Global Payroll Compliance Lead (12 months FTC)

F.J. WILSON; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious professional membership body in the UK seeks a Global Payroll Compliance Lead for a 12-month fixed-term contract. This role involves designing a Payroll Compliance Framework, ensuring compliance across multiple countries, and collaborating with stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of global payroll legislation and experience managing compliance frameworks. Salary range is up to £90,000 in London, with benefits including up to 9% employer pension contribution and private healthcare.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution up to 9%

Private healthcare

Flexitime

Flexi-leave

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of global payroll legislation and data privacy, including GDPR.
• Proven experience designing governance frameworks in multi-country payroll environments.
• Experience managing external payroll providers.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of a Payroll Compliance Framework.
• Ensure external payroll partners meet compliance requirements.
• Identify and address compliance risks.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical capability

Operational risk identification

Data analysis and reporting

Job description

Overview

Global Payroll Compliance Lead (12 months FTC)

Are you passionate about ensuring payroll compliance on a global scale? Do you have a keen eye for identifying and mitigating compliance risks? Are you ready to lead and shape the future of payroll governance in a dynamic, multi-country environment? If so, we may well have the perfect opportunity for you.

This role leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of a Global Payroll Compliance Framework that ensures regulatory alignment, operational integrity, and strategic risk mitigation across all countries of operation. It acts as the subject matter expert on payroll compliance, driving policy, governance, and assurance activities in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external payroll partners. There is an opportunity to shape the global payroll compliance landscape, ensuring regulatory alignment and operational integrity across all countries of operation.

Key facts

• Full-time, fixed term contract – 12 months
• Salary range up to £85,000 (outside London) - £90,000 p.a. (London)
• Role can be primarily home based (anywhere in the UK), with occasional travel to either London or Glasgow offices. If you live locally to London or Glasgow, you may work from the office if preferred.
• Benefits - Package includes up to 9% employer pension contribution, private healthcare, flexitime and flexi-leave.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Framework Design: Lead the design and implementation of a scalable Payroll Compliance Framework.
• Payroll Partner Oversight: Ensure external payroll partners meet compliance requirements.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Identify and address emerging compliance risks.
• Data Protection & Privacy: Ensure payroll operations comply with GDPR and other data protection laws. Policy Leadership: Define and maintain payroll compliance policies and controls.
• Governance & Assurance: Establish a governance model for compliance effectiveness.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with internal teams and external payroll providers to address compliance risks.
• People System Enablement: Collaborate with the Workday team to embed compliance controls.
• Risk Management: Lead risk assessments and recommend mitigations.
• Business Continuity Planning: Lead the review of the Payroll Business Impact Assessment and Business Continuity Plan.
• Compliance Capability Building: Build awareness and capability across People teams through training.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Behaviours

• Knowledge: Deep understanding of global payroll legislation and data privacy, including GDPR and equivalent data protection laws in other countries. Proven experience in designing and implementing governance frameworks within complex, multi-country global payroll environments.
• Skills: Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, proactive identification of compliance and operational risks, strong analytical capability, organizational skills, and advanced data analysis and reporting skills.
• Experience: Demonstrated expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining compliance and governance frameworks, extensive knowledge of global payroll compliance standards, practical experience applying data protection laws to payroll operations, and experience managing external payroll providers.
• Behaviours: Encouraging, confident, forward-thinking, and proactive in building trust and credibility through data-driven insights and clear, evidence-based rationale.

Our client

Our client is a highly prestigious, world-leading, professional membership body. Joining this employer means working for a globally respected organisation with a world-class reputation, offering the security and credibility of a truly international institution.

Interested?

For a confidential conversation with FJWilson Talent before applying, please contact us on 0203 195 3600, or email [e-mail].

Please note, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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The services advertised by FJWilson Talent Services are those of a recruitment business.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community. Qualifications and/or experience identified are indicative. We will consider applications from candidates who have comparable qualifications and/or experience for role advertised.