Team Lead Payroll Support - Switzerland

About SD Worx

About the role:

The Team Leader Payroll Support provides operational leadership to the Payroll Support team, ensuring consistent, high-quality and compliant service delivery. The role is accountable for team capability, service performance, operational controls and the effective resolution of complex escalations. Working closely with Payroll, People, Finance, Technology and operational teams, the role implements improvement initiatives, supports automation and organisational change, and ensures that business priorities are translated into effective and sustainable operational delivery.

Which tasks can you expect?

Leadership and capability

• Provide overall leadership and direction to the Payroll Support team, translating business objectives into clear priorities, performance expectations and development plans.

• Build a high-performing and accountable team through coaching, objective setting, regular feedback, performance management and succession planning.

• Assess current and future capability requirements and implement plans addressing skills, capacity, knowledge continuity and operational resilience.

• Create an environment that promotes ownership, effective delegation, collaboration and continuous learning.

Service ownership and performance

• Own the Payroll Support service model, ensuring consistent, timely and high-quality support across the defined payroll scope.

• Define and monitor service standards, KPIs and SLAs, using data and operational insight to improve customer experience, quality and efficiency.

• Take accountability for complex escalations and systemic payroll support issues, ensuring effective resolution, stakeholder communication and prevention of recurrence.

• Provide senior management with transparent reporting on service performance, operational risks, recurring issues and improvement priorities.

Governance, controls and risk

• Establish and maintain an effective operational governance and control framework for payroll support activities.

• Ensure appropriate management of payroll data, documentation, access, confidentiality and control requirements.

• Identify and mitigate operational, compliance and service continuity risks, escalating material concerns where required.

• Maintain audit readiness and ensure that agreed corrective actions are implemented and sustainably embedded.

• Ensure root-cause analysis is completed for significant or recurring incidents and that preventive actions are tracked to completion.

Transformation and continuous improvement

• Define and drive the continuous improvement and automation roadmap for Payroll Support, aligned with wider payroll and business priorities.

• Use service data, customer insight and process analysis to identify opportunities for standardisation, simplification and automation.

• Lead the implementation and adoption of improved processes, tools and ways of working, ensuring measurable and sustainable business benefits.

• Promote knowledge management and self-service solutions that reduce dependency, improve resolution times and strengthen operational capability.

Implementations and organisational change

• Provide Payroll Support leadership for implementations, transitions, migrations and other material operational changes.

• Assess service readiness, resource implications, risks, dependencies and knowledge-transfer requirements before operational handover.

• Ensure new services and processes are supported by appropriate controls, documentation, training and ownership arrangements.

Stakeholder and cross-functional leadership

• Act as a trusted senior partner to Payroll, People, Finance, Technology and operational stakeholders.

• Influence cross-functional priorities and decisions affecting payroll service quality, controls and customer outcomes.

• Build effective networks across countries, functions and specialist teams to promote consistent standards and resolve complex issues.

• Represent Payroll Support in relevant governance forums, transformation initiatives and service performance reviews.

Additional responsibilities may be assigned by your manager as needed.

What do you have to offer?

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in payroll operations, payroll support or a comparable business-critical service environment, including at least 3 years in a people leadership role.

• Proven experience leading, developing and performance-managing a team of payroll professionals or specialists within a complex, high-volume environment.

• Advanced knowledge of end-to-end payroll processes, operational controls, data confidentiality and payroll-related compliance requirements.

• Proven experience managing service delivery, including KPIs, SLAs, operational risks, complex escalations and recurring service issues.

• Proven experience implementing and maintaining agreed governance, control and audit-readiness requirements.

• Experience delivering significant process improvement, service transition, standardisation or automation initiatives with measurable operational benefits.

• Strong analytical capability, with experience using operational data and reporting tools to identify trends, support decisions and improve service performance.

• Ability to translate business objectives into clear operational priorities, resource plans and delivery outcomes.

• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across functions, countries and seniority levels.

• Experience supporting and implementing operational change, including managing dependencies, resistance and operational readiness.

• Strong judgement and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance service quality, customer impact, compliance, risk and operational efficiency.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; additional languages relevant to the supported market would be an advantage.

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in payroll, business management, finance, HR, operations or a related discipline.

What do we have to offer?

• Leaves: the types of leave granted from day 1 (annual leave, study leave, maternity/paternity leave, wedding leave, compassionate leave). Eligible for seniority leave after 3 years

• Insurance benefits: Medical insurance fully paid by SD Worx for you and two dependents (children up to 18 years old). Option to upgrade available. You are also eligible to enroll your parents in your medical insurance at a subsidized rate

• Monthly fixed transport allowance

• No deduction for using the company’s transport after work

• Eligible for a mobile voucher, redeemable at one of four suppliers, renewable every 3 years

• Fixed internet allowance for home use

• Career break option

• Workation: possibility to work from any SD Worx location (4 weeks per year, EU only)

• Yearly performance review with remuneration review

• Yearly company bonus

• Car loan: subsidized interest facility

• Referral program

• Learning opportunities: through an individual development plan and professional training

• Career growth: whether you want to become more of an expert in your field or want to expand your knowledge more horizontally, there is always room to grow within SD Worx!

Salary range information will be shared with candidates during the initial interaction with the Talent Acquisition team, either by phone or email.