Equal, But Not the Same: Designing Pay Ranges Across Borders

Once the global pay principles were in place, we began designing pay ranges across four distinctly different markets. The goal wasn't identical pay — it was consistent logic. And that required solving for internal relativity. Each region had vastly different pay medians and mixes. But we needed to ensure that a Level 3 Product Manager in India wasn't paid more than a Level 4 in the UK, after adjusting for tax, benefits, and structure. Easier said than done. Here's how we tackled it: Step 1: Anchor to global job architecture — Every role was tied to a global level, ensuring we could compare like-for-like across countries. Step 2: Define pay zones, not fixed points — Instead of setting exact numbers, we used calibrated ranges based on P25–P75 market benchmarks. Step 3: Apply local pay mixes by level — Some regions used 90:10 fixed-to-variable, others 70:30 — but the total comp logic aligned to performance expectations. Step 4: Stress-test relativity — We ran cross-country comparisons to flag anomalies and applied compression buffers for high-growth roles. The result? Local teams had the freedom to operate competitively, while the global team could retain visibility, equity, and structural integrity. It's a myth that pay structures must be standardised to be fair. What matters is internal logic, external alignment, and transparency in how trade-offs are made. At Moxo, we help organisations build compensation strategies that scale with their business — across geographies, levels, and functions. If you're designing global pay bands or want to test your current framework, let's talk. Follow us for more insights on pay equity, workforce design, and leadership alignment.