Job description
This leadership role is responsible for reliable payroll delivery across a portfolio of European clients. The successful candidate will guide payroll teams, strengthen operational controls, improve customer outcomes, and introduce technology that makes services faster, more accurate, and easier to scale.
Role Focus
The manager will convert strategic priorities into practical operating plans. This includes balancing workloads, monitoring service risks, reviewing performance, and ensuring teams have the knowledge and tools needed to deliver. Close cooperation with Product, Technology, Compliance, Sales, and Account Management is essential.
Main Accountabilities
Service Delivery
Direct multi-country payroll operations and SaaS support activities.
Confirm that payroll calendars, controls, and client commitments are met.
Review delivery risks, recurring errors, and unresolved service requests.
Introduce consistent operating methods without losing necessary local controls.
Establish clear escalation paths for urgent payroll and customer issues.
Maintain compliance with contractual scope and approved service changes.
People Leadership
Coach team leaders and payroll specialists through regular feedback and development planning.
Assess capability gaps and organize targeted technical and compliance training.
Create succession coverage for essential operational and leadership positions.
Improve engagement, career development, accountability, and team stability.
Ensure every team member is trained for assigned responsibilities.
Automation and Operational Improvement
Select high-value processes for automation based on volume, risk, and effort.
Partner with Product and IT teams to improve payroll-platform functionality.
Replace repetitive manual activity with controlled digital workflows.
Implement automated reconciliation and exception-monitoring processes.
Use lean improvement methods to remove delays, duplication, and unnecessary handoffs.
Measure the effect of automation on accuracy, cost, and processing time.
Governance and Insight
Build dashboards covering accuracy, timeliness, compliance, ticket performance, and customer experience.
Produce monthly management reports with clear findings and recommended actions.
Lead quarterly compliance reviews and ensure corrective actions are completed.
Maintain audit-ready SOPs, control records, and client documentation.
Use data to forecast demand, plan capacity, and identify emerging operational risks.
Customer and Partner Management
Lead structured service reviews with clients and channel partners.
Monitor satisfaction, retention, SLA results, and improvement commitments.
Act as an escalation owner for critical service matters.
Support onboarding, partner enablement, presentations, and RFP responses.
Identify opportunities to improve or expand services based on customer needs.
Required Experience
Five to seven years of global payroll outsourcing or payroll operations experience.
Previous responsibility for multi-country delivery and team leadership.
Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, operational risk, and service governance.
Experience with payroll platforms, SaaS products, ERP or HCM systems, and automation.
Strong analytical, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities and protect confidential payroll data.
Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, HR, or a related field; masters degree is an advantage.
First-Year Targets
Reach 99% payroll accuracy and prevent major compliance breaches.
Shorten payroll processing time by 20% within six months.
Digitize all core operating documentation within nine months.
Maintain client satisfaction above 90% and retention above 95%.
Reduce controllable operating costs by 15% through automation.
Keep employee attrition below 15%.
Complete required training for every team member within six months.
Establish succession coverage for all key leadership roles.
Automate payroll processes in five priority countries.
Launch real-time KPI and SLA reporting with complete data accuracy.
Role Focus
The manager will convert strategic priorities into practical operating plans. This includes balancing workloads, monitoring service risks, reviewing performance, and ensuring teams have the knowledge and tools needed to deliver. Close cooperation with Product, Technology, Compliance, Sales, and Account Management is essential.
Main Accountabilities
Service Delivery
Direct multi-country payroll operations and SaaS support activities.
Confirm that payroll calendars, controls, and client commitments are met.
Review delivery risks, recurring errors, and unresolved service requests.
Introduce consistent operating methods without losing necessary local controls.
Establish clear escalation paths for urgent payroll and customer issues.
Maintain compliance with contractual scope and approved service changes.
People Leadership
Coach team leaders and payroll specialists through regular feedback and development planning.
Assess capability gaps and organize targeted technical and compliance training.
Create succession coverage for essential operational and leadership positions.
Improve engagement, career development, accountability, and team stability.
Ensure every team member is trained for assigned responsibilities.
Automation and Operational Improvement
Select high-value processes for automation based on volume, risk, and effort.
Partner with Product and IT teams to improve payroll-platform functionality.
Replace repetitive manual activity with controlled digital workflows.
Implement automated reconciliation and exception-monitoring processes.
Use lean improvement methods to remove delays, duplication, and unnecessary handoffs.
Measure the effect of automation on accuracy, cost, and processing time.
Governance and Insight
Build dashboards covering accuracy, timeliness, compliance, ticket performance, and customer experience.
Produce monthly management reports with clear findings and recommended actions.
Lead quarterly compliance reviews and ensure corrective actions are completed.
Maintain audit-ready SOPs, control records, and client documentation.
Use data to forecast demand, plan capacity, and identify emerging operational risks.
Customer and Partner Management
Lead structured service reviews with clients and channel partners.
Monitor satisfaction, retention, SLA results, and improvement commitments.
Act as an escalation owner for critical service matters.
Support onboarding, partner enablement, presentations, and RFP responses.
Identify opportunities to improve or expand services based on customer needs.
Required Experience
Five to seven years of global payroll outsourcing or payroll operations experience.
Previous responsibility for multi-country delivery and team leadership.
Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, operational risk, and service governance.
Experience with payroll platforms, SaaS products, ERP or HCM systems, and automation.
Strong analytical, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities and protect confidential payroll data.
Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, HR, or a related field; masters degree is an advantage.
First-Year Targets
Reach 99% payroll accuracy and prevent major compliance breaches.
Shorten payroll processing time by 20% within six months.
Digitize all core operating documentation within nine months.
Maintain client satisfaction above 90% and retention above 95%.
Reduce controllable operating costs by 15% through automation.
Keep employee attrition below 15%.
Complete required training for every team member within six months.
Establish succession coverage for all key leadership roles.
Automate payroll processes in five priority countries.
Launch real-time KPI and SLA reporting with complete data accuracy.
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