Payroll Manager, APAC

Boston Scientific; George Town; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Scientific is seeking a Payroll Manager APAC to lead a regional payroll team and ensure accurate, compliant delivery across APAC. The role partners with HR, Finance, external providers to optimize processes, governance, and reporting.

You will drive continuous improvement, manage complex payroll issues, and contribute to budgeting and capacity planning while staying current with local regulations and market changes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• 10–12 years of relevant payroll experience with leadership in multinational/shared services.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end payroll operations, controls, compliance, and governance across APAC.
• Experience leading payroll service delivery and vendor management.
• Demonstrated people leadership, performance management, and operational excellence.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Experience driving process improvement and automation in payroll operations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of payroll professionals and, where applicable, first-line managers or supervisors.
• Translate payroll and business objectives into team plans, priorities, resource allocations, and performance goals.
• Ensure accurate, timely payroll delivery across the assigned countries or business scope.
• Monitor team performance, service quality, controls, and key payroll metrics, taking corrective action when required.
• Provide operational oversight and resolve complex payroll, compliance, systems, vendor, and organizational issues.
• Make decisions within established policies and departmental plans, escalating matters with broader business or financial impact to senior management.
• Adapt team plans, processes, and milestones in response to changing business requirements, operational risks, and project priorities.
• Recommend and implement operating procedures, controls, and standardized approaches that strengthen payroll governance and service delivery.
• Identify and lead process improvements that enhance payroll accuracy, efficiency, employee experience, and cost effectiveness.
• Manage relationships with HR, Finance, external payroll providers, and other stakeholders to resolve issues and achieve shared objectives.
• Contribute to budgeting, workforce planning, capacity management, and vendor performance discussions for the assigned payroll area.
• Partner with Payroll Global Process Owner (GPO) to implement reporting and analytics that measure process effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and compliance.
• Monitor payroll legislation, market developments, and industry practices relevant to the assigned scope, ensuring appropriate operational responses.
• Provide payroll expertise and represent the function in operational reviews, project meetings, audits, and cross-functional initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Payroll governance

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Process improvement

Communication

APAC payroll

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Finance/Accounting

Job description

This role will be based in Penang. Please note that Boston Scientific does not offer relocation support for this position. Applicants should be based in, or have valid work authorization for this location.

Purpose Statement

The Payroll Manager, APAC is responsible for leading and developing a team of experienced payroll professionals and, where applicable, subordinate supervisors or managers. The role is accountable for the performance and results of the assigned payroll organization, ensuring accurate, timely, compliant, and efficient service delivery aligned with business objectives. The Payroll Manager translates departmental priorities into operational plans, allocates resources, provides input into budgeting, and adapts processes and priorities to address business and service requirements. Operating within established policies and functional strategies, the role resolves complex payroll matters, drives continuous improvement, and collaborates with internal stakeholders, external providers, and Payroll Global Process Owner (GPO) to strengthen payroll governance, controls, and overall performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of experienced payroll professionals and, where applicable, first-line managers or supervisors.
• Translate payroll and business objectives into team plans, priorities, resource allocations, and performance goals.
• Ensure accurate, timely, compliant, and efficient payroll delivery across the assigned countries or business scope.
• Monitor team performance, service quality, controls, and key payroll metrics, taking corrective action when required.
• Provide operational oversight and resolve complex payroll, compliance, systems, vendor, and organizational issues.
• Make decisions within established policies and departmental plans, escalating matters with broader business or financial impact to senior management.
• Adapt team plans, processes, and milestones in response to changing business requirements, operational risks, and project priorities.
• Recommend and implement operating procedures, controls, and standardized approaches that strengthen payroll governance and service delivery.
• Identify and lead process improvements that enhance payroll accuracy, efficiency, employee experience, and cost effectiveness.
• Manage relationships with HR, Finance, external payroll providers, and other stakeholders to resolve issues and achieve shared objectives.
• Contribute to budgeting, workforce planning, capacity management, and vendor performance discussions for the assigned payroll area.
• Partner with Payroll Global Process Owner (GPO) to implement reporting and analytics that measure process effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and compliance.
• Monitor payroll legislation, market developments, and industry practices relevant to the assigned scope, ensuring appropriate operational responses.
• Provide payroll expertise and represent the function in operational reviews, project meetings, audits, and cross-functional initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Requires 10 - 12 years of relevant payroll experience, including leadership experience managing payroll teams in a multinational or shared services environment.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end payroll operations, payroll controls, statutory compliance, and payroll governance across APAC countries.
• Proven experience leading payroll service delivery, managing payroll vendors, and partnering with HR, Finance, and business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills with experience developing teams, managing performance, and driving operational excellence.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to resolve complex payroll and compliance issues.
• Experience leading process improvement, standardization, automation, or transformation initiatives within payroll operations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and levels of the organization.

As a leader in medical science for more than 40 years, we are committed to solving the challenges that matter most – united by a deep caring for human life. Our mission to advance science for life is about transforming lives through innovative medical solutions that improve patient lives, create value for our customers, and support our employees and the communities in which we operate. Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to apply those values to everything we do – as a global business and as a global corporate citizen.

So, choosing a career with Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) isn’t just business, it’s personal. And if you’re a natural problem-solver with the imagination, determination, and spirit to make a meaningful difference to people worldwide,