Payroll Specialist Lead - United Arab Emirates

Global HR Solutions & Employment Tools For Distributed Teams; Abu Dhabi; Remote; AED 122,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

A global HR solutions firm is looking for a Payroll Specialist Lead to manage UAE payroll operations. You will oversee end-to-end payroll processes, ensuring compliance and efficiency while mentoring your team. This fully remote position emphasizes a balance between work and life, offering competitive benefits and a collaborative work culture.

Benefits

Flexible paid time off

16 weeks paid parental leave

Mental health support services

Learning budget

Home office budget

Qualifications

• Experience leading end-to-end payroll processing in UAE.
• Hands-on experience with DMCC, MOL, or WPS workflows.
• Adaptable to fast-paced, international work environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage stakeholder relationships and ensure compliance.
• Process full end-to-end payroll and statutory filings.
• Drive process improvements and mentor payroll specialists.

Skills

In-house payroll management

DMCC experience

Payroll best practices

Proficient in SAP

Analytical mindset

Fluent in English

Tools

SAP

Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

Remote is solving modern organizations biggest challenge navigating global employment compliantly with ease. We make it possible for businesses of all sizes to recruit, pay, and manage international teams. With our core values at heart and future-focused work culture, our team works tirelessly on ambitious problems asynchronously around the world. You can find Remoters working from 6 different continents (Antarctica left to go!) and all of our positions are fully remote.

We encourage every member of the Remote team to bring their talents, experiences, and culture to the table to help us build the best-in-class HR platform. If you are energetic, curious, motivated, and ambitious, be part of our world. Apply now and define the future of work!

This is an exciting opportunity to join Remote as a Payroll Specialist Lead focusing on payroll operations in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, you will take ownership of end-to-end payroll processing, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency while managing key stakeholder relationships across Finance, Product, and Engineering. You will also have the opportunity to drive process improvements, mentor payroll specialists, and contribute to the continuous optimization of payroll operations in a fast-paced international environment.

What you bring

• In-house payroll management or equivalent experience leading the full end-to-end processing of UAE payroll.
• Hands-on experience with DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre), MOL (Ministry of Labour), or WPS (Wages Protection System) workflows.
• Knowledge of payroll best practices.
• Proficient in using software tools like SAP, Excel / Google Sheet.
• An analytical mindset with great problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to adapt to a fast-paced international work environment with a passion for making an impact.
• Is a productivity geek and will constantly think of ways to improve and speed up their work.
• You understand the need and ideal to work largely asynchronously.
• Writes and speaks fluent English.
• It's not required to have experience working remotely, but considered a plus.

Key responsibilities

• Act as a true subject matter expert for the country.
  • Manage existing relationships with key stakeholders within Payroll Implementation, Finance, Product Engineers.
  • Process full end-to-end payroll in-house, statutory filing requirements, exceptions, approvals, payments, and compliance.
  • Ensure payroll operations are fully compliant with DMCC, MOL, or WPS requirements, including related reporting and processing standards.
  • Ensure full data integrity and quality.
• Accounting/reconciliations.
• Focus on KPIs and SLAs.
• Implement and improve processes.
• Mentor and support payroll specialists.
• Back up regional managers during times of absence.

Practicals

• You'll report to: Manager, Global Payroll Operations
• Team: Payroll
• Location: EMEA
• Start date: As soon as possible

Remote Compensation Philosophy

Remote's Total Rewards philosophy is to ensure fair, unbiased compensation and fair equity pay along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate. We do not agree to or encourage cheap-labor practices and therefore we ensure to pay above in-location rates. We hope to inspire other companies to support global talent-hiring and bring local wealth to developing countries.

The base salary range for this full-time position is $33,300 to $74,850 USD. Our salary ranges are determined by role level and location, and our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay for the successful candidate in this role is dependent upon many factors such as location, transferable or job-related skills, work experience, relevant training, business needs, and market demands.

Application process

• Interview with Recruiter
• Interview with Manager, Payroll Operations
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Interview with Senior Manager
• Bar Raiser Interview

Benefits

Our full benefits & perks are explained in our handbook. As a global company, each country works differently, but some benefits/perks are for all Remoters:

• Work from anywhere
• Flexible paid time off
• Flexible working hours (we are async)
• 16 weeks paid parental leave
• Mental health support services
• Stock options
• Learning budget
• Home office budget & IT equipment
• Budget for local in-person social events or co-working spaces

We work async at Remote, which means you can plan your schedule around your life (and not around meetings). You will be empowered to take ownership and be proactive. When in doubt, you will default to action instead of waiting. Your life-work balance is important, and you will be encouraged to put yourself and your family first and fit work around your needs.

If that sounds like something you want, apply now!

How to apply

• Please fill out the form below and upload your CV with a PDF format.
• We kindly ask you to submit your application and CV in English, as this is the standardized language we use here at Remote.
• If you don't have an up-to-date CV but you are still interested in talking to us, please feel free to add a copy of your LinkedIn profile instead.

Not only do we encourage folks from all ethnic groups, genders, sexuality, age, abilities, disability status, and any other under-represented group to apply, but we prioritize a sense of belonging. We have 4 ERGs (Women, Disability, Queer, Minorities in Tech) who meet regularly with the People team. During your interviews and beyond, we ask & encourage anybody who needs an accommodation to request one from their recruiter.

We will ask you to voluntarily tell us your pronouns at the interview stage, and you will have the option to answer our anonymous demographic questionnaire when you apply below. As an equal employment opportunity employer, it's important to us that our workforce reflects people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, and this data will help us to stay accountable.