Head of Payroll & HR Operations, Assistant Vice President

Summary of the role

Whilst reporting to the Regional Head of HR/Payroll Operations Leadership, this role within GHR Shared Services is required to provide oversight and a hands on focus primarily responsible for payroll and HR Operations administration for our Luxembourg legal entities,, including oversight to associated compliance and statutory reporting activities.

This role has a high level of focus on Payroll Governance, Compliance, Data Protection, Employment Tax, and HR and Benefits Administration across multiple countries in a mixed and complex operating model and compensation structure. Additional accountability includes coordinating with GHR Centres of Expertise and other corporate groups to operationalize (end-to-end) global, regional and local policies, programs and regulatory requirements into the daily operations of GHR Shared Services as well as global, regional and local outsourced payroll and benefits vendors, as required.

Key Responsibilities

This position requires an experienced payroll and HR operations professional with strong technical and business process skills, and the ability to interact at all levels of the organization. A requirement to demonstrate a flexible approach and ability to work at a strategic governance level whilst also operating in a ‘hands on manner’ to ensure all deadlines are adhered to

Continually execute the GHR Shared Services Strategy to ensure alignment to corporate and GHR goals

• Act in an advisory and strategic role when looking at legislative changes and trends to assess and impact future strategy
• Support local and regional business scalability around growth and our global deployment strategy including growth, acquisition and deployment strategy
• Continue the evolution of the GHR operating model with an emphasis on service delivery through a globally consistent, scalable support model and enhanced self-sufficiency
• Researches best practices, evaluating “as is” processes and redesigning them to achieve better efficiency, effectiveness and control compliance
• Operationalise end-to-end local regulatory requirements and GHR policies and programs, as well as those of other corporate groups, into the daily operations of GHRSS; global, regional and local outsourced administrative vendors.

Provide effective Governance and Management of resources and processes to identify and manage risk under a focus of risk excellence

• Providing oversight to payroll and HR administration activities for the Luxembourg companies, to include coordinating related activities with Finance, Legal, etc., as needed, and providing Tier 3 customer support for such HR services.
• Act as key contact for all payroll and employment tax audit activities such as liaison with internal and external auditors to assist with understanding the key processes, providing evidence of key controls
• Ensuring correct statutory and payroll treatment of inbound and outbound assignees and short term business visitors via liaison with Global Mobility & external tax consultant
• Providing oversight to all payroll and employment tax audit activities, including maintaining a working relationship with local revenue and governmental agencies
• Ensure a focus on maintaining data privacy in line with global and local requirements across GHR Shared Services
• Pro-actively deliver against a robust and effective control framework across our international payroll operation, including complex areas such as;
• Global mobility and assignees
• Executive compensation schemes
• Complex international benefit programmes
• Employment taxation and reporting
• Payroll Operational review and provide approval where required including payroll output review and approval and authorisation of payments
• Achieve an improved understanding of client requirements and opinions locally to enable informed suggestions and decisions
• Act as a local escalation point for all payroll and HR administration issues
• Ensure adoption of compliance initiatives across the GHRSS international operation
• Ensure support the full SOX & Audit requirements in a position of audit readiness
• Ensure strong vendor management framework is followed whilst supporting all due diligence and relationship management
• Support the continued development of a comprehensive vendor management program with an emphasis on risk mitigation policies and practices (RAMP/ISRMP)
• Mitigate risk by ensuring production of well documented end to end operating processes, inclusive of vendor touch points
• Ensure documented BCP plans
• Demonstrate the ‘Risk Excellence’ culture in your behaviour
• Ensure effective personal and team impact ensuring participation in all global/regional calls and one2ones
• Develop effective working relationships and communications with staff and ensure that staff are motivated, developed and supported.
• Establish and monitor an effective delegation framework to ensure that tasks are performed by staff members with appropriate capacity and authority level (based on knowledge, skills and competence).
• Establish and monitor an effective oversight framework to ensure that issues are appropriately identified, escalated and resolved. This includes: a) ensuring that appropriate management information is received, considered and challenged as appropriate at intervals proportionate to the risks; and b) that staff members have clear understanding of the escalation path/principles
• Ensure that you make reasonable decisions by exercising reasonable care when considering information available to you. This includes taking proactive action to ensure that the information you have is suitable and adequate.
• Establish and nurture a culture of individual ownership of tasks to embed a clear individual sense of accountability into staff members’ behaviour in performing their roles.
• Ensure that the highest level of the Code of Conduct is displayed in your own and staff behaviour

Ensure effective stakeholder and project management programmes are supported around all GHR Shared Service activity

• Effectively communicate and collaboration with all leadership levels as a key partner and regional lead for regional and local initiatives and strategies
• Ensure regular communication with in-country HR leads to support the dual manager role
• Develop and build strong partnerships across key areas such as GHR, Finance, Corporate Tax, Audit and Compliance

Provide effective operating Cost management

• Control and manager variable resource costs such as overtime
• Track vendor costs and invoices to ensure expense is managed to budget

Level of Education/ Specific Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, HR/finance/accounting preferred

Skills and Experience:

• 10 or more years’ experience in a payroll/HR operations position in a multi-country payroll environment with a strong understanding of best practice around controls, regulations, tax compliance, and working with outsourced providers
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to work in a dynamic business environment
• High attention to detail with demonstrated project management and process improvement skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Other language skills are an advantage
• Team player with a strong customer focus
• Excellent Luxembourg Payroll legislation knowledge is a must with preferable payroll management experience

Required Competencies

• Team motivation and Leadership
• Management of virtual teams
• Ability to focus on the customer
• Embraces culture of risk excellence
• Strong interpersonal, influencing, and customer service skills
• Uses independent action, judgment and decision-making
• Demonstrates flexibility to meet changing business needs and priorities
• Displays a positive attitude toward work and the work environment
• Cooperates and works well with others

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.