Sr. Manager, Payroll
Job Description
The Senior Manager, Payroll is responsible for the strategic oversight, governance, and operational excellence of payroll processes supporting employees across six countries, as well as additional locations managed through Employer of Record (EOR) arrangements. This role partners closely with outsourced payroll providers, HR, Finance, Tax, and Technology teams to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll execution. The position leads a team of payroll professionals, drives continuous improvement initiatives, maintains a strong internal control environment, and ensures compliance with all applicable payroll regulations.
Key Responsibilities
Team Management
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of payroll professionals responsible for supporting global payroll operations.
• Build organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, and talent development.
• Set performance goals and conduct regular reviews
• Allocate workload and ensure adequate coverage to meet business needs
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer service, and continuous improvement
Payroll Operations
• Develop and execute the payroll strategy aligned with organizational objectives
• Establish and maintain payroll governance standards, operating procedures, and performance reporting frameworks
• Responsible for payroll across six countries, as well as additional locations managed through Employer of Record (EOR) arrangements, ensuring compliance with local statutory, tax, employment, and reporting requirements
• Lead transformational initiatives to improve payroll service delivery and employee experience
• Proactively manage payroll auditing, validation, and approval
• Responsible for payroll delivery, vendor governance, operational effectiveness initiatives, service level performance, and management of end-to-end payroll controls
• Serve as the primary contact for payroll tax-related issues and partner with internal and external stakeholders to research and resolve complex matters
• Manage various audits, such as employment tax audits and internal/external audits
• Manage the administration of the registration or closure of employment tax authorizations as well as the remittance and reporting of payroll tax
• Analyze payroll metrics and trends to identify risks, improve processes, and support strategic decision-making
Vendor Management
• Lead the governance and performance management of outsourced payroll providers, ensuring achievement of contractual service levels, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence
• Manage vendor relationships to deliver timely, accurate and compliant payroll
• Resolve discrepancies, payment issues, and vendor inquiries
Controls & Compliance
• Design and enforce internal controls to prevent duplicate payments, fraud, and errors
• Support proper segregation of duties
• Monitor regulatory developments impacting payroll tax compliance
• Ensure accurate payroll tax filings, remittances, reconciliations, and year-end reporting.
• Ensure compliance with company policy, tax regulations, and audit requirements
• Assess and remediate payroll process risks on an ongoing basis
• Ensure proper recording of liabilities and accruals in accordance with applicable accounting standards
Systems & Process Improvement
• Manage payroll software/ERP systems (e.g., ADP/SAP etc.)
• Demonstrate a continuous improvement mindset
• Lead automation and efficiency initiatives
• Develop and maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures
• Collaborate with IT/Finance on system upgrades or integrations
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with Finance and HR on payroll-related policies and procedures
• Partner with Finance to ensure timely and accurate payroll accounting, reporting, accruals, reconciliations, journal entries, and balance sheet account reviews
• Partner with Tax and external advisors on complex payroll tax matters
• Serve as point of escalation for vendor and internal stakeholder issues
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including global payroll operations in a complex, multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Minimum 2+ years in a supervisory/management role
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of payroll tax and employment regulations
• Knowledge of accounting, with a focus on payroll accounting
• Experience with internal controls aimed at reducing operational risk
• Experience mentoring and coaching a team
• Ability to research, identify, and resolve complex payroll issues
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with ADP HR/Payroll/Time Reporting is a plus
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation strongly preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of MS productivity tools (MS Office); Word, PPT, and Excel
• Project Management mindset and experience
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What’s in it For You?
- Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
- Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
- Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
- Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
- Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
- Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
- Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.
About Us
Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.
We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.
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