Senior Manager- Payroll & Compensation

Confidential Careers; Dubai; On-site; AED 520,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Careers seeks an experienced Senior Manager – Payroll & Compensation to oversee payroll operations and compensation programs across multiple entities and jurisdictions. The role emphasizes accuracy, regulatory compliance, and continuous process improvement within a dynamic environment.

The ideal candidate will lead end-to-end payroll, manage reviews and month-end activities, and collaborate with Finance, HR, and external providers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in payroll and compensation management.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, compensation & benefits, and payroll controls.
• Experience managing payroll across multiple countries and legal entities.
• Good understanding of labor laws, taxation, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee end-to-end payroll processing across multiple countries and legal entities.
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with internal policies and local regulations.
• Manage payroll reviews, approvals, reconciliations, and month-end activities.
• Coordinate with Finance, HR, and external payroll providers where applicable.
• Administer compensation and benefits programs, including salary reviews, annual increments, bonuses, commissions, and incentive plans.
• Support the design and maintenance of salary structures and grading frameworks.
• Conduct compensation benchmarking and market analysis to ensure competitiveness.
• Provide recommendations on compensation strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws, social security regulations, payroll taxation, and statutory requirements across all relevant countries.
• Maintain strong payroll controls and governance processes.
• Prepare and review payroll reports, audits, and compliance documentation.
• Manage payroll-related risks and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Prepare payroll, compensation, and headcount reports for senior management.
• Analyze payroll costs, trends, and variances.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to improve decision-making and workforce planning.
• Identify opportunities to enhance payroll accuracy, efficiency, and automation.
• Lead payroll system implementations, upgrades, and process optimization projects.
• Establish best practices and standard operating procedures across payroll functions.

Skills

Payroll management

Compensation management

Payroll controls

Multi-country payroll

Labor law knowledge

Taxation knowledge

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Manager – Payroll & Compensation to oversee payroll operations and compensation programs across multiple entities and jurisdictions. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring accurate payroll processing, regulatory compliance, compensation management, and continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Management

• Lead and oversee end-to-end payroll processing across multiple countries and legal entities.
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with internal policies and local regulations.
• Manage payroll reviews, approvals, reconciliations, and month-end activities.
• Coordinate with Finance, HR, and external payroll providers where applicable.

Compensation & Benefits

• Administer compensation and benefits programs, including salary reviews, annual increments, bonuses, commissions, and incentive plans.
• Support the design and maintenance of salary structures and grading frameworks.
• Conduct compensation benchmarking and market analysis to ensure competitiveness.
• Provide recommendations on compensation strategies aligned with business objectives.

Compliance & Controls

• Ensure compliance with labor laws, social security regulations, payroll taxation, and statutory requirements across all relevant countries.
• Maintain strong payroll controls and governance processes.
• Prepare and review payroll reports, audits, and compliance documentation.
• Manage payroll-related risks and implement corrective actions where necessary.

Reporting & Analytics

• Prepare payroll, compensation, and headcount reports for senior management.
• Analyze payroll costs, trends, and variances.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to improve decision-making and workforce planning.

Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to enhance payroll accuracy, efficiency, and automation.
• Lead payroll system implementations, upgrades, and process optimization projects.
• Establish best practices and standard operating procedures across payroll functions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in payroll and compensation management.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, compensation & benefits, and payroll controls.
• Experience managing payroll across multiple countries and legal entities.
• Good understanding of labor laws, taxation, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.