Key Responsibilities

Payroll & Pay Execution (Primary Focus)

• Lead the end-to-end global payroll operations, including governance, timelines, controls, validation, and issue resolution across multiple countries and employment models.
• Act as the single point of accountability for payroll accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Partner with external payroll vendors and internal Finance and Tech teams to ensure seamless execution and continuous improvement.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve payroll discrepancies, root causes, and systemic issues.
• Drive standardization and documentation of payroll processes, controls, and escalation paths.

Strategic Data & Insight Stewardship

• Elevate payroll to strategic insights by transforming raw payroll data into executive-ready insights, proactively identifying cost drivers, operational risks, and opportunities for global process optimization and efficiency gains through automation.
• Establish data governance by designing and owning the strategic roadmap for payroll data integrity, reporting, and analytics, partnering with Finance to ensure seamless reconciliation, variance analysis, and accurate financial forecasting.
• Develop and maintain a suite of clear, reliable metrics and executive dashboards that provide senior leadership with the foresight needed to make informed decisions regarding global workforce cost and operational performance.

Executive Influence & Cross-Functional Governance

• Act as the primary strategic partner to Technology, Finance, Delivery, and Talent leadership, championing the design and control of reliable, scalable payroll systems, integrations, and data flows.
• Provide trusted, expert guidance to senior leaders on global payroll complexity, regulatory trade-offs, and risk mitigation strategies related to workforce changes,
• Govern cross-functional processes with Finance (funding, accounting, audits) and Technology (system integrity) to ensure operational rigor and maintain a highly controlled, compliant, and scalable global pay ecosystem.

Compliance, Risk & Controls

• Ensure payroll compliance with local labor laws, tax regulations, and statutory requirements across geographies.
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Proactively identify payroll risks related to growth, change, or system implementation and lead mitigation efforts.

Benefits (Light Touch / Governance)

• Provide governance oversight to ensure benefit-related payroll deductions and contributions are accurately executed.
• Partner with benefits owners or vendors where payroll integration or execution issues arise.
• Ensure benefits impacts are correctly reflected in payroll systems, without owning full benefits strategy.

What Success Looks Like

• Payroll is delivered accurately, on time, and with minimal exceptions, even in complex global environments.
• Pay changes are executed flawlessly and consistently.
• Leaders trust payroll data and insights to inform decisions.
• Risks are anticipated and resolved proactively.
• Payroll complexity is simplified through strong governance, automation, and cross-functional alignment.
• Our thousands of CW's feel good about the process, communication and their concerns/problems get address timely

Requirements

• Proven experience leading and managing mission-critical operational systems and programs, with a track record of delivering accuracy, reliability, and continuous improvement in high-stakes environments.
• Deep expertise in global payroll execution across multiple countries, employment models, and regulatory landscapes, including experience navigating complexity at scale.
• Demonstrated leadership in cross-functional environments, partnering effectively with Finance, Technology, Legal, Delivery, and People teams to ensure alignment, resolve issues, and drive integrated solutions.
• Experience managing external payroll vendors and service partners, including performance oversight, escalation management, and contract or SLA governance.
• Strong understanding of payroll compliance, statutory requirements, taxation, and internal controls, with experience building or strengthening governance frameworks.
• Advanced proficiency in payroll systems, integrations, and reporting tools, with the ability to leverage data and analytics for insights, decision support, and risk mitigation.
• Exceptional communication and business partnering skills, including the ability to influence stakeholders, simplify complex information, and present insights clearly to senior leaders.
• History of operating independently in fast-paced, ambiguous contexts, demonstrating sound judgment, action orientation, and accountability for outcomes.