Payroll Project Specialist - 12 months contract

Kerry Group; Selangor; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global food company is seeking a Payroll Project Specialist for a 12-month contract in Selangor, Malaysia. You will oversee payroll automation projects across APMEA and Europe, ensuring seamless integration and efficiency. The ideal candidate has at least 3 years of payroll experience, a degree in HR or Finance, and strong project management skills. This role involves collaboration with cross-functional teams and driving process improvements for operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll experience in multinational environments.
• Experience in payroll automation and process improvement.
• Strong background in managing payroll data and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll automation project across APMEA and Europe.
• Coordinate with teams for project requirements and timelines.
• Support the planning and execution of payroll automation.

Skills

Payroll automation experience

Cross-functional team collaboration

Project management skills

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills

Understanding of labor laws

Strong analytical capabilities

Good communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, or related

Tools

Strada

SAP

SuccessFactors

Co-Pilot

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Payroll Project Specialist - 12 months contract

As a Payroll Project Specialist within our Global Business Centre, you will play a key role working with the Regional Payroll Manager in supporting the successful delivery of the payroll automation project across the APMEA and Europe region. Your focus will be on driving process improvements, supporting project activities, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure the effective implementation and adoption of automation solutions.

You will contribute to project planning, execution, and monitoring, ensuring that project milestones are met and that automation objectives are achieved. By working closely with stakeholders, you will help identify opportunities for efficiency, support change management efforts, and provide training and guidance to end users.

This role is critical in driving operational excellence, cultivating a high-performance and customer-focused culture, and ensuring a seamless payroll experience for our employees. You will also be an active contributor to Kerry’s payroll transformation initiatives—identifying improvement opportunities, leveraging digital tools, and introducing automation to enhance efficiency and scalability.

Fixed Term Contract: 12 months

Work Location: 1 Powerhouse (5 mins walk from Bandar Utama MRT Station)

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Reporting to: Regional Payroll Lead

Key responsibilities

• Jointly led the implementation and integration of the payroll automation platform across the APMEA and Europe region, streamlining payroll processes and reducing manual intervention.
• Coordinated cross-functional teams to define requirements, map workflows, and ensure successful deployment of automation features.
• Support the planning, execution, and delivery of the payroll automation project, ensuring alignment with project goals and timelines.
• Collaborate with project managers, payroll specialists, IT, and other stakeholders to gather requirements, map current processes, and design optimized workflows for automation.
• Assist in the configuration, testing, and deployment of automation features, ensuring system accuracy, compliance, and data integrity.
• Participate in process improvement initiatives by identifying inefficiencies, proposing solutions, and supporting the implementation of best practices.
• Provide training, documentation, and ongoing support to payroll teams and end users to facilitate smooth adoption of payroll automation.
• Monitor project progress, track key performance indicators, and report on outcomes such as reduced processing time, improved accuracy, and enhanced compliance.
• Support change management activities, including communication, stakeholder engagement, and feedback collection to drive successful project adoption.
• Contribute to post-implementation reviews, identifying lessons learned and opportunities for further optimization.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems, or a related field, with a minimum of 3+ years of progressive payroll experience within multinational or shared service environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or delivering payroll automation and process improvement projects, ideally within a multi-country or regional context.
• Hands-on experience with the payroll automation platform.
• Configuration and customization of Strada modules for payroll workflows.
• Data migration, mapping, and validation within Strada.
• Integration of Strada with HRIS, time & attendance, and financial systems.
• User acceptance testing (UAT), troubleshooting, and issue resolution in Strada.
• Generating and interpreting Strada payroll reports and analytics.
• Providing end-user training and support for Strada functionalities.
• In-depth knowledge of payroll operations, statutory compliance, and reporting requirements across countries within the APMEA and Europe region.
• Proven track record collaborating with cross-functional teams (HR, IT, Finance, vendors) to deliver project objectives, manage timelines, and resolve issues.
• Strong understanding of regional labor laws, tax regulations, and audit practices relevant to payroll processes.
• Experience with requirements gathering workflow mapping, system testing, and change management for payroll technology implementations.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, pivot tables, charting, and data analysis to validate payroll data and derive business insights.
• Proficiency in Co-Pilot, Agentic AI with experience creating dashboards and reports to analyse payroll KPIs, trends, and performance metrics.
• Hands-on experience with SAP, SuccessFactors, Concur and ServiceNow including configuration, data extraction, and process documentation.
• Practical knowledge of Kronos and other time and attendance systems, supporting accurate time data capture and acting as a liaison between site teams and payroll providers.
• Strong reporting and analytical capabilities, with a proactive approach to monitoring payroll routines, identifying discrepancies, and providing actionable insights to support operational decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, demonstrating commitment to service quality, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, Agile) or experience is an advantage.