Director, Global Payroll

OpenTable; City Of London; Remote; GBP 91,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading restaurant technology company in London seeks a Director of Global Payroll. The role involves managing global payroll operations, ensuring compliance, and leading a distributed team. The ideal candidate has 15+ years of payroll management experience and a strong background in technology. This position offers flexibility and competitive benefits, including work-from-home options, generous vacation time, and health insurance.

Benefits

Company-paid therapy sessions

Generous paid vacation

Leadership development

Travel discounts

Discounted gym membership

Free lunch 2 days per week

5 weeks paid vacation

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of progressive payroll management experience in a public global corporation.
• Proven experience managing large multi-country payroll.
• At least 5 years management experience leading impactful teams.
• Experience navigating payroll complexities in fast-paced tech environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and govern the global payroll operating model.
• Oversee end-to-end execution of compliant global payroll operations.
• Coach and develop a globally distributed team.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify and implement enhancements to payroll processes.

Skills

Payroll management

Leadership

Compliance knowledge

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

ADP

CloudPay

Workday

Job description

With millions of diners, 60,000 restaurant partners and 25 years of experience, OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) and an industry leader with a passion for helping restaurants thrive. Our world‑class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most: their team, their guests and their bottom line, while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.

Every employee at OpenTable has a tangible impact on what we do and how we do it. You’ll also be part of a global team that includes our sister brand KAYAK and its portfolio of global metasearch brands. Hospitality is all about taking care of others and it defines our culture.

About this role

Reporting to the VP Controllership, the Director of Global Payroll is a pivotal leadership role accountable for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of global payroll operations across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions for OpenTable. You champion payroll business processes, ensure unwavering compliance, forge strong partnerships with stakeholders and demonstrate the latest payroll technology to optimize efficiency and accuracy. Your exceptional leadership skills will guide a distributed team of payroll professionals ensuring they consistently deliver outstanding results.

In this role you will

• Strategic Leadership and Governance: Design, deploy, and govern the global payroll operating model, setting a vision, driving alignment and prioritization across regions and establishing service standards and a robust key‑control environment.
• Operational Excellence: Oversee the end‑to‑end execution of compliant global payroll operations both in‑house and outsourced, aligning with established People & Culture standards. Drive the development and reporting of global payroll critical metrics. Serve as subject‑matter expert for global mobility arrangements.
• Distributed Team Development: Coach, develop and mentor a globally distributed team of payroll professionals. Build a culture of growth and continuous professional development.
• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal partners (Corporate Equity Accounting FP&A Tax People & Culture Benefits Risk and Controls, etc.), external vendors and global payroll teams. Serve as the primary global point of contact for the end‑to‑end payroll process.
• Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement: Identify, recommend and implement enhancements to payroll processes, systems and analytical capabilities, streamlining operations for greater efficiency.
• Compliance: Maintain in‑depth knowledge of global regulations, benefits changes and labor laws impacting payroll across the travel and hospitality sectors. Ensure local, state, federal and international payroll tax jurisdictions are adhered to.
• System Leadership and Change Management: Serve as subject‑matter expert for payroll software (ADP and CloudPay) and HRIS (Workday); lead system implementations and optimisation projects. Translate systems and business needs into functional plans.
• Internal Control: Develop, maintain and rigorously assess internal controls for payroll processes and payroll software systems. Ensure adherence to SOX narratives, controls and SOC‑1 audit objectives.

Please apply if

• Minimum 15 years of progressive payroll management experience in a public global corporation.
• Proven experience managing a large multi‑country payroll provider.
• At least 5 years of management experience leading and developing impactful teams.
• Bachelors degree or equivalent experience in Business, Accounting, Finance or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise with payroll platforms, ideally including ADP, CloudPay and Workday.
• Experience navigating payroll complexities within fast‑paced consumer‑oriented tech environments.
• A strong collaborative approach and proven ability to build effective cross‑functional relationships.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills with the ability to present findings to management in an accurate, clear and concise manner.

Benefits and Perks

• Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year.
• Company‑paid therapy sessions through SpringHealth.
• Company‑paid subscription to Headspace.
• Annual company‑wide week off a year.
• Paid parental leave.
• Generous paid vacation time off for your birthday.
• Paid volunteer time.
• Leadership development.
• Access to thousands of on‑demand e‑learnings.
• Travel discounts.
• Employee Resource Groups.
• 5 weeks paid vacation.
• Private health & dental insurance.
• Income protection and life assurance.
• Employee Assistance Program – including 24/7 GP & free legal advice.
• Pension plan contributions.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Bike2Work.
• Season ticket loan.
• Social events & Thursday happy hours.
• Free lunch 2 days per week.

Work Environment & Flexibility

At OpenTable we pride ourselves on fostering a global and dynamic work environment. As a team member with us you will benefit from a schedule tailored to accommodate a global workforce operating across multiple time zones. While the majority of your responsibilities may align with conventional business hours there will be instances where you are expected to manage communications—via calls, Slack messages or emails—outside of regular working hours to effectively collaborate with international colleagues, respond to restaurant partners and/or address urgent matters. OpenTable will always abide by and consider local laws and regulations.

Inclusion

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. We know the best ideas come when we bring different voices to the table so we’re building a team as dynamic as the diners and restaurants we serve and fostering a culture where everyone feels welcome to be themselves.

If you need any adjustments during the application or interview process or on the job we’re here to support you. Please reach out to your recruiter to request any accommodations.