Head Of Payroll Global

In short

We are seeking an experienced Head of Payroll (Global) to implement a standardized global payroll framework, ensuring consistency, compliance, and efficiency across our three key regions: EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.

This senior role involves establishing the global governance and operating model, overseeing adherence to all international and local statutory regulations and tax laws.

A core responsibility will be to build, mentor, and lead a newly formed global payroll team, fostering a culture of high performance, accuracy, and exceptional customer service while creating comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all key processes, establishing robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and ensuring a strong vendor oversight model.

This role will report to the Director HR Specialists and Talent Operations on the Talent team supporting the global Talent Operations area.

Your Mission

1. Strategic Architecture & Governance

• Build the Blueprint: Design and implement a standardized global operating model across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.
• Policy Ownership: Create the "Global Payroll Playbook" (SOPs and policies) to ensure everyone, everywhere, follows the same high standards.
• System Optimization: Lead the charge on tech upgrades and process automation to make the function scalable.

1. Vendor & Operations Management

• Vendor Oversight: Audit and manage all third-party payroll providers, holding them accountable via strict SLAs and KPIs.
• Dual-Track Management: Supervise the outsourced global regions while directly managing the internal, in-house US payroll team.
• Business Continuity: Ensure the "lights stay on" by developing disaster recovery and backup plans for all global payments.

1. Compliance, Tax & Audit

• Regulatory Watchdog: Ensure 100% compliance with international tax laws, statutory reporting, and local regulations.
• Complex Mobility: Manage high-level tax issues, including expatriate arrangements, tax equalization, and remote work complexities.
• Audit Lead: Serve as the primary point of contact for financial, tax, and worker's compensation audits.

1. Leadership & Stakeholder Liaison

• Team Building: Recruit, mentor, and "upskill" a brand-new global payroll team.
• Internal Partner: Act as the bridge between HR, Finance, Legal, and Tech to align payroll with the company’s broader goals.
• Final Escalation: Serve as the ultimate "fixer" for complex payroll disputes or high-level employee inquiries.

1. Financial Integrity

• General Ledger Accuracy: Work closely with Finance on payroll accounting, reconciliations, and ensuring compensation data is reflected accurately in the company's books.

Your story

• Experience: Minimum of 6-8 years of progressive experience managing payroll for a company with a significant international footprint (5+ countries)
• Global Compliance Expertise: Extensive knowledge of multinational payroll regulations, tax laws, reporting requirements, and labor laws, including specific experience with expatriate and remote worker tax implications
• System Proficiency: Proven hands on expertise with Workday (or a major other HR system like SAP, Success Factors, etc)
• Leadership & Management: Experience leading a geographically dispersed payroll team and managing complex relationships with multiple external payroll vendors
• Accounting Integration: Strong understanding of payroll accounting, General Ledger (GL) reconciliation, journal entries, and financial reporting related to compensation and benefits
• Audit & Control: Extensive experience managing internal and external audits, implementing robust internal controls, and ensuring SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) or equivalent compliance.
• Process Optimization: Successful track record of identifying inefficiencies, implementing process improvements, and driving global standardization in payroll operations.
• Communication Skills: Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex payroll and tax concepts to employees, management, and executive stakeholders
• Problem Solving: Proven ability to research, analyze, and resolve highly complex payroll discrepancies and compliance issues under tight deadlines.
• Education/Certification: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, HR or a related field

What to expect

We want to set everyone up for success, so here’s the lowdown on how we hire. Our process is a two-way street – bringing you into our culture, while helping us learn how you think.

Our full process can last about eight weeks from application to offer, because we care about getting it right. These steps explain how we usually do things.

Before you get started, feel free to consider if you want to work with us. Strange question? Well, we give people a lot of space to navigate their day-to-day and that style isn't for everyone. We want you to be passionate about what you do and be sure this is the right fit. Because when skills and passion combine – it creates that 'Wow' moment.

• Step One

  It starts with you...

  You'll start by submitting your application to a specific role. We try to keep this step as simple as possible. We do get a lot of applications, but we review them all. If you're a good fit to the role, a recruiter will follow up with you directly. If you didn't receive a reply, or were unsuccessful this time around, we encourage you to look for other possible matches at On.

• Step Two

  Interview with a recruiter

  What ignites your spirit? This is where we’ll start getting to know all about you and what makes you tick – and it’s your first chance to get a feel for our culture. Chatting with a member of our talent team, you’ll learn more about On and how we work. We’ll learn about what motivates you and what you could bring to the team.

• Step Three

  Interview with a hiring manager

  Ready to dig into the details? This second interview will be held with your future manager and will focus on the specifics of the job. Together you’ll delve into your unique skills and experiences and how they could be relevant at On. It's also a time to assess how you might feel working side-by-side. Bring any questions you have about the job, the team or anything else you might like to know – this is an open forum.

• Step Four

  The Case Study

  What's your style? This task will help us understand how you think, face a challenge and give insight into your novel ideas. Designed to give everyone their best shot, your case study is based on something you might typically experience on the job. This is your chance to show us what you’ve got. So express yourself. Be you.

• Step Five

  The Experience Day

  Your first taste of the Oniverse. This is a time to meet some of the people you'll be working closest with. In person or virtually, you'll get a feel for the day-to-day at On and the people who make it happen. You'll chat with a few potential teammates - the conversations will be as equally driven by the role and your experience as by our values. We believe how you do things is just as important as what you do.

• Step Six

  The Result

  Are we a good fit? We’ll get together internally to share our feedback and decide if we’re a match. We know that job searching is a big time investment, so it’s not a decision we take lightly. It’s also time for you to reflect on the experience – are we the right place for you? No matter the outcome, we’ll give you meaningful feedback.

Step One:

It starts with you...

You'll start by submitting your application to a specific role.

We try to keep this step as simple as possible. We do get a lot of applications, but we review them all. If you're a good fit to the role, a recruiter will follow up with you directly. If you didn't receive a reply, or were unsuccessful this time around, we encourage you to look for other possible matches at On.