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Manager, Payroll

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Job Title: Manager, Payroll

Description: In this role, You'll lead end-to-end payroll operations across India, South Asia, and MEA, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery while managing regional payroll teams and vendors. Drive payroll governance, compliance, controls, reconciliations, process improvements, and transformation initiatives while partnering with HR, Finance, Tax, Technology, and external stakeholders. This role aligns with the industry title as Payroll manager, Senior Payroll Manager, Regional Payroll Manager or Payroll & Compliance Manager.

About Pearson

At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. From bringing lectures vividly to life to turning textbooks into laptop lessons, we are always re-examining the way people learn best, whether it’s one child in our own backyard or an education community across the globe. We also create incredible assessment clinical and professional tests to help people to growth in their personal and professional lives. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in an environment that supports and inspires us to always be better. By pushing the boundaries of technology and each other to surpass these boundaries — we create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations, personal and global, large, and small.

JOB PURPOSE

As a Payroll Manager at Pearson, you will lead the end-to-end delivery of payroll across South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and the Middle East & Africa (MEA), ensuring payroll is processed accurately, on time, and in compliance with local legislation and company policies. You will provide leadership to a geographically dispersed payroll team, serve as the primary contact for payroll-related matters within the region, and build strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.

You will be responsible for maintaining robust payroll governance and controls, managing payroll-related risks, driving process optimisation and continuous improvement, and supporting regional and global payroll transformation initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, compliance, and the employee experience.

Who you will work with

You will lead a team of analysts and payroll administrators. This role reports to the Regional Payroll Manager. You will work closely with the broader global payroll team, Pearson business leaders, Pearson’s HR Care teams, HR Business Partners, HR Centre's of Excellence, Finance, Technology, and service providers.

Key Responsibilities & Measures

  • Lead, coach and support a geographically dispersed payroll team, fostering a high-performing and collaborative culture.
  • Responsible for ensuring your team develops a sufficient understanding of the country/countries’ legislative environment to provide technical expertise and advice to stakeholder
  • Help establish future-state role expectations centred on expertise, governance, stakeholder partnership, operational orchestration, and continuous improvement
  • Manage the accurate and timely delivery of payroll across assigned countries, ensuring service levels are consistently achieved.
  • Ensure payroll operations comply with local legislation, company policies and internal controls.
  • Develop and maintain a strong understanding of country-specific payroll legislation and provide guidance to the team and key stakeholders.
  • Build and maintain effective relationships with HR, Finance, Tax, Technology and external payroll providers to ensure seamless payroll delivery.
  • Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, standardise ways of working and support continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Monitor payroll KPIs, identify trends and implement corrective actions where required.
  • Manage relationships with third-party payroll vendors to ensure service delivery and contractual obligations are met.
  • Support payroll projects, system enhancements, organisational changes and regional transformation initiatives as required.
  • Ensure payroll documentation, work instructions and business continuity plans are maintained and kept up to date.
  • In partnership with HR Care teams, may support requests from workers councils and trade unions.
  • Support maintaining the region’s annual operating budget
  • Act as the escalation point for complex payroll queries, risks and compliance matters within the region.
  • Promote knowledge sharing, cross-training and succession
  • Maintain a strong understanding of payroll financial controls, reconciliations and accounting principles to support accurate payroll outcomes.
  • Partner with Finance to ensure payroll-related journals, reconciliations and reporting are completed accurately and in a timely manner.
  • Ensure payroll operations comply with local legislation, company policies, internal controls and governance requirements.
  • Support internal and external audits by providing payroll documentation, responding to audit requests and implementing agreed corrective actions.
  • Identify, assess and mitigate payroll risks, ensuring issues are escalated appropriately and resolved in a timely manner.
  • Maintain robust payroll documentation, process controls and business continuity plans to support audit readiness and operational resilience.

Main Job Dimensions

  • Lead payroll operations across South Asia and the Middle East & Africa (MEA), ensuring accurate, compliant and timely payroll delivery.
  • Manage and develop a geographically dispersed team of Payroll Specialists and Payroll Analysts.
  • Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders and external payroll providers to support operational excellence.
  • Drive process improvements, system enhancements and regional payroll initiatives.
  • Maintain strong governance, compliance and operational controls while managing payroll risks and performance through KPIs.

Key Relationships / Stakeholders

  • Country Care
  • Payroll Leadership Team
  • Finance Business Partners
  • HR Business Partners
  • People Care
  • Pearson Financial Services
  • Payroll Vendors
  • Country Ambassadors and Directors

Required skills/experience:

  • Proven relevant experience supervising or managing payroll in India Middle East & Africa. Preferred understanding of India payroll, specifically employment regulations, taxation, and fiscal year-end processes
  • Will consider similar experience leading Accounting or Human Resource operations in a complex, matrixed organization, with a specific focus on India.
  • Strong risk and internal control mindset
  • Must be fluent in English, both spoken and written
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead others and work effectively with teams and cultures around the world, of all job levels, and in a remote working environment
  • Strong relationship-building skills, problem-solving abilities, and active listening skills

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