Benchmarking the edges: niche roles, new titles, and limited market data

Benchmarking a generalist role is hard enough. Benchmarking a niche one – or a role that barely existed two years ago – is a different challenge entirely.

The data is thinner. The peer groups are harder to define. And whatever methodology you land on, you still need to defend it internally and make sure it holds up next to the rest of your framework.

Sunny and Erika have both had to work through this in practice – navigating limited market data, emerging skill sets that surveys haven't caught up with yet, and the pressure to maintain consistency across a compensation structure that wasn't built with edge cases in mind.

This session will cover:

• Niche vs. emerging: rare roles and new roles aren't the same problem. How do you handle them differently?
• Finding and using the data: what to do when the market view is genuinely sparse – and how much you can trust it
• Peer group and consistency: building comparator groups when the data doesn't cooperate, without breaking the rest of your framework
• Review cadence: how often do you need to revisit a niche or emerging role – and is it different from the rest?

As always, there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from fellow reward professionals who are navigating the same challenges.