Senior T&A Payroll Specialist (US & Canada)

Takeda; Ciudad de México; On-site; MXN 800,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Takeda in Mexico City (Santa Fe) seeks a Senior Payroll Specialist to deliver accurate, compliant payroll across the US and Canada. You will manage end-to-end payroll operations, validate complex earnings and taxes, and coordinate with Equity and Mobility teams on cross-border transactions.

A key focus is improving process efficiency with automation and providing guidance to payroll colleagues. You’ll partner with providers and internal stakeholders, support relocation reporting, and ensure

Responsibilities

• Coordinate end-to-end payroll activities through approved systems and external providers for an assigned portfolio.
• Validate earnings, deductions, taxes, benefits, equity transactions, time data, and employee changes.
• Perform reconciliations, controls, corrections, off-cycle transactions, and year-end support with audit-ready records.
• Investigate complex issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions; escalate risks as needed.
• Serve as operational contact for payroll providers and partner with cross-functional teams to resolve issues.
• Use digital, AI, and automation tools with human review; support system changes and testing.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and automate recurring work and reduce errors; coach colleagues.
• Coordinate relocation reporting with vendors to ensure timely processing.
• Partner with Equity team to record cross-country equity transactions for international assignments.
• Oversee expat/inpat international assignments and transfers, coordinating data for expenses.
• Coordinate with Payroll Compliance on tax adjustments and multiple parallel projects.
• Oversee time-entry operations in UKG, including setup, terminations, and approvals across locations.
• Review UKG reports and timekeeping records; provide reporting to site HR and Finance.
• Resolve escalated time-and-attendance inquiries and system mapping issues.
• Deliver UKG Time & Attendance training and guidance to managers and payroll staff.
• Collaborate with locations to ensure timekeeping adherence and regulatory compliance.

Job description

Job Description

_ Objective / Purpose: _

The Senior Payroll Specialist is responsible for delivering accurate, timely, compliant, and employee-focused payroll services across an assigned US and Canada portfolio. Working with a high degree of independence, the role coordinates end-to-end payroll operations in a complex, regional, multi-entity, or multi-market environment; validates payroll inputs and transactions; performs reconciliations and controls; resolves operational issues; and supports projects, system changes, and continuous improvement. The position also provides day-to-day technical guidance to colleagues and helps strengthen process quality, efficiency, and resilience. The role has no budget ownership or direct reports.

In addition, the role manages equity transactions, domestic relocation reporting, and international mobility payments and reporting for expatriate and inpatriate populations. It partners closely with People Solutions teams—including Compensation & Benefits, Equity, Mobility, People Solutions Advisors (PSA), and People Experience Partners (PEP)—to maintain an accurate and consistent flow of information and ensure timely issue resolution.

The role also supports UKG Time & Attendance by ensuring the accurate and timely review, approval, and export of hours worked and paid time off; resolving escalated timekeeping and payroll inquiries for hourly populations; addressing configuration, mapping, and calculation issues; and supporting manager training, system enhancements, policy changes, and ongoing process improvement.

_ Accountabilities: _

• Coordinate end-to-end payroll activities through approved systems and external providers for an assigned portfolio.
• Validate complex earnings, deductions, taxes, statutory contributions, benefits, equity-related transactions, time data, and employee changes.
• Perform reconciliations, controls, corrections, off-cycle transactions, and year-end support with increased independence, and prepare and maintain audit-ready evidence, documentation, and process records.
• Investigate complex issues, identify root causes, implement corrective actions within authority, and **escalate** material risks where appropriate.
• Serve as an operational contact for payroll providers, and partner with Payroll COE, HR, Finance, Total Rewards, Mobility, Technology, Risk, Audit, and other stakeholders to resolve issues, support service quality, and ensure follow-through.
• Use approved digital, AI, and automation tools responsibly with human review and validation, and support system changes, testing, transitions, implementations, and process updates related to payroll and connected processes.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate recurring work and reduce manual effort or recurring errors, and provide day-to-day guidance, peer coaching, and knowledge sharing to colleagues.
• Coordinate with relocation vendors to manage quarterly and annual relocation reporting, ensuring mobility data is reconciled and processed accurately and on time.
• Partner with the Equity team to ensure all equity transactions are processed in accordance with plan requirements and advise third-party vendors on the correct recording of cross-country equity transactions for employees on international assignments and transfers.
• Oversee the schedule of expat and inpat international assignments and transfers for employees home-based in the US & Canada, partnering with vendors to provide all data needed to correctly record assignment expenses.
• Partner with the Payroll Compliance team to ensure all quarter-end and year-end tax adjustments are processed correctly, and actively engage on multiple, parallel projects as needed.
• Oversee time-entry operations in UKG, including new-hire and contingent-worker setup, terminations, access controls, adjustments, and submissions across manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and plasma collection locations.
• Review, analyze, and validate UKG reports and timekeeping records; make or coordinate corrections before payroll processing and provide required reporting to site HR and Finance stakeholders.
• Research and resolve escalated time-and-attendance inquiries, system errors, configuration defects, and mapping issues that may affect pay calculations.
• Deliver UKG Time & Attendance training and practical guidance to business-unit managers, payroll colleagues, and other users.
• Partner with locations to monitor adherence to timekeeping standards, support policy and regulatory requirements, and drive measurable process improvements.

Locations

MEX - Santa Fe

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time