Governance and Quality Lead, Global People Services

Biopharma Careers; Warszawa; Hybrid; PLN 207,000 - 285,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Remote work allowance

Professional development funding

Job summary

Biogen Poland is seeking a Governance and Quality Lead in the Global People Services team to strengthen payroll governance and quality controls across the U.S. and international operations.

You will drive governance routines, manage risks, oversee remediation efforts, and coordinate with HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, IT and Internal Audit to ensure audit readiness and continuous improvement. The role emphasizes rigorous documentation, process standardization, access governance, and timely remediation

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• At least 8 years of experience in payroll, HR operations, internal controls, audit, risk management, compliance, shared services, or GBS operations.
• Strong experience with payroll controls, preferably in a multi-country or complex payroll environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of payroll processing, reconciliations, and vendor-managed services.
• Experience designing or improving control frameworks, SOPs, RACIs, and governance routines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll quality controls and governance routines, including pre-pay and post-pay review procedures.
• Strengthen compliance and audit readiness across Payroll, HR Operations, and Centralized Learning.
• Standardize processes, RACIs, SOPs, and control documentation throughout the payroll lifecycle.
• Govern payroll data access and segregation of duties, enhancing access provisioning and governance.
• Provide independent oversight of provider performance and governance routines.
• Monitor service quality, identify risks, and validate corrective actions.
• Partner with external providers and regional stakeholders to ensure process compliance.
• Collaborate with HRIT, IT, Finance, and external providers to enhance system controls.
• Drive projects aimed at streamlining People Services models, such as payroll vendor consolidation.
• Maintain audit readiness and operational discipline through effective documentation standards.
• Escalate significant payroll control deficiencies or unresolved vendor performance concerns.
• Balance local country requirements with global governance standards.

Skills

Payroll controls

Risk management

Compliance

HR systems

Audit experience

Data governance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Workday

ADP

UKG

Dayforce

ServiceNow

Job description

About This Role:

As the Governance and Quality Lead within our Global People Services team, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring robust control environments across our payroll operations, both in the U.S. and internationally. Your key responsibilities will include driving governance routines, identifying risks, and leading issue remediation efforts, all while maintaining a keen focus on payroll accuracy and compliance. With an emphasis on audit readiness and continuous improvement, you will collaborate with various departments such as HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, IT, and Internal Audit, ensuring streamlined processes and consistent execution. Your independent oversight will contribute significantly to our operational effectiveness, while your objective evaluations and recommendations will guide leadership decisions. This is an exciting opportunity to partner with stakeholders across the organization to enhance our payroll governance and quality controls.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead payroll quality controls and governance routines, including pre-pay and post-pay review procedures.
• Strengthen compliance and audit readiness across Payroll, HR Operations, and Centralized Learning.
• Standardize processes, RACIs, SOPs, and control documentation throughout the payroll lifecycle.
• Govern payroll data access and segregation of duties, enhancing access provisioning and governance.
• Provide independent oversight of provider performance and governance routines.
• Monitor service quality, identify risks, and validate corrective actions.
• Partner with external providers and regional stakeholders to ensure process compliance.
• Collaborate with HRIT, IT, Finance, and external providers to enhance system controls.
• Drive projects aimed at streamlining People Services models, such as payroll vendor consolidation.
• Maintain audit readiness and operational discipline through effective documentation standards.
• Escalate significant payroll control deficiencies or unresolved vendor performance concerns.
• Balance local country requirements with global governance standards.

Who You Are:

• You are a detail-oriented professional with a strong understanding of payroll risk and compliance requirements.
• Your analytical mind helps you assess risks, identify root causes, and develop practical corrective actions.
• You excel in building collaborative relationships across various departments, influencing others to achieve common goals.
• You possess strong written and verbal communication skills, essential for creating clear documentation and governance materials.
• Your project management discipline ensures timely execution of remediation plans, while your continuous improvement mindset drives process simplification and standardization.
• You thrive in a global, cross-cultural environment, balancing enterprise standards with local regulatory needs.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• At least 8 years of experience in payroll, HR operations, internal controls, audit, risk management, compliance, shared services, or GBS operations.
• Strong experience with payroll controls, preferably in a multi-country or complex payroll environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of payroll processing, reconciliations, and vendor-managed services.
• Experience designing or improving control frameworks, SOPs, RACIs, and governance routines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in enterprise HR and payroll systems such as Workday, ADP, UKG, Dayforce, or ServiceNow.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Skills:

• Lean, Six Sigma, audit, payroll, risk, or compliance certification.
• Experience partnering with Internal Audit, SOX, Finance, HRIT, Legal, Tax, Records Management, and external payroll providers.

Additional Employment Conditions:

• This role is in hybrid model of work.
• Please note that the role requires a candidate to be a holder of work permit & residency in Poland.
• #LI-Hybrid

About Biogen Poland:

Our Warsaw office is a complex hub for local, regional and global roles. Regardless our role and reporting line we’re driven every day by our unique purpose, working passionately to change the lives of patients affected by rare and devastating diseases. This is what gives us pride, inspires us and gives us fuel to push the boundaries of innovation. We represent over 30 nationalities and celebrate the strength that comes from differences in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace earned us a Great Place to Work Certificate and Best Places to Work Awards consecutively since 2021 in Poland and Europe. If our mission resonates with your heart and career aspirations, we’re inviting you to join our team.

About Global Business Services (GBS):

The Global Business Services (GBS) team transforms Biogen’s business processes, scaling global operations and fueling commercial growth and innovation. GBS adds value by delivering business solutions and support services through a global delivery model, operational transparency, and best practices. Aiming to be a world-class organization, GBS excels in people, solutions, execution, and partnerships, championing a continuous improvement culture recognized across Biogen. We form a great team of individuals with drive for innovation but also team players collaborating in the spirit of respect. And if you want to take your professional development in your own hands, this is a place for you. We give you a lot of opportunities for growth on a business and social ground.

Job Level: Management

Additional Information

The base compensation range for this role is: zł207,000.00-zł285,000.00

Benefits

• Competitive Total Rewards: Base salary is determined by your experience, skills, and internal equity, complemented by an annual bonus to recognize your performance and contributions.
• Comprehensive Benefits for You and Your Family: Includes life insurance, pension program contributions, mental health resources, remote work allowance, and flexible work arrangements.
• Learning, Growth & Recognition: Access professional development funding, training platforms, employee referral bonuses, opportunities to contribute to impactful projects at Biogen, and social activities.