Overview
Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Lead Jobs in Nzalae/ Nzawa locations, Kitui County, Kenya at NestAI
Title: Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Lead
Company: NestAI
Location: Nzalae/ Nzawa locations, Kitui County, Kenya
Company
NestAI is a European AI lab for defence delivering the adaptive operating system for modern battlefield operations. We develop adaptive intelligence for unmanned and command systems: AI that continuously learns from operational data and adapts to changing conditions.
NestOS is our open, modular and interoperable platform that enables this at scale and keeps capability evolution under sovereign European control. Founded in 2025 by Peter Sarlin, whose previous company Silo AI became Europe's largest AI acquisition, NestAI brings together over 150 engineers and scientists and partners with leading European defence forces and industry.
Who we are looking for
We're looking for a Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Lead who enjoys building the foundations that help a fast-growing company scale. You will report to our Head of People and Culture.
Alongside partnering closely with leaders and teams, you'll own company-wide initiatives across compensation, rewards and international growth – helping ensure our People practices remain fair, scalable and pragmatic as NestAI continues to grow. We're looking for someone who has already built these foundations in a fast-growing company and is excited to do it again at NestAI. You'll have a significant opportunity to shape how these areas develop over the coming years.
You can come from versatility of backgrounds, but ideally you would bring:
- The ability to build comprehensive compensation frameworks including base salary, equity and benefits that support business growth and employee engagement.
- You are comfortable working on a high-level strategic plane, but equally energized by rolling up your sleeves to put those strategies into practice on an operational level.
- An analytical mindset with the ability to independently drive frameworks from scratch whale involving stakeholders and ensuring buy-in along the way.
- International experience and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong language skills in European languages such as Swedish or German are considered a significant plus.
What you will do
You will help build the foundations that allow NestAI to scale internationally. You'll:
- Develop and evolve our compensation philosophy, framework and reward practices including benchmarking, pay equity and compensation reviews across markets.
- Build practical guidance that helps leaders make fair and consistent compensation decisions, ensuring compensation, rewards and career growth work together as one coherent experience.
- Lead the People workstream when expanding into new countries. Partnering closely with Legal, Finance, Payroll and external advisors to build scalable playbooks, templates and ways of working for future international expansion.
- Ensure our People practices remain compliant while staying pragmatic and employee-friendly
Role
This role requires balancing fairness, consistency and pragmatism while making decisions that support a fast-growing business. And like everyone in our team, you'll also help us improve how we work. You'll:
- Improve and scale People processes
- Use AI to simplify, automate and improve People work
- Collaborate closely with Talent Acquisition, Marketing, IT, Security, Finance and Legal
- Take ownership wherever you can make things better
What success looks like
After Your First 6-12 Months
- Compensation and rewards practices are fair, consistent and easy for leaders to navigate.
- Leaders feel confident making compensation-related decisions because they have clear principles and practical guidance.
- International expansion is supported by scalable, pragmatic and compliant People foundations.
- New markets can be launched without reinventing core People processes.
- You help build People practices that scale with the business while maintaining a great employee experience.
Why join NestAI
At NestAI, you’ll build meaningful, real-world technology as part of a world-class team of engineers, scientists, and experienced professionals. You’ll work on systems where reliability genuinely matters, contribute to Europe’s security and resilience, and solve problems that demand depth, trust, and craftsmanship. If you want to build with purpose — and with leading experts in the field — you’ve come to the right place.
We operate as a deliberately small, AI-augmented team built to move fast and punch well above our weight. You will have real ownership and the tools to operate at a scale that would normally require a much bigger team.
Perks & Benefits
We offer a growing set of practical benefits to support your work and wellbeing, day to day:
- Occupational healthcare (currently provided by Mehiläinen)
- Epassi Flex benefit (sports, culture, commuting, wellbeing)
- Lunch benefit (25% tax-free coverage)
- Auntie (mental wellbeing services)
- Regular team lunches and all-hands events
- Your choice of Mac or PC
- Holiday allowance (50% of holiday salary)
- Phone benefit according to company policy (subscription and device)
We are continuously developing and expanding our benefits as we grow.
Practicalities
Employment is subject to applicable security screening (including SUPO, where required).
NestAI is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants based on their skills, experience, and potential.