Senior Payroll Manager

Randstad Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Randstad Malaysia seeks a Senior Payroll Manager to own multi-country payroll across 8 APAC markets, including Malaysia. You will oversee gross-to-net processing for 3,500+ employees and drive harmonization with global GBS standards.

You will manage key vendor partnerships (ADP), ensure tax, pension and audit compliance, and lead a regional payroll team of 9, emphasizing operational rigor and succession planning across diverse markets.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multi-country payroll operations.
• Strong governance & SLA management with external vendors.
• Experience with tax, pensions and audits across jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee accurate gross-to-net payroll processing for 3,500+ employees across 8 markets.
• Lead regional payroll harmonization and process improvements aligned with GBS standards.
• Manage payroll vendor partnerships with focus on SLA adherence and escalations.
• Act as regional compliance owner for tax filings, pensions, audits, and payroll GL reconciliations.
• Govern executive compensation, expatriate shadow payroll, salary reviews and benefits administration.

Skills

Payroll management

Vendor management

ADP governance

Tools

ADP

Job description

About the company

You will be joining a world-renowned Fortune 500 multinational recognized globally for its market-leading consumer and nutritional health brands. Operating from a state-of-the-art regional Global Business Services (GBS) hub located in prime Kuala Lumpur, this organization delivers end-to-end operational excellence, financial governance, and employee experience across the Asia-Pacific region. With a collaborative and people-centric culture, the business actively invests in digital innovation, continuous process harmonization, and career development across its global shared services network.

About the job

As the Senior Payroll Manager, you will take full operational and strategic ownership of multi-country payroll delivery across 8 markets-spanning India, Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and Oceania (Australia & New Zealand).

• Oversee accurate and compliant gross-to-net payroll processing for an employee footprint of over 3,500 heads.
• Spearhead regional payroll harmonization, workflow simplification, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with global GBS operating standards.
• Manage primary third-party payroll vendor partnerships (with a key emphasis on ADP platform governance), enforcing strict SLA metrics, periodic reviews, and contract escalations.
• Act as the regional compliance owner for multi-jurisdiction tax filings, audits, pension/provident fund regulations (including Australian Superannuation/STP and Indian statutory bodies), and payroll GL accounting reconciliations.
• Govern executive compensation, expatriate shadow payroll, Annual Salary Reviews (ASR), Short-Term Incentives (STI), and integrated time, leave, and benefits administration.

About the manager/team

You will report directly to the Regional Payroll Lead, Asia, within a mature Employee Services (ES) tower, collaborating closely with the regional ES Director and market HR Directors across APAC.

You will lead a high-performing regional team footprint of 9 members, structured with 2 subordinate in-country Managers and 7 Payroll Specialists distributed across Malaysia, India, and Thailand. The leadership environment emphasizes team empowerment, coaching, cross-market knowledge continuity, and structured succession planning, making it an ideal platform for a seasoned GBS people leader who excels at driving operational rigor across diverse cultural and regulatory landscapes.