Payroll Lead North America

Unilever; Englewood Cliffs (NJ); Hybrid; USD 115,680 - 173,520; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings

Parental leave

Vacation and holidays

Access to voluntary benefits

Job summary

A leading global company in Englewood Cliffs seeks a Payroll Lead for North America. In this role, you will design and execute payroll strategies, lead payroll operations across the USA and Canada, and ensure compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate has 7-10 years of payroll management experience and a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field. This position offers a competitive salary with bonus eligibility and various benefits.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years in payroll management, preferably within North America.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll strategy and execution for North America.
• Drive payroll separation projects, ensuring smooth transitions.
• Lead and mentor a team of payroll specialists across North America.
• Ensure adherence to local tax and labor laws.
• Identify and implement improvements to enhance payroll efficiency.
• Deliver regular updates on payroll performance to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with various departments to align payroll plans with organizational goals.

Skills

Deep knowledge of North American payroll regulations

Strong project and vendor management capabilities

Proficiency in payroll systems and Microsoft Office

Analytical mindset and attention to detail

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Payroll certification

Education

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

Job description

Join to apply for the Payroll Lead North America role at Unilever

Position Title: Ice Cream Payroll Lead – North America

Location: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA (Hybrid) | Terms & Conditions: Full time

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company, where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. We craft extraordinary ice cream experiences and strive to transform ordinary moments into lasting memories.

About The Magnum Ice Cream Company

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is focused on growth — growing our business, our customers’ businesses, and our people’s careers. Growth begins with empowerment, enabling our people to be innovative and responsible entrepreneurs who deliver more amazing products and unforgettable moments.

With 19,000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, we are the world’s largest ice cream company. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, planned before the end of 2025.

If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Payroll Lead to join our Ice Cream division in North America. This role will design and execute a payroll strategy that supports our transition to becoming a standalone Ice Cream company by November 2025. You’ll lead payroll operations across the USA and Canada, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and seamless integration with our evolving organizational structure. You’ll collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including Unilever Payroll, vendor partners, and the Ice Cream HR team.

Key Responsibilities

• Payroll Operations: Lead payroll strategy and execution for North America, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and vendor management.
• Project Leadership: Drive payroll separation projects, ensuring smooth transitions and timely delivery.
• Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of payroll specialists across North America.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Ensure adherence to local tax and labor laws, and proactively mitigate risks.
• Process Optimization: Identify and implement improvements to enhance payroll efficiency and reliability.
• Reporting: Deliver regular updates on payroll performance and project milestones to senior leadership.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with Finance, Legal, Supply Chain, and other workstreams to align payroll plans with broader organizational goals.

What You’ll Bring

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or related field.
• Experience: 7–10 years in payroll management, preferably within North America.
• Skills:
• Deep knowledge of North American payroll regulations
• Strong project and vendor management capabilities
• Proficiency in payroll systems and Microsoft Office
• Analytical mindset and attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Payroll certification preferred

Leadership Attributes

• Founders’ Mindset: Embrace the opportunity to build something new with creativity and ownership.
• Agile Thinking: Apply design thinking and iterative problem-solving.
• Personal Mastery: Demonstrate emotional intelligence, resilience, and empathy.
• Performance-Driven: Inspire and deliver results with speed and accountability.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay: The pay range for this position is $115,680 to $173,520. Compensation considers factors such as skills, experience, training, qualifications, and organizational needs.
• Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.
• Long Term Incentive (LTI): Eligible for LTI.
• Benefits: Health insurance, retirement savings, life and disability coverage, parental leave, vacation and holidays, and access to voluntary benefits.

Additional Information

As publicly announced, Unilever will separate its Ice Cream business by the end of 2025. This role will transfer to the new Ice Cream company. Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. Local conditions apply to the position. Equal Opportunity Employer statements apply.

For more information on the recruitment process and accommodations, please contact [e-mail]. This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance during recruitment.

How to Apply

To apply, please apply online and upload your CV and a motivation letter. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and you will be contacted after the closing date with an update on status.

We look forward to hearing from you.