Senior Manager, APAC & UK Payroll

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Overview

As a key member of the International Payroll Leadership team, the Senior Manager, APAC & UK Payroll will lead payroll operations across 12 countries in the APAC region and the UK, managing 38 payrolls for approximately 3,500 employees-including expatriate payrolls for the CNN Network. This role combines strategic leadership with operational excellence, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and a best-in-class employee experience. You will mentor and develop a team of seven professionals based in Hong Kong and Hyderabad, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Lead Regional Payroll Operations: Oversee 38 payrolls across APAC and UK, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery for 3,500 employees.
• Drive Expertise: Act as the subject matter expert for Indian and UK payroll operations and expatriate payrolls.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of seven payroll professionals located in Hong Kong and Hyderabad, promoting growth and operational excellence.
• Strategic Execution: Develop and implement WBD's payroll strategy aligned with business objectives, focusing on efficiency, automation, and standardization.
• Vendor Management: Oversee relationships with global payroll provider for the APAC region and the local UK vendor, ensuring service quality and cost control.
• Process Improvement: Collaborate with senior leadership to identify opportunities for optimization and lead initiatives to enhance payroll processes.
• Risk & Issue Management: Serve as the escalation point for payroll issues, proactively identifying, tracking, and resolving risks, and escalating unresolved matters to senior management.
• Financial Integration: Support stakeholders with timely data for general ledger activities, account reconciliation, treasury, tax, and other financial processes.
• Compliance & Audit: Ensure adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements, supporting internal and external audits with precision.
• Project Leadership: Design and lead multiple projects, delivering on agreed milestones and driving successful outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with P&C, Legal, Benefits, Global Mobility, and Technology teams to implement special initiatives (e.g., incentive programs, acquisitions, vendor transitions).
• Confidentiality: Always maintain strict confidentiality of payroll and employee information.

• Experience: 10+ years in payroll service delivery, with deep operational and technical knowledge of payroll taxes and benefits across APAC and UK.
• Leadership: 7+ years of management experience in a payroll environment, with proven ability to coach and inspire teams.
• Expertise: Strong background in expatriate payrolls and Indian payroll operations; experience in retail and entertainment sectors preferred.
• Systems Knowledge: Familiarity with SAP, Safeguard, and Workday is a plus.
• Strategic Mindset: Ability to think strategically, manage complex work under tight deadlines, and deliver high-quality results.
• Communication Skills: Excellent English written and verbal communication; ability to tailor messaging for different audiences and levels of the organization.
• Collaboration: Skilled at partnering with senior executives and cross-functional teams to address issues and implement solutions.
• Proactive Approach: Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic and a passion for improving processes and creating efficiencies.