Interim Head of Payroll

Interim Head of Payroll | 6 month FTC | Immediate start | Hybrid Working A leading international organisation is seeking an experienced Interim Head of International Payroll to lead a global payroll function through a period of transformation and continuous improvement. Managing a large transactional team, you will be responsible for ensuring accurate, compliant payroll delivery across multiple international jurisdictions while driving process optimisation, strengthening controls, and enhancing operational efficiency. Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop an international payroll team.
• Act as the senior technical expert for complex payroll, tax, and compliance matters.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, focusing on automation, standardisation, and process efficiency.
• Review and enhance payroll controls, governance, and risk frameworks.
• Manage third-party payroll providers and service delivery.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Tax, and senior leadership to resolve complex issues and support business change.
• Lead payroll-related transformation projects, including systems and process improvements. Candidate Profile
• Proven experience leading large international payroll functions.
• Deep technical payroll expertise across multiple jurisdictions.
• Strong background in payroll controls, compliance, governance, and risk management.
• Demonstrated success delivering payroll transformation and continuous improvement programmes.
• Experience managing sizeable teams and complex stakeholder groups.
• Hands-on, commercially minded, and capable of operating at pace. This role would suit a highly technical payroll leader who enjoys improving processes, challenging the status quo, and leading teams through change.