Program Manager, International Payroll Implementation

Description

The Program Manager, International Payroll Implementation coordinates all payroll-impacting work for new country launches, payroll implementations and related global transformation projects. The role makes sure inputs, decisions, dependencies, approvals and deliverables from Legal, HR, Benefits, Finance, IT, Payroll, local business stakeholders and external vendors are identified, sequenced, tracked and finished in time for a successful payroll go-live.

The role owns the integrated implementation plan, governance, risk management, stakeholder alignment and overall payroll readiness for each rollout.

The Program Manager needs a solid grasp of payroll and of the upstream and downstream processes that touch it. The role does not own payroll configuration, complete provider implementation workbooks or run payroll. The Payroll team and implementation partners handle those tasks, while this role keeps the work connected, on schedule and ready for each milestone and go-live.

Responsibilities

• Run the full program for global payroll implementations and country rollouts, from planning through go-live, stabilization and handover to ongoing operations.
• Apply one global implementation approach to every rollout while handling each country's payroll requirements, local stakeholders, vendors, dependencies and readiness needs.
• Build and maintain a repeatable implementation method, including templates, governance routines, readiness criteria, escalation paths and lessons-learned reviews.
• Create and keep up integrated project plans that show payroll-related milestones, deliverables, owners, dependencies, risks, decision points and critical paths across all workstreams.
• Coordinate payroll-related dependencies among Legal, HR, Benefits, Finance, IT, Payroll, Treasury, local business stakeholders and external implementation partners.
• Make sure each payroll requirement, decision and deliverable has a clear owner, is handed off between workstreams and is delivered in time for implementation and go-live.
• Align payroll providers, systems vendors and implementation partners on delivery plans, dependencies, timelines and readiness requirements within the wider rollout plan.
• Coordinate data readiness and testing with Payroll, IT and implementation partners, including data migration and validation, integration testing, user acceptance testing and parallel payroll testing where needed. Each of these needs an owner, completion criteria, an issue resolution plan and required sign-offs.
• Lead cross-functional working sessions and governance forums, drive timely decisions, clarify ownership and escalate risks or blockers that could affect timelines or go-live readiness.
• Track progress against agreed milestones and give project teams and senior stakeholders clear, concise status updates covering risks, decisions needed and recommended mitigations.
• Plan cutover and go-live across workstreams, covering final approvals, payroll processing deadlines, production transition, contingency plans and initial hypercare.
• Support change management and operational readiness, including process documentation, handoff planning, communications, training coordination and post-go-live stabilization.
• Look for ways to strengthen implementation controls, improve cross-functional working methods, reduce manual effort and standardize the global payroll rollout.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resources, Finance, Operations, Project Management or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years leading complex cross-functional projects or programs, including managing global or multi-country payroll implementations where payroll, regulatory and operational rules differ by country.
• Experience running multi-workstream initiatives with interdependent deliverables, competing priorities, external vendors and senior stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of the full payroll lifecycle and the upstream and downstream processes it depends on, such as HR data, employment terms, working time, leave, benefits, integrations, banking and payment processes and statutory employer duties.
• Experience with global payroll platforms, time and attendance platforms, HRIS/HCM systems and their integrations.
• Experience building integrated project plans, governance structures, milestone tracking, risk and issue logs and executive status reports.
• Experience creating scalable implementation playbooks, templates, readiness assessments and governance processes.
• Ability to influence teams and drive accountability without direct authority.
• Strong written and spoken communication, able to turn complex cross-functional dependencies into clear actions, decisions and plans.
• Organized, detail-oriented and proactive, and comfortable working across countries, cultures and changing local requirements.
• Willingness to adjust working hours from time to time to work across global time zones, depending on the countries and projects supported.
• Familiarity with Workday, ADP Celergo, UKG Dimensions and related payroll and timekeeping integrations.
• Experience supporting retail, hourly or multi-location workforces.
• Knowledge of project management methods and tools. PMP, PRINCE2, Agile or similar certification is a plus.
• Familiarity with change management, operational readiness, process standardization and continuous improvement.

Conditions

The base salary range is $125,000 - $145,000 per year for this exempt position. Actual pay depends on location, experience and performance, and on occasion the final agreed base salary may be above the top of the range.

The base salary is one part of the total rewards package for exempt employees. Other rewards may include performance bonuses, long-term incentives, a PTO policy and other benefits.

Benefits

• Performance bonuses, long-term incentives, a PTO policy and other benefits are part of the total rewards package for exempt employees.