Global Head – Payroll
Location: Noida Experience: 15+ years in multi-country payroll, including senior leadership
About the organisation
Our client is a global leader in Testing, Inspection and Certification, with more than 80,000 employees across about 140 countries. It is building a new Global HR Shared Services organisation with Noida as its largest hub, starting with APAC, the Middle East and Africa before extending to the Americas and Europe.
About the role
This is one of the most critical roles in the new organisation. As Global Head of Payroll, you will own payroll delivery across countries and lead a major vendor consolidation programme, reducing a large network of country payroll providers to a small number of strategic partners.
You will build and lead a team of 40–60 people in Noida.
Key responsibilities
- Own accurate, compliant and on-time payroll across all countries in scope.
- Lead payroll vendor strategy and consolidation: selection, transition and ongoing performance management.
- Build the India payroll team, including hiring, structure, SOPs and controls.
- Set up governance with regional stakeholders and vendors: weekly, fortnightly and monthly reviews against SLAs, KPIs and turnaround times.
- Manage payroll migration as countries move into shared services.
- Ensure statutory compliance, audit readiness and strong controls across geographies.
- Drive automation and process standardisation with the Continuous Improvement and Analytics heads.
What we're looking for
- Essential: Expert knowledge of payroll in APAC, the Middle East and Africa, with good exposure to the Americas and Europe.
- Proven experience consolidating and governing multiple payroll vendors across countries.
- Experience building payroll teams in a GCC or global shared services centre.
- Strong understanding of payroll compliance, controls and audit.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication with regional and global leaders.
Good to have
- Experience with global payroll platforms and SAP SuccessFactors or Workday integration.
Why join
- A global process owner role: lead your area across all countries from India.
- A greenfield build: shape the team, processes and governance from day one.
- A strategic, long-term programme backed by global leadership, not a cost-cutting exercise.
- Strong investment in AI and automation.
- A stable, profitable global organisation with a heritage of nearly 200 years.