Director Global Payroll

Job Purpose

The Global Payroll Director will lead a newly centralized global payroll organization, accountable for end-to-end payroll delivery, compliance, controls, and continuous improvement across 40+ markets. This role will set global standards, ensure accurate and timely payroll, strengthen risk and audit readiness, and drive efficiency through simplification and automation. The role partners closely with People Services leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver the global payroll strategy and operating model.

Key responsibilities

Strategy & leadership

• Lead global payroll operations to deliver consistent, compliant, and efficient services across all markets.
• Partner with GXO Payroll to deliver the global payroll strategy and operating model, including centralization into a single global function.
• Build, develop and retain high-performing teams; embed a culture of service excellence, compliance and continuous improvement.
• Establish governance, roles and decision rights across Payroll, HR, Finance, Tax and external providers.
• Own payroll budget, cost-to-serve, and vendor contracts; deliver efficiency and cost optimization.

Payroll operations & delivery

• Oversee end-to-end payroll delivery (gross-to-net) across multiple platforms and vendors, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, statutory reporting, tax withholding/remittances, year-end processing and reconciliations.
• Define, monitor and report global payroll KPIs and SLAs (e.g., accuracy, timeliness, cost-to-serve, employee satisfaction).
• Lead vendor governance, service reviews, and performance management for payroll providers and third parties.
• Act as executive escalation point for complex cases and major payroll incidents; lead resolution and communications.

Compliance & controls

• Own the global payroll control framework, risk management, and audit readiness; design and maintain SOX controls (where applicable) and remediate control gaps in partnership with process owners and HR Risk.

Stakeholder management & collaboration

• Partner with Tax, Legal, Finance, Treasury and IT to align payroll with enterprise initiatives (e.g., ERP migrations, tax audits, year-end).
• Influence senior stakeholders on payroll decisions, risks, and employee impacts.

Systems, transformation & automation

• Drive standardization and identify automation/AI opportunities across payroll processes and ways of working, in collaboration with GXO and vendors.
• Champion analytics and process optimization to improve efficiency, accuracy and scalability.

Basic qualifications — Global Payroll Director

Minimum (required)

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, Business Administration or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 18+ years of payroll experience, including 5–7+ years leading multi-country/global payroll operations (20+ markets).
• Proven people leadership in a matrix environment (building and retaining high-performing teams).
• Ownership of end-to-end payroll delivery across platforms/vendors (gross-to-net, statutory reporting, tax withholding/remittances, year-end).
• Hands-on experience with payroll control frameworks, SOX controls (where applicable), audit readiness and control remediation.
• Experience leading payroll system implementations/migrations and driving automation/analytics initiatives.
• Experience managing third-party payroll vendors and influencing senior stakeholders across HR, Finance, Tax, Legal and IT.
• Strong strategic leadership, stakeholder influence, change management, governance, risk management, and budget ownership.
• Fluent English (business level); additional languages a plus.
• Willingness to travel globally (up to ~20%).

Preferred

• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA) and/or professional credentials (e.g., CPP, CIPP, CA or equivalent).
• Experience operating at scale (e.g., 40+ markets and/or 50,000+ employees).
• Familiarity with Workday Payroll and/or large global payroll service models (shared services + managed vendor).
• Experience leading payroll SOX remediation and partnering with external auditors on controls.
• Track record delivering centralization, cost-to-serve reduction, and automation/AI use cases.
• Experience partnering on ERP migrations, global tax audits, and/or expatriate payroll programs.
• Additional languages relevant to EMEA/APAC/LatAm are an advantage.

Behavioral / leadership competencies

• Strategic thinker with operational rigor and bias for results.
• Collaborative influencer able to align senior leaders across matrix functions.
• Calm escalation handler for complex/multi‑jurisdictional incidents.
• Change agent with a continuous improvement mindset.

The annual base salary in Poland for new hires in this position ranges from PLN 373,500 to PLN 622,500 gross, taking into account a number of factors including the candidate’s skills, experience, education level and the market rate for the role. Depending on the role and internal policies, the position may also be eligible for a bonus (if applicable and based on defined, non-discretionary criteria) and/or awards for exceptional performance (granted at the employer’s discretion). All statutory benefits will be maintained in accordance with Polish law. Other benefits may also be offered, which may include private healthcare, additional paid days off, life insurance, private pension plan and fully paid parental leave & care of family member leave. More detailed information on the total reward package applicable to your role will be supplied during the recruitment process. Salary ranges for other locations are shown because some markets have pay transparency laws that require salary information on job postings, and those locations are potential job sites for this role. If salary ranges are not displayed in the job posting for a specific location or country, the relevant compensation will be discussed during the recruitment process. Please note salaries vary by country based on the market rate for the role.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Inclusion at GSK:

As an employer committed to Inclusion, we encourage you to reach out if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process.

Please contact our Recruitment Team at IN.recruitment-adjustments@gsk.com to discuss your needs.

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