Senior Analyst, Payroll Governance

Mastercard • O’Fallon, MO

19d • $85,000 - $132,000

About The Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented, proactive Senior Payroll Analyst to join our Payroll Governance team. In this role, you will play a critical part in driving operational excellence, compliance, and employee support across our payroll operations. You’ll be instrumental in managing payroll-related inquiries, enhancing control frameworks, supporting audit readiness, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a seamless and compliant payroll experience globally.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field, preferred.
• Payroll, compliance, or audit experience in a multinational environment.
• Strong understanding of global payroll processes and related regulatory requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of payroll systems (e.g., Workday, ADP) and case management tools.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Advanced Excel and data analytics skills (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, reporting tools).
• Demonstrated experience in payroll auditing, compliance, and vendor management.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams, functions and time zones

Nice To Haves

• Experience with SOX controls and internal audit processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support Tier 2 and Tier 3 payroll inquiries, including escalations from HR, Tier 1 service centers, and regional payroll leads.
• Develop and maintain standardized processes, templates, and a knowledge base to ensure consistent inquiry handling.
• Provide country-specific payroll support and guidance for complex or non-standard questions.
• Liaise between employees, vendors, and internal departments to resolve issues efficiently.
• Help train Tier 1 teams to improve first-line payroll inquiry resolution.
• Serve as subject matter expert and provide project support for global ESPP implementations.
• Collaborate with Workday Technology, Total Rewards, and Payroll teams to support payroll-related ESPP processes.
• Manage processes related to ESPP refunds, terminations, and reporting.
• Support the design and implementation of global operational and SOX payroll controls.
• Ensure execution and documentation of payroll controls across regions.
• Track and document compliance activities; identify gaps and recommend improvements.
• Assist with internal and external audit preparation and act as a liaison in partnership with regional payroll leads.
• Ensure payroll tax compliance across all jurisdictions by monitoring regulatory changes, reviewing tax filings, and partnering with internal teams and external vendors to mitigate compliance risks.
• Partner with vendors and internal teams to resolve operational issues and improve service delivery.
• Monitor vendor performance against SLAs, raise service tickets, and track issue resolution.
• Coordinate invoice reviews and support data reporting for payroll costs and headcount metrics.
• Support process redesign, system updates, and configuration requests.
• Document payroll processes including checklists, control logs, and process templates.
• Provide testing guidelines and timelines for payroll process changes, integrations, and system updates.
• Identify and lead operational efficiency improvements to reduce manual effort and errors.
• Monitor and report on key operational metrics such as error rates and processing timelines.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Total Rewards, Benefits, Risk Management, Workday Technology) to drive alignment and efficiency.
• Support payroll transitions, M&A integrations, and new country rollouts.
• Partner with cross functional teams on data needs and insights

Benefits

• insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance)
• flexible spending account and health savings account
• paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave)
• 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire
• 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays
• 401k with a best-in-class company match
• deferred compensation for eligible roles
• fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities
• eligibility for tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees