Head of Global Payroll

The Head of Global Payroll owns payroll operations across the USA, South Africa, UK, Canada, and Ireland. This role sets the standard for accuracy, compliance, and control across five distinct regulatory environments. It suits a True Pro who has run multi-country payroll under pressure and knows the difference between a payroll that runs and a payroll that runs right.

Minimum Level of Education

• A degree in finance, accounting, human resources, or a related field.
• A recognized payroll qualification or certification, such as CPP (USA), SAPA membership or a payroll certificate (South Africa), CIPP (UK), PCP or NPI accreditation (Canada), or IPASS (Ireland).
• Experience working with Syspro or a comparable ERP system.

Minimum Experience

• Substantial experience leading payroll operations across multiple countries, with direct, hands-on experience in the USA, South Africa, and UK specifically. Experience with Canada and Ireland payroll is an advantage.
• Working knowledge of payroll compliance requirements in each region: IRS, FLSA, and state tax rules (USA); SARS, PAYE, and UIF (South Africa); HMRC, PAYE, National Insurance, and pension auto-enrolment (UK); CRA, CPP, and EI (Canada); and Revenue, PAYE, and PRSI (Ireland).
• Experience managing payroll through an ERP or dedicated payroll system, including data integrity and control processes.
• A track record of managing payroll through audits, statutory filings, and year-end close.
• Experience working with outsourced or platform-based global payroll providers, such as Deel.

Beneficial Experience

• Experience working with outsourced or platform-based global payroll providers, such as Deel.

Special Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent numerical and analytical skills, essential to the role.
• High attention to detail and a low tolerance for payroll errors.
• Clear communication across cultures, regions, and time zones.
• Strong organizational skills, able to manage competing deadlines across five payroll calendars.
• Sound judgment on compliance risk and when to escalate.
• Strong grasp of complex regional payroll issues, such as Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and other statutory leave pay in the UK, and multi-state tax withholding and wage garnishment rules in the USA.
• Identifies process inefficiencies and uses initiative to find better ways of working.
• Risk management and internal controls awareness across payroll processes.
• Strong numerical skills, with the accuracy and attention to detail payroll demands.