Global Payroll Manager

Airwallex; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex in Singapore seeks an experienced Global Payroll Partner/Manager to lead payroll operations, drive transformation, and manage a team delivering accurate, compliant payroll across multiple countries.

You will shape payroll strategy, partner with HR, Finance, and vendors, implement system improvements, and ensure smooth delivery while maintaining strict controls and data security. This role requires strong project management and analytical skills.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of end-to-end payroll experience across multiple countries.
• Experience leading payroll transformations, implementations, migrations, or automation projects.
• Strong project-management skills including planning, requirements gathering, stakeholder management, risk tracking, testing, cutover and post-go-live support.
• Hands-on experience with new-country or new-entity payroll setup and payroll vendor onboarding.
• Experience with payroll-to-GL mapping, journal validation, reconciliations, and month-end close.
• Experience with HRIS, payroll, Finance/ERP, banking, treasury, SFTP, or other payroll-related integrations.
• Strong understanding of payroll compliance, employment tax, and statutory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead or contribute to global payroll transformation initiatives from planning through implementation and handover.
• Manage workstreams for new-country and new-entity payroll setup, provider implementations, and system improvements.
• Build project plans, track milestones, manage risks, and provide updates to stakeholders.
• Coordinate data mapping, UAT, parallel runs, cutover, go-live and hypercare.
• Improve payroll integrations, data flows, and reporting with HRIS/ERP systems.
• Maintain payroll controls and documentation to ensure consistent processes.

Skills

End-to-end payroll

Payroll transformation

Project management

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Detail-oriented

Tools

HRIS

ERP

SFTP

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world‑leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder‑like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role‑related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end‑to‑end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

About the role

Airwallex is seeking an experienced and detail‑oriented Global Payroll Partner/Manager with an experience in providing strategic direction to business and leading a team to work towards payroll operations, implementations/system improvements/cost reduction, advisory, service delivery, control framework, stakeholder management, to shape long term payroll capabilities and contribution to the overall organizational mission.
This role will be based in Singapore.

Global payroll transformation and projects:

• Support the delivery of global payroll transformation initiatives from planning through implementation and handover.

• Lead or manage workstreams for new‑country and new‑entity payroll setup, payroll provider implementations, vendor migrations, EOR‑to‑direct‑payroll transitions, and system improvements.

• Build project plans, track milestones, manage risks and dependencies, and provide clear updates to stakeholders.

• Gather requirements, coordinate configuration and data mapping, and support UAT, parallel runs, cutover, go‑live, and hypercare.

• Work with HR Technology, IT, Finance, and vendors to improve payroll integrations, data flows, SFTP and bank files, journal automation, and reporting.

• Improve payroll controls, documentation, and ways of working so processes are consistent and not dependent on individual knowledge.

BAU global payroll operations:

• Support accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across assigned countries and entities, including payroll review, approvals, funding, statutory payments, and reconciliations.

• Review payroll inputs and outputs, investigate variances, and follow up with vendors and internal stakeholders to resolve issues.

• Support employee and stakeholder queries through Jira, Slack, and other channels, providing clear and timely responses.

• Review termination and separation calculations, including redundancy, resignation, notice pay, leave, benefits, and other final payments.

• Partner with HR, Legal, Tax, and payroll providers on country‑specific requirements, policy changes, and Employment of Record matters.

• Maintain working knowledge of equity‑related payroll matters, including RSUs, ESOPs, private equity, tender offers, and related reporting requirements.

Finance partnership and payroll controls:

• Partner with Finance and Accounting on payroll‑to‑GL mapping, including pay elements, wage types, company codes, cost centres, entities, and accounting treatment.

• Validate payroll journals, invoices, funding files, payroll summaries, accruals, and period‑end postings.

• Strengthen reconciliations between HRIS data, payroll outputs, funding files, invoices, journal entries, and the general ledger.

• Support month‑end and year‑end close, payroll cost reporting, forecasting, and variance analysis.

• Maintain practical process documentation, checklists, FAQs, response templates, and project handover materials.

What we are looking for:

• At least 8 years of end‑to‑end payroll experience, ideally across multiple countries and in a high‑growth technology or fintech environment.

• Experience leading or delivering payroll transformation, implementation, migration, system improvement, or automation projects.

• Strong project‑management skills, including planning, requirements gathering, stakeholder management, risk tracking, testing, cutover, and post‑go‑live support.

• Hands‑on experience with new‑country or new‑entity payroll setup and payroll vendor onboarding.

• Practical experience with payroll‑to‑GL mapping, journal validation, reconciliations, and month‑end close.

• Experience with HRIS, payroll, Finance/ERP, banking, treasury, SFTP, or other payroll‑related integrations.

• Strong understanding of payroll compliance, employment tax, statutory requirements, and employee separation payments.

• Experience with equity‑related payroll treatment and reporting is preferred.

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn payroll data into clear insights and actions.

• Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to work across teams and manage external vendors.

• High attention to detail and sound judgement when handling confidential payroll information.

• A practical, organised, and self‑directed approach, with the ability to work well in a fast‑changing environment.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.