Global Payroll Manager - Europe
hace 2 días
Madrid
Global Payroll Manager-Europe Vaco Highspring is recruiting exclusively on behalf of a well-established Fortune 500 enterprise organisation. Role Location • Work Arrangement: Onsite in Madrid (within Madrid city limits)., • Confidentiality Notice: Exact office location to be disclosed at shortlist stage only due to client confidentiality. Eligibility & Engagement Criteria • This position requires regular physical presence in the office and is not designed as a remote or hybrid role, • Applicants must already be locally based within a reasonable commuting distance, • Candidates must possess the legal, unrestricted right to work in Spain, • The organization does not provide visa sponsorship either now or in the future, • This opportunity is offered on a permanent, direct-employment basis (no contract-to-hire, umbrella or third-party arrangements) Remuneration • Base Salary: Annual base salary: €77,000, • Annual Bonus: 15% target ROLE OVERVIEW: The Global Payroll Manager is a hands‑on people leader within the European payroll function of a globally scaled enterprise with thousands of international employees. The role is responsible for ensuring accurate, compliant, and consistent payroll delivery across multiple European countries in a complex, multi‑jurisdiction environment. This role is focused on embedding stability, reinforcing controls, and driving consistent execution to significant payroll system and operating model changes. Success in this role requires strong operational judgment, disciplined leadership, and the ability to guide teams through post‑change adoption. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Payroll Operations & Delivery • Provide operational ownership for multi‑country payroll delivery across Europe, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with local statutory requirements., • Act as a primary escalation point for complex payroll issues, country‑specific nuances, and exception handling., • Maintain close oversight of payroll execution without being responsible for routine, day‑to‑day payroll processing., • Ensure continuity of payroll operations, including stepping in to support coverage or issue resolution when required. People Leadership & Team Management • Lead and develop payroll professionals supporting multiple European countries, fostering accountability, consistency, and high performance., • Operate as a player‑coach, balancing leadership and oversight with sufficient hands‑on payroll knowledge to support the team when needed., • Provide coaching, guidance, and performance management to ensure teams operate in line with agreed standards and ways of working., • Promote adoption of new processes and reinforce operational discipline in a post‑change environment. Governance, Controls & Compliance • Ensure standardised payroll processes, controls, and governance frameworks are consistently applied across countries., • Support audit readiness through strong documentation, adherence to process, and data integrity., • Partner with HR, Finance, Tax, and Legal stakeholders to address ongoing business and compliance requirements. Vendor & Stakeholder Management • Oversee payroll delivery supported by external payroll providers, ensuring service quality, issue resolution, and adherence to agreed expectations., • Collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to maintain stable and reliable payroll operations. Continuous Improvement • Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, controls, and operational efficiency., • Support the embedding of consistent practices and continuous improvement following recent system and operating model changes. Experience & Qualifications • Minimum 6+ years of consistent, progressive experience in payroll operations, within multi‑country or regionally complex European environments., • Demonstrated experience leading payroll teams, with accountability for operational delivery and team performance., • Strong working knowledge of European payroll legislation, including tax, social security, and labour considerations., • Experience operating in a post‑implementation or post‑restructuring payroll environment, with a focus on stability and execution., • Exposure to vendor‑led or outsourced payroll delivery models., • Comfortable operating as a detail‑oriented, execution‑focused manager, rather than a purely strategic or technical specialist., • Familiarity with enterprise payroll systems and data flows (hands‑on operational understanding rather than technical configuration)., • Strong communication, organisational, and stakeholder management skills., • Relevant academic background or professional payroll qualification advantageous. Role Characteristics • This role requires people leadership, operational accountability, and the ability to guide teams through post‑change environments., • Success is measured by team performance, operational stability, compliance, and consistency across countries. Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual's skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's 401(k) retirement plan. Additional disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filing for is occupied. Please note, however, that Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase within Vaco/Highspring will be otherwise assessed by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco/Highspring does not have knowledge of the tools used by its clients in making final hiring decisions and cannot opine on their use of AI products.