Head of Global Payroll

About the role: 

The Head of Global Payroll will report to the Chief People Officer and will oversee all aspects of payroll operations for our international workforce. This role focuses on ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency across regions. The ideal candidate will have comprehensive knowledge of multi-country payroll regulations and practices, along with strong analytical skills.  

  

Responsibilities include - but not limited to: 

Global Payroll Operations 

• Fully own payroll processing cycles for US, Germany, UK regions and China regions in collaboration with external partners (ADP, Rippling, etc.) 

• Manage and audit payroll data, including new hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, compensation changes, timekeeping data, commissions, bonuses, and employee deductions. 

• Oversee complex U.S. multi-state payroll operations across weekly, bi-weekly, and semi-monthly cycles, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements related to payroll taxes, wage and hour laws, overtime, garnishments, paid leave, ACA, and year-end reporting 

• Review and approve payroll results, reconciliations, funding reports, payroll tax filings, W-2s, P60s, P11Ds, PSA, ERS, and other statutory reporting before finalization. 

• Maintain accurate payroll records, employee data, tax forms, audit trails, and supporting documentation while serving as the primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and issue resolution 

 Compliance, Systems, & Accounting 

• Ensure compliance with payroll regulations across all jurisdictions, including U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements, FLSA, FMLA, ACA, garnishment orders, multi-state tax withholding, HMRC requirements in the UK, PAYE, P60/P11D reporting, German social insurance and wage tax regulations, and China individual income tax and social security requirements. Stay current on legal and regulatory changes and recommend updates to policies, procedures, and controls as needed. 

• Act as the primary point of contact for internal, external, and statutory audits, including preparation of payroll documentation and support for SOX and other internal control requirements. 

• Process payroll accounting entries in NetSuite ERP, perform payroll-related general ledger reconciliations and variance analysis, and support month-end close activities. 

• Partner with HR, Finance, and external vendors to manage pension, insurance, benefit deductions, system integrations, testing, reporting, and employee mobility matters. 

• Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, reporting dashboards, and system enhancements to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. 

HR Operations 

• Support HR Business Partners with the administration of the employee lifecycle, including new hire onboarding, contract amendments, and offboarding across all regions. 

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records within the HRIS, owning data integrity and leading regular audits and reconciliations across all geographies. 

• Administer employee benefits programmes across all jurisdictions, including pension auto-enrolment (UK), 401(k) contributions (US), betriebliche Altersvorsorge (Germany), and housing provident fund and social insurance (China). 

• Partner with the Reward team and HR Business Partners to process compensation review cycles, bonus payments, commission calculations, and ad-hoc salary adjustments in line with company policy. 

• Produce regular HR and payroll management information reports for HR leadership, Finance, and where required, the Board, providing data-driven insight to support business decisions. 

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HR policies, processes, and systems, identifying opportunities to automate and streamline operations at scale. 
• Support global mobility processes where applicable, including the administration of international assignments, shadow payrolls, and tax equalisation arrangements. 

A successful team member will have: 

• Minimum 6-8+ years of relevant payroll management or accounting experience, ideally in an international, high-growth, e-commerce or multinational environment. 

• At least 2+ years of hands-on global payroll experience across multiple countries and/or regions. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field. 

• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, payroll taxes, wage and hour requirements, and year-end reporting. 

• Familiarity with US, German, British or Chinese payroll is preferred. 

• Experience with Rippling or with other payroll systems is a plus. 

• Strong accounting knowledge, including payroll journal entries, reconciliations, and general ledger analysis, is a strong plus. 

• Prior experience with NetSuite ERP is not required but highly valued. 

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. 

• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written and wants to work on a team to collaborate effectively.  

• Fluent in English, German is a significant plus