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This use case describes how a fast-growing technology manufacturer with operations across Europe and North America built a scalable foundation for grading and reward. It shows how job grading with gradar, a centralised compensation platform and a pilot-country approach prepared the organisation for the EU Pay Transparency Directive and enabled a detailed, employee-level gender pay gap analysis.
The client was a technology manufacturer with several decades of experience supplying specialist equipment to major customers worldwide, operating in a niche linked to environmental and recycling regulation. Headquartered in continental Europe, it ran production facilities across multiple countries in Europe and North America, with sales teams across Europe and the US and emerging activity in Asia.
The defining feature of the organisation was rapid growth: a significant shift in regulation was driving a substantial expansion in revenue and headcount over a multi-year period. Before the project, HR processes were not yet structured consistently across its different geographies, and the organisation needed a foundation that could scale with its growth.
The work was framed in two phases. In the first phase, the organisation needed to:
Create a solid structure for HR processes across multiple geographies through job grading
Develop an easily scalable compensation and benefits framework to support rapid growth in workforce size and global presence
In the second phase, it needed to:
Implement a centralised platform for managing compensation, benefits and job architecture data
Design a comprehensive compensation and benefits policy with built-in transparency measures
Proactively address pay gaps in preparation for the upcoming pay transparency directive across all operating countries
Two forces made the work timely. First, rapid international growth meant the organisation was adding people and locations quickly, and without a consistent grading and reward foundation this expansion risked becoming fragmented and difficult to manage.
Second, the forthcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive created a clear external driver to structure pay transparently and address pay gaps ahead of national legislation. Establishing a scalable architecture early was therefore both an operational and a compliance priority.
The project was delivered in two phases, using a pilot-country approach in each:
Phase 1 – Foundation and scaling
Job grading with gradar across the organisation
A scalable compensation and benefits framework
Internal and external equity analysis, piloted in Romania before wider rollout
Implementation of a centralised platform, expanded across geographies
Phase 2 – Policy and pay equity
A compensation and benefits policy with built-in transparency measures
A framework for the internal transparency process
Detailed, employee-level gender pay gap analysis, piloted in Romania
Job grading (Phase 1). A traditional top-down approach was used: online grading meetings with each unit manager, followed by calibration meetings with executives. An initial set of around 70 positions was graded collaboratively, after which the client's HR team took over and continued adding new positions as the organisation grew – a deliberate design for scalability and self-sufficiency.
Pilot-country rollout. Given the size and complexity of the business, Romania was selected as the pilot for the equity analysis. Pay grids were designed and calibrated using market regression data and uploaded to the platform. Once the client had used the platform in the pilot and valued its accessibility, design and functionality, usage was extended to all remaining countries.
Platform expansion and data integration. The architecture was rolled out across additional geographies, with grids created for multiple regions in EMEA and North America and employee data uploaded for numerous locations. Cost-of-living variations between locations were addressed, market grade reports were integrated, and a company job architecture was developed on the platform. A tiered strategy was implemented in the US, and an executive module was tested while initial grading was retained for executive roles.
Compensation and benefits policy (Phase 2). The status quo was analysed and benchmarked against external trends, with proposals to align allowance, bonus and benefit policies to increase employee engagement, alongside a framework for the internal transparency process.
Detailed pay gap analysis (Phase 2). Germany – chosen because it already had gender-equity measures in place – was used to deliver a highly detailed, employee-level gender pay gap analysis. A live, functional tool was built to help the client calculate the budget required to bridge one or more pay gaps, including views of pay gaps by grade.
Role and position information for grading, gathered through manager and executive meetings
External market data and regression analysis for grid design
Purchased market grade reports for EMEA and North America
Employee earnings and demographic data across numerous locations
Cost-of-living data to address geographic variation
Existing allowance, bonus and benefit policies for the C&B review
Where salary data had to be integrated from external grade reports, fallback mapping was used – a process that proved technically demanding (see challenges).
How many grades and tiers to use, and how to handle executive roles (initial grading was retained rather than executive bands)
Which countries to use as pilots in each phase
How to reconcile differing US and European compensation practices and legal requirements
How to treat cost-of-living variation between locations
Which pay gap methodology to use – analysis by grade and job family versus a broader "equal work" approach
How much of the ongoing work to transfer to the client's HR team
The case is candid about real-world friction:
Reconciling US and European approaches. Establishing a common approach across the US and Europe was difficult given different compensation and benefits practices and legal requirements – an issue that persisted into the second phase.
Data integration complexity. Uploading externally purchased salary grade reports using fallback codes was technically tricky and required many separate file uploads.
Legislative uncertainty. Until each country publishes its local transposition of the directive, current analyses may need significant revision – or could become obsolete.
Debate over pay gap methodology. The advisers proposed analysing gaps by grade and job family to limit budget impact, while the client preferred a broader "equal work" lens.
Applying the model in the US. Differences in compensation policy made it harder to apply the same logic in the US market.
These were addressed through a phased, pilot-country approach, calibration with executives, capability transfer to the client's HR team, and the development of a bespoke pay gap budgeting tool.
The work was strongly collaborative, with a management and implementation team described as highly receptive and showing minimal resistance. Unit managers participated in grading meetings and executives in calibration. The client's HR team took ownership of ongoing grading and platform use after the initial set of positions, supporting scalability. Leadership remained committed to pay equity and to an objective grading system throughout.
A job grading framework and an initial set of around 70 graded positions, extended by the client's HR team over time within the gradar tool
A scalable compensation and benefits framework across multiple geographies
A centralised platform (gradar) for managing compensation, benefits and job architecture data, rolled out across regions
A company job architecture, with cost-of-living variations and market grade reports integrated
A compensation and benefits policy with built-in transparency measures and an internal transparency framework
A detailed, employee-level gender pay gap analysis in a pilot country, with a live budgeting tool for closing pay gaps
A consistent, scalable grading and reward foundation supporting rapid international growth
A centralised platform replacing fragmented, geography-specific HR data management
A strong analytical base for pay equity, with pay gap analyses already in place
Greater readiness for the EU Pay Transparency Directive across operating countries
Internal capability to extend grading as the organisation continues to grow
An initial 70 positions graded collaboratively, with continued additions by the client's HR team
Grids and data extended across multiple EMEA and North American regions, with employee data uploaded for numerous locations
A two-phase programme delivered across roughly 2023-2024 and beyond
An employee-level pay gap analysis and a live budgeting tool delivered in a pilot country
(As a best-practice sharing case, outcomes are described qualitatively; further quantified results were not stated.)
A consistent grading and reward structure is essential during rapid growth, as it prevents fragmentation across geographies, so a scalable foundation should be built early. Piloting grids, the platform and pay gap analysis in one country before wider rollout reduces risk and builds confidence.
Differing compensation practices and legal requirements in the US and Europe call for a deliberate, separate approach rather than a single global template. Integrating externally purchased market data can be technically demanding, so time for this should be planned in advance. The pay gap methodology should be settled early by agreeing whether gaps will be analysed by grade and job family or on a broader "equal work" basis, as this materially affects budget impact.
Finally, ongoing grading should be handed over to the internal HR team, which keeps the model sustainable as the organisation grows.
Fast-growing organisations expanding across multiple countries
Multi-country manufacturers and technology companies needing scalable job architecture
Organisations preparing for the EU Pay Transparency Directive across several jurisdictions
Companies reconciling US and European compensation practices
Businesses implementing a centralised platform for compensation, benefits and job architecture data
Organisations seeking detailed, employee-level pay gap analysis and remediation budgeting
Piloting grading, grids, the platform and pay gap analysis in a single country allows an organisation to test and refine the approach before extending it. Here, one country was used to pilot the equity analysis and another for the detailed pay gap analysis, in each case before wider rollout.
A consistent grading framework gives a fast-growing organisation a common structure for HR processes across geographies, so that new roles and locations can be added in a controlled, scalable way rather than ad hoc.
An employee-level analysis of gender pay gaps, ideally supported by a tool that calculates the budget required to close one or more gaps. Methodology matters: analysing gaps by grade and job family versus a broader "equal work" approach can lead to very different budget implications.
Compensation and benefits practices and legal requirements differ significantly between the US and European countries, so a single global template rarely fits. A deliberate, region-specific approach is usually needed.
A scalable job architecture, a transparent compensation and benefits policy, and detailed pay gap analysis together provide a defensible basis for comparing work of equal value, structuring pay and proactively addressing pay gaps ahead of national legislation.
HR and reward, unit managers for grading input, executives for calibration, and the internal HR team for ongoing maintenance. Legal input is valuable given differing national requirements and legislative uncertainty.
Job architecture insights are delivered through the gradar platform - connecting job evaluation, compensation analysis and pay transparency in one consistent framework.
Job evaluation
Compensation
Pay transparency