Payroll Operations Manager (12 month FTC)

Locations Supported 🌍

• Portugal, Spain, Poland, South Africa, Romania, Netherlands, UK and Ireland

Relocation available: No

Work pattern:

• Remote

About the Opportunity

As we expand across jurisdictions and integrate multiple entities, payroll complexity is increasing - across vendors, compliance frameworks, and ways of working. While payroll execution remains critical, the next phase of maturity requires more streamlined, automated, and efficient payroll operations.

This role sits alongside the Payroll Manager and is designed to improve how payroll operates, not just support it. You will focus on simplifying workflows, reducing manual effort, improving data accuracy, and introducing practical automation to create consistency across regions. You will act as the bridge between Payroll, People, Finance, and Systems, ensuring that payroll operations are not only accurate and compliant, but also efficient, well-structured, and easy to scale operationally.

This is a builder role - ideal for someone who sees inefficiencies and instinctively improves processes

What You Will Do

• Own and optimise global payroll operations processes, identifying inefficiencies and driving standardisation across entities, providers, and workflows

• Design, build, and test robust payroll processes, ensuring they are efficient, repeatable, and audit-ready

• Introduce practical automation and workflow improvements to reduce manual effort and increase accuracy (e.g. process improvements, system configurations, better use of existing tools)

• Partner closely with the Payroll Manager to support payroll delivery while enabling them to focus on strategic ownership and governance

• Build and maintain operational frameworks including documentation, controls, calendars, SLAs, and performance tracking

• Support payroll-related transformation initiatives, including M&A integrations, new country launches, and vendor/process improvements

• Improve payroll data quality, reporting, and visibility across Finance, Legal, and People teams to support better decision-making

About You

• Strong experience in process building, optimisation, and improvement, with the ability to design and test robust, scalable payroll workflows

• Experience in payroll operations within a multi-entity or international environment, with exposure beyond pure payroll execution

• Experience working with UK and US payroll is highly beneficial, including understanding of compliance, statutory requirements, and operational nuances

• Comfortable working with our current systems and platforms e.g. Workday, ADP, Deel, Payassist, etc.)

• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI and automation tools to augment workflows, automate processes, and analyse payroll data

• Strong ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, balancing BAU support with operational improvement initiatives

• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a proactive, service-oriented mindset and a focus on identifying root causes and driving sustainable solutions

• Confident communicator with Finance, Legal, People, and external partners