Global Payroll Senior Manager

J.S. Held LLC•New York, NY

2d•$115,000 - $125,000•Remote

About The Position

As a key member of the HR team, the Global Payroll Senior Manager will lead global payroll operations for a growing, dynamic organization with employees across multiple jurisdictions. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery while building scalable processes, strengthening controls, and improving the employee payroll experience. The Global Payroll Senior Manager report into the VP of Total Rewards and will oversee a globally distributed payroll team, partner closely with HR, Finance, Legal, IT, and external vendors, and play an important role in payroll transformation, system optimization, and integration activities related to M&A and continued global expansion. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on payroll leader who enjoys solving complex problems, creating structure, and partnering across the business in a collaborative, high-growth environment.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including payroll operations across the U.S. and international jurisdictions such as EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and Canada.
Experience leading or supporting global payroll transformation, process improvement, system implementation, vendor migration, or payroll platform consolidation initiatives.
Strong understanding of payroll tax, wage and hour, compliance, and reporting requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, finance, accounting, or a related field.
Demonstrated ability to lead, influence, and partner effectively across HR, Finance, Legal, Tax, IT, vendors, and business stakeholders.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management, and organizational skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Sound judgment, discretion, confidentiality, and a strong sense of urgency in managing sensitive payroll matters.

Nice To Haves

Professional services, consulting, or other complex global business environment experience preferred.
Experience with global payroll vendors, HRIS/payroll systems, payroll integrations, or M&A payroll transitions preferred.
Master’s degree in human resources, business, finance, accounting, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead global payroll operations across multiple countries, ensuring employees are paid accurately, on time, and in compliance with applicable local, regional, and international requirements.
Develop, implement, and maintain scalable payroll policies, procedures, controls, and standard operating practices across all jurisdictions.
Oversee payroll processing, audits, reconciliations, reporting, and issue resolution to ensure data accuracy, process integrity, and regulatory compliance.
Lead payroll transformation initiatives, including RFPs, vendor evaluation, system implementations, and migration to a global payroll platform.
Support payroll integration activities for M&A transactions, ensuring a smooth transition and high-quality employee experience for newly acquired team members.
Manage relationships with external payroll vendors and service providers, monitoring performance, service levels, issue resolution, and continuous improvement opportunities.
Partner cross-functionally with HR, Finance, Legal, Tax, and IT to support payroll compliance, reporting, systems, controls, and employee-related processes.
Provide leadership, guidance, and support to local payroll resources to ensure consistency, accountability, and best practices across global payroll operations.
Monitor payroll metrics, trends, and recurring issues to identify risks, improve efficiency, and recommend process enhancements.
Research and resolve payroll data discrepancies, processing issues, and compliance matters in partnership with internal stakeholders and external providers.
Stay current on global payroll regulations, market practices, and emerging trends, and recommend updates to policies, systems, and processes as needed.
Manage multiple payroll-related projects in compressed timelines while maintaining accuracy, confidentiality, service quality, and strong stakeholder communication.