders

• establish a true partnership while co-owning the responsibility of people data, financial rewards and shared operational commitment
• While serving as a thought leader, offer advisement to HR and Executive leaders on compensation philosophy, total rewards trends, industry practices and market shifts
• Prepare material for Compensation Committee to align compensation with corporate strategy through collaborative governance
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to share surveying and analysis while obtaining real-time market intelligence during talent sourcing and assessment
• Lead and own vendor relationships associated with HR Technology and Total Rewards including contract renewals, negotiations, and compliance

Compensation

• Lead the development and implementation of the company’s global compensation frameworks for all level positions, including Executive level; shaping KalVista’s Compensation philosophy
• Design and launch job architecture, leveling frameworks, and global market benchmarking
• Lead annual Compensation Planning; including merit, incentive programs, equity planning, business rules associated with promotions and equal pay adjustments
• Conduct market analyses to ensure market specific competitiveness

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Be a champion for employee wellbeing
• Design and manage competitive benefits programs in each Country we employ; harmonizing benefits across multiple entities while aligning employee needs and local market trends
• Ensure benefits are cost effective, compliant and inclusive
• Evaluate and enhance KalVista’s Employee Value Proposition through benefits innovation; identify and implement enhancements

Equity Planning

• Oversee equity program administration in partnership with Legal & Finance
• Take the lead on employee education ensuring employees understand equity value offering
• Evaluate Equity Planning program year over year to ensure competitiveness

HR Technology

• Define and drive the vision for HR systems to enable scalable growth
• Assess and optimize current technology platforms
• Implement new technologies

Policies & Programs

• Assess KalVista’s library of policies for scalability; maintain all Human Resources related policies for the organization
• Manage global mobility programs, including relocation, immigration, and ex-pat assignments
• Lead project charters associated with new program design, assessment and sustainability

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with global regulatory standards in each Country we serve
• Establish and maintain strong governance of Total Rewards programs and data integrity for HR Technology

 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors Degree
• 12+ years of experience working with compensation and benefits administration
• Experience working for a global organization
• People leadership experience

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• User experience with ADP Workforce Now
• Prior collaboration with the Hilb Group
• Trainee of AON/Radford and Mercer’s leveling systems globally
• Well versed with Equal Pay Act regulations across the United States
• Experience in a high‑growth company
• Experience in biotech, pharmaceutical, or related innovation‑driven industries
• Prior management of global mobility programs
• Certifications such as CCP, GRP, or CEBS

 

EXPECTATIONS & COMPETENCIES

• Experience designing compensation structures, job architecture, equity programs, and global benefits
• Previous ownership of executive compensation processes
• Demonstrated ability to influence executives and collaborate across functions
• Analytical depth with comfort building models, interpreting data, and presenting insights
• Ability to communicate prolifically with presence and impact
• Attentive listening, be present to non-verbal cues, reiterate and clarify
• Values others, communicates ideas, operates with kindness
• Ability to think beyond existing solutions
• Professionally persistent; drives fundamentals and enhancement
• Ability to act decisively
• Courage to provide counsel to senior business leaders and key stakeholders
• Ability to solve complex problems and analyze issues
• Introduce new ideas, design a new future
• Resilient & Versatile; demonstrate grit and your ability to adapt to change
• Lead with industry commercial awareness; stay up-to-date with your business, industry & market standards

 

OUR VISION

We Deliver Novel Therapies That Empower People To Live Better Lives.

 

Our OPERATING PRINCIPLES, referenced below, guide our behaviors and decisions:

Define Success – And Then Deliver
Act with outcomes in mind. Have high expectations. Details Matter.

Be Data Driven And Openly Debate – But Be Decisive
Time is valuable. Say the thing you can’t say. Understand timelines and meet them.

Have An Ownership Mentality
This is your company; treat it that way. Protect our resources, reputation, and results.

Be Internally Collaborative And Externally Competitive
We go further, faster, together. Have a bias for action, but bring others along. Offer solutions, not just problems.

Good People = Great Company
Act with integrity. Assume positive intent. Be Kind.

 

Important Notice to Third-Party Recruiters & Staffing Agencies:

The current job openings advertised on this website are for the sole purpose of candidates to apply directly. Unsolicited and anonymous CVs submitted in any manner to KalVista employees, including to employee personal e-mail accounts, are considered to be the property of KalVista and will not qualify for a fee to be paid. Referral fees will only be payable where KalVista has agreed with an agency to work on a specific appointment, and then only in conjunction with a fully-executed contract for service.

If any Agency representative contacts a KalVista Hiring Manager or company employee, other than a member of the KalVista Talent Acquisition team, to solicit an appointment to engage on a job opening, that Agency will not be considered for that specific job opening or future opportunities with KalVista.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.