Director, Global Payroll Strategy and Americas Payroll (Hybrid Rahway, NJ)
Rahway, NJ - USA
Job Summary
Job Description
The Director Global Payroll Strategy and Americas Payroll Leader has responsibility for the delivery of HR and LATAM payroll for approximately 35000 employees as well as Global Payroll Strategy impacting employees globally. The role is a leadership role with 5 Direct reports and a total organization between 20 and 25 people. This leader will oversee the delivery of payroll services both through internal resources and an external vendor relationship. It will be expected that the role balances delivery operational efficiency and elevates the employee and HR addition this role will be the leader of Global Payroll Service strategy inclusive of migrating all company payrolls from Finance to HR managing external provider relationships and on-going delivery strategy. This position will be based in Rahway New Jersey and reports to the Executive Director HR Regional Services.
Payroll Strategy and Roadmap: Ensuring the realization of global payroll strategy across all markets. This includes migration plans for integration of finance-owned payrolls into HR ensuring a 3- year payroll roadmap is created and approved and creating and executing payroll strategies that align with the organizations goals and objectives. This includes identifying opportunities for process improvement standardization and automation to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of payroll operations on a global scale. This will require close and frequent collaboration with Regional Directors on the overall plan and country specific needs and priorities.
Enhance Governance and Control Processes: The Director is responsible for creating internal and external control through governance and audit processes. They will collaborate with legal and compliance teams to develop and implement policies and procedures to further enhance governance as well as lead in any process failure events to conduct thorough after-action reviews suggest recommendations and ensure execution path.
Managing payroll vendors and relationships: The director oversees relationships with external payroll service providers globally. This includes contracts oversight monitoring vendor performance and ensuring service level agreements are met. They are also responsible for partnering to evaluate payroll systems technologies and suppliers that best meet the organizations needs.
Leading payroll transformation initiatives: The role involves driving payroll process improvements standardization and automation initiatives across the organization. This includes leveraging technology solutions to streamline payroll operations eliminate manual tasks and enhance data accuracy and reporting capabilities.
Collaborating with cross-functional teams: The Global Payroll Strategy Director collaborates with various stakeholders including HR finance IT and legal departments to ensure seamless integration of payroll processes with other business functions. They provide guidance and support to these teams on payroll-related matters and ensure alignment with the organizations overall strategies and objectives. This role will be the single point of contact/demand management for IT budgeting and sequencing.
Analyzing and reporting payroll data: The director is responsible for analyzing payroll data to identify trends insights and areas for improvement. They prepare and present reports to senior management on a regular basis providing key metrics and recommendations for payroll-related decisions.
US and LATAM Payroll & Tax Operations: This role will have direct oversight of US Payroll & Tax Operations scope and team/org structure of inclusive of Direct reports with a total organization of 20 to 25 people. This role requires accurate timely delivery of payroll in both union and non-union environments.
The successful candidate should be energized by an environment that requires strong leadership attention to detail coaching for excellence and prioritizes governance control and accuracy with an eye toward external trends and changing impactful legislation.
This role requires significant people leadership experience supplier management strategic capability in the payroll space and values and role models strong collaboration and partnership. A focus and proven track record of managing and improving payroll operations and working with payroll suppliers is critically important in this role.
Education:
Minimum of a Bachelors Degree or currently in pursuit of degree completion or equivalent relevant work experience in Business HR or Payroll.
Required Experience and Skills:
Minimum of 10 years of experience in Payroll with a large global company
Strong proactive business leadership skills
Transformational mindset and deep experience in process and services
Service innovation mindset and curiosity
Change management experience
Responsible for building and managing relationships with strategic vendor / partners.
Demonstrated record and proven ability to lead a large team of individuals in both on-site and virtual locations.
Must be articulate and able to communicate and address issues around service to a broad range client community.
Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
Ability to mobilize with composure to solve issues and concerns and direct a team toward action
MSJR
Required Skills:
Change Management Global Payroll Leadership Partnership Strategy Payroll Payroll Administration Payroll Compliance Payroll Management Payroll Services People Leadership Supplier Management Transformation Strategy Vendor ManagementPreferred Skills:
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The salary range for this role is
$156900.00 - $247000.00This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employees position within the salary range will be based on several factors including but not limited to relevant education qualifications certifications experience skills geographic location government requirements and business or organizational needs.
The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive if applicable.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical dental vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family) retirement benefits including 401(k) paid holidays vacation and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.
San Francisco Residents Only:We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Los Angeles Residents Only:We will consider for employment all qualified applicants including those with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co. Inc. Rahway NJ USA also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC Rahway NJ USA does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place introductions are position specific. Please no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status:
RegularRelocation:
DomesticVISA Sponsorship:
NoTravel Requirements:
10%Flexible Work Arrangements:
HybridShift:
Not IndicatedValid Driving License:
NoHazardous Material(s):
N/AJob Posting End Date:
09/12/2026*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.
Required Experience:
Director
About Company
Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA is known as “Merck” in the United States, Canada & Puerto Rico. We are known as “MSD” in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America & Asia Pacific. We are a global biopharmaceutical leader with a diverse portfolio of prescription medicine ... View more