Senior Manager Global Payroll

About the role

We are looking for a seasoned Senior Manager of Global Payroll to own and evolve our end-to-end payroll function as we scale internationally. Reporting into Accounting, you will lead a team of payroll professionals, serve as the ultimate approver for all pay runs, and act as the strategic architect of how we process, audit, and continuously improve payroll across more than 20 countries.

Responsibilities

• Own the full payroll cycle for all employees globally, ensuring pay runs are accurate, compliant, and on time across every country in scope.
• Review, audit, and formally approve all pay runs before disbursement; serve as the final escalation point for payroll discrepancies.
• Oversee a team of payroll specialists and supervisors, providing day-to-day direction, workload management, and professional development.
• Maintain accountability for US multi-state payroll and in-house payroll operations.
• Manage and evaluate third-party payroll providers in all other countries; hold vendors to SLAs, audit output quality, and manage contract relationships.
• Stay current on payroll legislation, tax regulations, and statutory requirements across all active jurisdictions; proactively surface compliance risks to leadership.
• Establish and maintain a controls framework including reconciliations, audits, and SOX-relevant documentation where applicable.
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and HR to ensure accurate tax filings, year-end reporting, and regulatory submissions in each country.
• Own the payroll new-country playbook: define the end-to-end process for standing up compliant payroll in a new jurisdiction, including entity registration sequencing, vendor selection criteria, employer of record vs. owned-entity decisions, and go-live checklists.
• Identify when to build in-house vs. rely on a third-party provider or EOR based on employee count, regulatory complexity, and strategic footprint.
• Lead or closely partner on all new-geography payroll implementations, coordinating across HR, Finance, Legal, and local in-country advisors.
• Maintain a living country-readiness framework to assess payroll complexity and operational requirements before market entry.
• Champion the integration of AI and agentic automation into payroll workflows — from anomaly detection and variance flagging to automated reconciliations and intelligent vendor data exchange.
• Build a roadmap toward a scalable, technology-forward payroll operating model that reduces manual processing and increases team capacity for higher-value work.
• Stay ahead of emerging AI capabilities in the payroll and HR tech ecosystem; bring informed recommendations to leadership on what to adopt and when.
• Serve as the primary payroll subject-matter expert for Finance, HR Business Partners, Legal, and executive leadership.
• Partner with Total Rewards on compensation program execution (equity events, bonus cycles, merit increases) and ensure payroll readiness for all programs.
• Define and report on payroll KPIs — error rates, cycle times, vendor performance, compliance findings — to senior leadership on a regular cadence.
• Support M&A activity and workforce restructuring events from a payroll infrastructure and integration standpoint.

Requirements

• 6–10 years of progressive payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role owning global or multi-country payroll.
• Demonstrated experience managing payroll across multiple countries, including complex jurisdictions such as Brazil, India, Japan, or the UAE.
• Proven track record managing third-party payroll vendors: contract negotiation, SLA oversight, and quality auditing.
• Strong working knowledge of payroll platforms (Workday, ADP, or equivalent); comfort evaluating and implementing new systems.
• Familiarity with AI tools applied to payroll or HR operations, or a demonstrated appetite and track record for adopting emerging technology.
• Excellent analytical skills; able to identify trends, anomalies, and risks in payroll data and translate them into clear narratives for non-payroll stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and team development skills; experience building high-performing, geographically distributed teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Global Payroll Management Certificate (GPMC), or equivalent certification.
• Experience with payroll in Central America, Southeast Asia, or Latin America.
• Prior work at a high-growth technology or fintech company navigating rapid international expansion.
• Hands-on experience implementing or optimizing a global payroll system, including data migration and HRIS integration.
• Familiarity with agentic AI workflows, RPA tools, or payroll automation platforms.
• Experience supporting SOX compliance, internal audit, or statutory reporting in a public company environment.