Regional Payroll Lead

Job Description

At abrdn, our purpose is to enable our clients to be better investors. We empower them with cutting-edge technology and insights, and through our powerful partnerships, we enhance the expertise we provide. By helping clients invest responsibly, we contribute to building a better world.

About the Department

Led by Tracey Hahn, our Chief People Officer (CPO), abrdn's Human Resources function is at the heart of fostering our culture and talent as key differentiators in the market. We focus on creating the right culture, offering development opportunities, and designing remuneration structures that attract, retain, and reward a diverse, high-calibre workforce.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Global Payroll, the Regional Payroll Lead will be responsible for the successful planning, execution, and delivery of payroll services across the region. This hands-on role will involve working closely with our payroll vendors to ensure efficient, accurate end-to-end payroll processes.

You will work to resolve payroll issues, handle escalations, and lead improvement initiatives. You will also apply best practice thinking around operational payroll processes while ensuring compliance with local legislative requirements. The ability to analyse data, manage escalations, and provide solutions is key to success in this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with key stakeholders across the business and geographies to ensure payroll processes and governance structures are effective and fit for purpose.

• Deliver against Payroll Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), driving performance improvements.

• Ensure payroll data integrity and compliance with internal audit requirements across multiple regions.

• Support payroll issue resolution, including tax concerns, and manage escalations.

• Ensure payroll compliance with local laws, regulations, and reporting standards.

• Provide payroll metrics and insights to drive performance, cost management, and process efficiency.

• Collaborate with Finance teams to deliver accurate payroll reports and financial postings.

About the Candidate

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Proven experience managing payroll services in a regional or global setting, preferably within financial services.

• Strong knowledge of payroll systems and related software, with experience using HR tools such as Workday.

• Expertise in handling complex payroll-related issues, including statutory requirements, employee mobility, and compensation.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions such as HR and Finance.

• Analytical thinking, with the ability to solve complex issues and propose improvements.

• A team-oriented mindset, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet critical deadlines.

The role requires strong leadership abilities, self-motivation, and excellent organizational skills. You will also need to demonstrate an ability to work independently and exhibit resilience, a positive attitude, and a keen attention to detail.

Our benefits

There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.

When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here.

Our business

Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment. We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance. We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.