Senior Manager, Payroll

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Manager - Payroll to lead end-to-end payroll operations across APAC and EMEA. This role will be accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across multiple countries and will serve as the regional subject matter expert for payroll operations and payroll accounting.

The role will partner closely with People Operations, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Benefits, Legal, Equity Administration, HRIS, and external payroll providers. The successful candidate will combine hands-on payroll and accounting expertise with strong leadership, controls, vendor governance, and transformation capabilities.

• Lead end-to-end payroll delivery across APAC and EMEA, ensuring each payroll is complete, accurate, approved, funded, and processed within established timelines.
• Oversee regular and off-cycle payrolls, bonus and commission runs, equity-related payroll impacts, statutory payments, benefits deductions, and termination settlements.
• Own payroll calendars, input governance, pre-payroll validations, variance reviews, approval workflows, and post-payroll controls.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex payroll matters and ensure timely resolution of employee, stakeholder, and vendor issues.
• Coordinate payroll activities across countries, time zones, legal entities, and service providers while maintaining consistent global standards.

• Own payroll accounting across the assigned countries, including payroll journal entries, general ledger interfaces, account mappings, and posting controls.
• Review payroll-related accruals and provisions, including salaries, incentives, commissions, employer taxes, benefits, leave, and other employee-related costs.
• Lead monthly and quarterly balance sheet reconciliations and ensure reconciling items are investigated, documented, and resolved promptly.
• Partner with Accounting during month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close to ensure payroll expenses and liabilities are complete and accurately recorded.
• Provide payroll cost analysis, flux explanations, and supporting schedules for management reporting and audit requirements.
• Partner with Treasury on payroll funding, payment controls, cash requirements, and resolution of rejected or returned payments.

• Ensure payroll compliance with applicable country requirements relating to tax withholding, social insurance, pensions, employment regulations, statutory benefits, reporting, and remittances.
• Maintain a strong payroll control framework, including segregation of duties, approvals, access controls, change management, reconciliations, and evidence retention.
• Support internal audit, external audit, statutory audit, tax reviews, and SOX or equivalent control testing, as applicable.
• Monitor regulatory changes across APAC and EMEA and coordinate timely updates to payroll processes, systems, and documentation.
• Maintain current payroll policies, standard operating procedures, country playbooks, process maps, control narratives, and business continuity plans.

• Lead relationships with global and local payroll providers, defining clear accountability for service delivery, issue management, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor service-level agreements, accuracy, timeliness, responsiveness, recurring defects, and corrective action plans.
• Partner effectively with People Operations, HRIS, Benefits, Tax, Legal, Equity, Accounting, Treasury, and Finance Systems teams.
• Support new-country launches, legal entity changes, acquisitions, divestitures, vendor transitions, and payroll system implementations.

• Drive standardization, simplification, automation, and scalable operating practices across regional payroll processes.
• Lead or support payroll technology initiatives, integrations, testing, data validation, vendor migrations, and control enhancements.
• Develop payroll dashboards and operational metrics covering accuracy, timeliness, compliance, cases, controls, vendor performance, and employee experience.
• Analyze root causes of payroll errors and implement sustainable preventive actions.
• Use advanced Excel and reporting tools to perform reconciliations, trend analysis, exception reporting, and management reporting.

• Lead, coach, and develop regional payroll professionals, setting clear goals, priorities, quality standards, and development plans.
• Build a culture of accountability, controls awareness, continuous improvement, collaboration, and customer service.
• Plan team capacity and provide resilient coverage for payroll deadlines, close cycles, audits, and critical projects.
• Communicate payroll risks, decisions, performance, and transformation priorities clearly to Finance and People leadership.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive payroll experience, including substantial responsibility for multi-country payroll operations across APAC and EMEA.
• At least 6 years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated capability to lead and develop payroll professionals.
• Strong payroll accounting knowledge, including journal entries, accruals, general ledger interfaces, balance sheet reconciliations, payroll liabilities, and financial close requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of multi-country payroll compliance, statutory reporting, employment taxes, and governance requirements.
• Experience managing outsourced payroll providers and operating within a matrixed global organization.
• Experience supporting internal controls and audit requirements in a controlled finance environment.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability and strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and explain complex payroll matters clearly.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, confidential information, and critical deadlines across multiple time zones.

• CA, CPA, CMA, MBA (Finance), or an equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience in a publicly listed, multinational, technology, SaaS, or high-growth organization.
• Hands-on experience with Workday and one or more global payroll platforms or service providers, together with ERP system such as NetSuite.
• Experience with payroll transformation, global payroll consolidation, system implementation, vendor migration, or operating model redesign.
• Experience with equity compensation, mobility, acquisitions, new-country implementation, and cross-border payroll matters.

• Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing.
• Inclusive company culture and opportunities to participate in our Community Guilds.
• Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
• Generous global benefits.