Payroll Team Lead - APMEA

Kerry Group plc; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global nutrition company in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a Payroll Manager to oversee payroll operations across the APMEA region. This role involves managing a team of payroll administrators, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements across multiple countries, and leveraging technology to enhance service delivery. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree and at least 6 years of payroll experience in a multinational environment. Competitive salary and hybrid working arrangement are offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of progressive payroll experience.
• Experience in leadership roles within multinational environments.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll operations across the APMEA region.
• Manage relationships with outsourced payroll vendors.
• Drive a customer-centric payroll service using technology.

Skills

Payroll operations understanding

Vendor management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder collaboration

Data privacy knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

ADP

SAP SuccessFactors

Job description

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Requisition ID: 60276
Position Type: FT Permanent
Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Hybrid

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

• Work Location: 1Powerhouse, PJ (5mins walk from MRT Bandar Utama)
• Reporting To: Regional Payroll Lead - APMEA & Europe

As Payroll Manager in our Global Business Centre, you’ll lead a team of experienced Payroll Administrators and Specialists, deliveringaccurate and consistent payroll services across multiple global locations. Your focus will be on driving operational excellence throughcompliance, innovation, and a strong customer experience mindset.

You’ll be a key part of our journey to enhance and modernize payroll operations, championing continuous improvement and leveragingtechnology to simplify and strengthen our processes.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and expert guidance for payroll operations across the APMEA region as part of the GlobalBusiness Centre, supporting our vision to become a “Best in Class” Global Payroll Provider.
• Monitor and evaluate regional market trends, local regulatory changes, and industry best practices to continuously enhancepayroll service delivery in diverse APMEA countries.
• Analyse internal performance metrics to proactively identify areas for improvement, adapting services in an agile, responsivemanner aligned with the Kerry GBS operating model.
• Lead and manage relationships with outsourced payroll vendors across the APMEA region, ensuring compliance, qualityservice delivery, and adherence to agreed SLAs and KPIs.
• Own the regional Payroll Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans, ensuring operational resilience and uninterruptedservice during unforeseen events or crises.
• Build, coach, and lead a high-performing regional payroll team focused on operational excellence, compliance, andcontinuous improvement.
• Set clear performance objectives, manage development plans, and foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and learning.
• Promote a strong compliance and control culture, ensuring all regional payroll operations meet local legislative and globalaudit requirements, with robust documentation and controls.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Kerry’s GBS service framework, payroll systems, and regional operations to ensureeffective collaboration with key COEs, HR, Finance, and external stakeholders.
• Champion Continuous Excellence across the region by embedding lean tools, driving efficiency, and ensuring payrollrepresentation in Continuous Excellence initiatives.
• Lead regional simplification and standardisation initiatives, aligning processes with global standards while adapting for localrequirements where necessary.
• Maintain ownership of all regional payroll process documentation, training materials, and performance measures, ensuringconsistency and accuracy across APMEA payroll teams.
• Drive a customer-centric and technology-enabled payroll service, leveraging automation and streamlined processes toimprove turnaround time and cost-effectiveness.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s Degree with minimum 6 years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership roles within multinational orshared service environments.
• Strong understanding of payroll operations and statutory requirements across multiple APMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East andAfrica) countries.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders across various cultural contexts.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor management and multi-country payroll delivery.
• Expert knowledge of local labour and tax legislation, payroll compliance, and regulatory environments across APMEA.
• Strong working knowledge of data privacy regulations, including GDPR and regional equivalents (e.g., PDPA).
• Experience with global payroll systems and cloud-based HR/payroll platforms (e.g., ADP, SAP SuccessFactors) preferred.

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.