Senior Manager Payroll AP

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Manager serves as the regional process owner for Payroll Payment operations, providing leadership over service delivery, governance, controls, compliance, and transformation initiatives. The role is accountable for ensuring effective payment governance, operational excellence, stakeholder satisfaction, and continuous improvement while maintaining strong financial stewardship and risk management practices across Asia Pacific. The role partners closely with the Regional Director, Finance Projects (RDFP) to deliver operational excellence, process standardization, automation, governance, and continuous improvement across finance operations.

The role ensures timely and accurate employee reimbursements, payroll disbursements, compliance with statutory and corporate requirements, and maintenance of a strong internal control environment. Working closely with Finance, HR, Treasury, and corporate teams, the Senior Manager drives operational excellence, process standardization, and continuous improvement across Procure-to-Pay and payroll payment processes.

The Senior Manager provides leadership to payroll team, supports audit and compliance activities, and partners with stakeholders to achieve organizational objectives while maintaining the highest standards of financial stewardship, payment governance, and risk management.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Primary Business Partners:

• Regional Finance & Accounting teams
• Onsite and Regional HR Leaders
• Corporate Finance & Accounting Team

Interfaces With:

• Business Unit Finance Leaders
• Corporate and Regional Tax Team
• Payroll Services Providers
• Operational and Commercial Teams
• Internal and external auditors

JOB SPECIFIC TASKS

Overall responsibilities

• Lead and manage Payroll Operations, ensuring high-quality and cost-effective service delivery.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of employee reimbursements and payroll disbursements.
• Maintain a robust control environment in compliance with SOX, company policies, treasury and banking controls, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee payroll operations across multiple markets within Asia Pacific.
• Drive process standardization, operational efficiencies, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead and develop high-performing payroll operations teams.
• Support finance transformation and automation initiatives to enhance efficiency and controls.
• Manage risks, escalations, fraud prevention measures, and payment exceptions.
• Execute operational priorities and transformation initiatives under the direction of the RDFP.
• Lead day-to-day operations of payroll functions and ensure delivery against established performance targets and service levels.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development for payroll teams.

Strategic Planning & Business Partnerships:

• Serve as the regional functional Payroll Payment processes across Asia Pacific.
• Partner with HR, Treasury, and business stakeholders to identify service improvement opportunities.
• Develop and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and performance dashboards to drive operational excellence.
• Lead governance forums with key stakeholders to review performance, risks, control effectiveness, and improvement opportunities.
• Support organizational redesign and migration initiatives into centralized environments.
• Lead regional initiatives involving payment automation, transformation, payroll process improvements, and ERP enhancements.
• Monitor project timelines, budgets, risks, and benefits realization.
• Ensure payment processes align with both local compliance requirements and global standards.
• Make sound business decisions that balance stakeholder needs, operational realities, and long-term objectives.
• Monitor project timelines, budgets, risks, and benefits realization.
• Make quality business decisions that thoughtfully weigh the facts and understand the interests of stakeholders involved.

Centralized Operations & Controls

• Responsible for operational leadership and service delivery performance of payroll processes including finance operations. Accountable for achieving agreed service levels, process efficiencies, and quality standards.

Payroll Operations

• Act as primary finance owner for payroll governance across the region.
• Ensure payroll funding, payroll accounting, and disbursement processes comply with established internal controls.
• Review payroll-related balance sheet reconciliations and control account integrity.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties exists across payroll processing, approval, and payment activities.
• Monitor payroll compliance risks and coordinate remediation activities with HR and payroll service providers.
• Review payroll metrics, trends, and exception reports to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with local labor laws, payroll regulations, tax requirements, and statutory obligations across all countries under scope.

Treasury & Cash Management Partnership

• Partner with Regional Finance & Accounting team and Corporate Treasury team to optimize payment cycles and working capital management.
• Support cash forecasting related to payroll payments.
• Oversee cash utilization processes.
• Support management of banking platforms and electronic payment systems.
• Collaborate with Regional Finance & Accounting team and Corporate Treasury team on initiatives involving payment automation and liquidity optimization.

Governance and Controls:

• Serve as process owner for SOX controls relating to Payroll Payments.
• Ensure adherence to SOX, MVW policies, Delegation of Authority requirements, and banking controls.
• Perform regular control reviews to identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure audit readiness and timely closure of audit findings.
• Lead compliance reviews relating to financial, statutory, and corporate policy requirements.
• Maintain documentation of key controls, process maps, and operating procedures.
• Implement fraud prevention and payment verification controls.
• Lead remediation efforts for control gaps and audit findings.
• Support