Payroll GPX and T&E DS Director

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine•North Brunswick, NJ

1d•$150,000 - $300,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Seasoned payroll leader responsible for overseeing the end-to-end payroll, Time and Attendance, and Expense Reporting functions across several countries. This role ensures accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery for a globally distributed workforce spanning multiple countries, jurisdictions, tax regimes, and service delivery models. Drives strategy, controls, technology adoption, and continuous improvement while partnering with HR, Finance, Tax and local operations to achieve operational excellence, stellar employee experience, strengthen internal controls, and modernize payroll technology and processes. The Payroll director oversees Managers and/or senior individual contributors in a matrix environment, and is accountable for meaningful career development conversations and regular coaching and feedback.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive payroll/finance/HR/shared services leadership experience, including multi-country operations
Demonstrated governance leadership across Payroll and Compliance/Controls.
Proven ability to lead through influence in a matrixed environment; strong executive presence and stakeholder management skills
Strong knowledge of payroll and T&A practices, operational acumen, service delivery and vendor management
Experience driving transformation (standardization, process re-engineering, automation, analytics, ERP/financial systems enablement).
Strong understanding of internal controls, audit requirements, and operational risk management
Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, HR, Business, or related field required; CPP required, Payroll certified (ideal), MBA and/or CPA/CA/CIMA preferred (or equivalent).
English proficiency required.

Responsibilities

Set global strategy, roadmap and governance to ensure consistent policies, controls and service levels across regions for functions in scope – Payroll, T&A, and Expense Reporting
Own end-to-end delivery for all entities, including multi-country payroll runs, statutory reporting, year-end processes and reconciliations.
Leads processes area for the organization's Payroll function, and ensures methods align with Finance and Overall enterprise strategy and vision
Ensure global compliance with local payroll, tax, social security and statutory reporting requirements; lead remediation where gaps exist.
Implement and enforce payroll controls (SOX/internal controls), audit readiness and vendor oversight.
Lead technology strategy: platform selection, global rollouts, integrations with HCM/finance systems, and data integrity efforts.
Manage relationships with outsourcing partners, local providers, banks and tax authorities; negotiate SLAs and commercial terms.
Drive process standardization, automation, robotics and continuous improvement (KPIs: accuracy, timeliness, employee experience, payroll efficiency).
Provide leadership and coaching to regional managers and centralized teams; define operating model and staffing plan.
Partner with Finance, Tax, Legal and HRBP to support M&A, market entries, payroll harmonization and policy changes.
Deliver executive reporting and dashboards on payroll metrics, risks and program status; present to senior leadership.
Own business continuity planning for payroll and incident response for payroll failures or security events.
Serving as the executive escalation point for complex payroll issues, regulatory inquiries, and sensitive employee matters
Building and retains a high-performing global payroll organization across multiple time zones.
Directs Managers and/or senior individual contributors in a matrix environment and is accountable for meaningful career development conversations and regular coaching and feedback.
Responsible for managing operational aspects of their teams (e.g., budget, performance, and compliance), as well as implementing workforce and succession plans to meet business needs.
Proactively creates a purpose driven environment by aligning Credo and Leadership Imperatives with the strategies and goals of the team and enterprise.

Benefits

medical
dental
vision
life insurance
short- and long-term disability
business accident insurance
group legal insurance
consolidated retirement plan (pension)
savings plan (401(k))
long-term incentive program
Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year
Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year
Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child.
Condolence Leave – 30 days for an immediate family member: 5 days for an extended family member
Caregiver Leave – 10 days
Volunteer Leave – 4 days
Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours