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EMEA Payroll Operations Manager

activpayroll

Role overview

Qualifications

  • Deep experience in payroll operations across multiple countries or regions
  • Strong track record of delivering accurate, compliant payroll outcomes
  • Experience in managing managers and developing leadership capability
  • High data-driven mentality, using metrics to monitor performance

Responsibilities

  • Own payroll operations across EMEA, ensuring seamless delivery through trusted payroll partners
  • Act as the senior point of accountability for payroll quality, accuracy, compliance, and employee experience
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with payroll partners, setting clear expectations
  • Lead and develop a team of Delivery Managers and payroll professionals across multiple locations

Key facts

Hard skills

Other skills

  • Leadership
  • Collaboration
  • Problem Solving

About the company

activpayroll logo

activpayroll

activpayroll is a leading global professional service organisation, providing integrated global and domestic payroll solutions; expatriate taxation services, global HR services and online HR people management tools to over 1000 companies in more than 140 countries worldwide.With offices in Venice Florida, Americas; Perth & Singapore, APAC; Cape Town, Dubai, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Paris, Orléans, Isle of Man & Manchester, EMEA and global HQ in Aberdeen, UK, activpayroll has one of the largest and most experienced international payroll and expatriate tax teams in the world. activpayroll is an SSAE 16 & ISAE 3402 Type II approved organisation and holds the highest level of BACS accreditation available.

Company details

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Job description

We’re looking for a driven and energetic Payroll Operations leader to take ownership of payroll delivery across EMEA, where payroll execution is delivered through trusted external partners and coordinated through our in-house teams based in both the UK and Dubai.
This is a high-impact leadership role at the centre of regional payroll operations — accountable for ensuring every payroll is accurate, compliant, and delivered with consistency and care across a complex, multi-country environment. You’ll combine operational control, partner management, and people leadership to drive excellence across the region.
On a typical day, you'll...
  • Own payroll operations across EMEA, ensuring seamless delivery through our trusted payroll partner network 
  •  Act as the senior point of accountability for payroll quality, accuracy, compliance, and employee experience 
  • Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with payroll partners, setting clear expectations and driving consistently high performance 
  • Lead and develop a team of Delivery Managers and payroll professionals across multiple locations, ensuring strong leadership, accountability, and execution 
  • Act as the senior escalation point for complex or high-impact payroll issues, ensuring swift resolution and the implementation of preventative controls 
  • Navigate complexity across multiple jurisdictions, proactively identifying and mitigating operational and compliance risks 
  • Use data, insight, and performance metrics to monitor outcomes, strengthen controls, and drive continuous improvement 
  • Drive standardisation and operational excellence across a diverse regional landscape, balancing consistency with local requirements 
  • Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders (including Finance, Contracts, and Payments) and external partners to ensure fully aligned payroll delivery 
  • Champion strategic initiatives that improve efficiency, service quality, and the overall employee and client experience 
  •  Develop leadership capability within your team, fostering a culture of ownership, growth, and collaboration

Does this sound like you?
  • You bring deep experience in payroll operations across multiple countries or regions, with a strong track record of delivering accurate, compliant payroll outcomes 
  • You’ve successfully led through others, including managing managers, and you’re comfortable developing leadership capability across distributed teams 
  • You thrive in complexity, quickly breaking down challenges into clear actions and structured solutions 
  • You are highly data-driven, using metrics and insight to monitor performance, identify risks, and continuously improve service delivery 
  • You build trusted relationships with ease, influencing internal stakeholders and external delivery partners to ensure aligned outcomes 
  • You have a strong continuous improvement mindset, always looking for ways to enhance controls, efficiency, and service quality 
  • You care about building high-performing, supportive team cultures where accountability, development, and collaboration are central to success

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MR

Marcus Rivera

Chief Revenue Officer

m.rivera@company.com
linkedin.com/in/marcusrivera
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