Senior Director Global Payroll Operations

Accountabilities

• Global strategy and operating model: Define and execute the global payroll and time-management strategy, operating model, governance framework, and multi-year transformation roadmap to support business growth, acquisitions, regulatory changes, and evolving workforce needs.

• Global service delivery: Oversee end-to-end payroll and time operations across multiple countries, ensuring accurate, timely, consistent, and compliant service delivery while driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.

• Executive and cross-functional partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on payroll strategy, operational performance, compliance, technology, and investment priorities. Build strong partnerships across Human Resources, Finance, Tax, Legal, Technology, Audit, Procurement, and business functions.

• Compliance, tax, and internal controls: Provide oversight of global payroll compliance, tax administration, statutory reporting, internal controls, and audit readiness. Proactively identify and mitigate regulatory, financial, operational, and technology risks.

• Governance and accountability: Establish clear decision rights, performance metrics, escalation procedures, and accountability frameworks. Monitor service quality, financial outcomes, operational resilience, and compliance across global, regional, and local teams.

• Vendor and commercial management: Lead relationships with payroll providers, time-management vendors, technology partners, and managed-service providers. Oversee service-level agreements, vendor performance, contract negotiations, sourcing decisions, escalations, and value realization.

• Transformation and technology enablement: Sponsor global initiatives involving process standardization, platform implementations, automation, vendor transitions, and operating-model redesign. Apply artificial intelligence and emerging technologies where they can simplify workflows, strengthen controls, and improve efficiency.

• Organizational and talent leadership: Build and develop a high-performing global team, strengthen leadership capabilities, support succession planning, and foster accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

• Operational resilience and continuity: Ensure effective business-continuity, disaster-recovery, escalation, and recovery plans are in place to address high-risk payroll disruptions and maintain reliable service delivery.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field is required. A master's degree is preferred.

• PMP certification is required.

• At least 15 years of progressive experience in global payroll and time management, including a minimum of seven years leading multi-country operations, transformation initiatives, compliance, and senior-level teams.

• Demonstrated experience leading payroll and time operations within a large, complex multinational organization, including global transformation, multi-country vendor management, acquisitions or divestitures, and highly regulated environments. Experience with shared-services or outsourced delivery models is preferred.

• Proven ability to set enterprise-wide payroll strategy, lead complex international operations, and establish accountability across global, regional, and local teams.

• Strong expertise in operating-model design, including translating business and workforce strategies into scalable service-delivery frameworks, governance structures, roadmaps, and clearly defined decision rights.

• Excellent executive communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex payroll, tax, compliance, technology, and vendor issues in clear business terms.

• A successful track record of leading organizational change, global process standardization, platform implementations, vendor transitions, country deployments, and sustainable adoption initiatives.

• Strong commercial and vendor-management capabilities, including defining service levels, negotiating contracts, managing executive escalations, evaluating sourcing models, and holding third-party providers accountable for measurable results.

• Experience building and developing culturally diverse global teams, cultivating future leaders, managing through influence, and aligning stakeholders around common standards and service outcomes.

• Strong judgment and composure when managing critical payroll disruptions, with experience developing or overseeing business-continuity, disaster-recovery, escalation, and recovery procedures.

• Practical knowledge of artificial intelligence, automation, and emerging technologies, with the ability to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls, and the overall payroll experience.

• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% for business.

• Strong strategic thinking, stakeholder management, decision-making, and change-leadership skills, with a focus on operational performance, risk reduction, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Annual base salary: $164,900–$356,100, depending on experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

• Incentive compensation: Eligibility for commissions or incentive compensation, depending on the role's compensation structure.

• Healthcare coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits.

• Retirement savings: Access to a 401(k) plan.

• Work location: Remote opportunity open to candidates residing anywhere in the United States, with business travel as required.

• Leadership impact: The opportunity to shape global payroll strategy, lead enterprise-wide transformation, and influence operational priorities at a senior level.

• Professional growth: Opportunities to lead international teams, advance technology-enabled operations, and drive continuous improvement across a multinational environment.