Senior Director, Global Process Leader, Payroll
Cotality
At Cotality, we are driven by a single mission—to make the property industry faster, smarter, and more people-centric. Cotality is the trusted source for property intelligence, with unmatched precision, depth, breadth, and insights across the entire ecosystem. Our talented team of 5,000 employees globally uses our network, scale, connectivity and technology to drive the largest asset class in the world. Join us as we work toward our vision of fueling a thriving global property ecosystem and a more resilient society.
Cotality is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work culture that inspires innovation and bold thinking; it's a place where you can collaborate, feel valued, develop skills and directly impact the real estate economy. We know our people are our greatest asset. At Cotality, you can be yourself, lift people up and make an impact. By putting clients first and continuously innovating, we're working together to set the pace for unlocking new possibilities that better serve the property industry.
Job Description:
Are you ready to lead and transform global payroll operations for a dynamic multinational organization? We are seeking a visionary Senior Director, Global Process Leader, Payroll to oversee and optimize our end-to-end global payroll processes across multiple regions and countries. This role is pivotal in driving payroll operations, transformation, governance, and process excellence in collaboration with HR, Finance, Tax, Treasury, Legal, and Technology teams. Join us in ensuring a best-in-class payroll operation that is efficient, compliant, and scalable.
Key Responsibilities:
Global Payroll Strategy & Governance
Own and drive the end-to-end payroll process for all global payroll operations, ensuring standardization, efficiency, and compliance.
Develop and implement a global payroll strategy that aligns with business objectives, HR, and Finance goals.
Establish global payroll governance with clear policies, controls, and best practices across all regions.
Drive continuous process improvement, automation, and digitization to enhance accuracy and efficiency.
Ensure compliance with country-specific labor laws, tax regulations, and reporting requirements in partnership with HR and Legal teams.
Operational Excellence & Employee Experience
Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing for all employees across multiple geographies.
Enhance the employee payroll experience by reducing payroll errors and addressing payroll inquiries efficiently.
Develop and support a centralized issue resolution model to handle payroll escalations effectively.
Drive accountability for process outcomes, including efficiency, quality, compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Foster a culture of process discipline across all regions and teams, while accommodating necessary regional variations.
Establish and enforce governance frameworks to ensure compliance with internal controls, regulatory requirements, and audit standards. Conduct periodic reviews and audits to mitigate risks and ensure process integrity.
Leadership & Change Management
Lead a high-performing global payroll team across multiple locations, driving a culture of accountability, efficiency, and innovation.
Provide strategic guidance and mentorship to regional payroll leaders and teams.
Drive change management initiatives to ensure smooth adoption of new payroll processes, policies, and technologies.
Payroll Vendor & Stakeholder Management
Manage the strategic relationship with outsourced Payroll service providers, ensuring contract compliance, SLA adherence, and service optimization.
Work closely with HR, Finance, Compensation & Benefits, Tax, Treasury, and Legal teams to ensure seamless payroll operations.
Oversee third-party payroll audits, compliance checks, and risk mitigation efforts.
Act as the key liaison between payroll teams and business stakeholders to ensure alignment of process goals with business needs. Ensure timely resolution of escalated issues and provide strategic direction on process-related decisions.
Process Standardization & Automation
Identify and implement opportunities for process reengineering, automation, and efficiency enhancements to reduce processing times, operating costs, and accuracy rates.
Benchmark performance against industry standards and drive initiatives for best-in-class results.
Lead the transformation of payroll processes, tools, and technologies, reducing manual interventions and increasing efficiency.
Drive global payroll automation by leveraging AI, robotics, and advanced payroll solutions.
Collaborate with IT, Finance, and HRIS teams to enhance payroll system capabilities, integrations, and data accuracy. Ensure technology solutions align with global process requirements and deliver measurable benefits.
Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs). Address underperformance through root cause analysis and corrective action plans.
Job Qualifications:
What You'll Bring:
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, Business Administration, or a related field or equivalent experience.
15+ years of experience in payroll leadership roles, with at least 5+ years in a global payroll process ownership role.
Extensive experience with multi-country shared services payroll operations and governance in a large multinational organization.
Expertise in payroll transformation, automation, and technology integration (e.g., ADP, Dayforce, Workday, SAP, Oracle).
Strong knowledge of global payroll tax, compliance, and labor laws across multiple jurisdictions.
Proven experience in leading payroll process standardization and global payroll system implementations.
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.
Experience in Payroll service provider management and service provider negotiations.
Strong analytical mindset, problem-solving skills, and ability to drive data-driven decisions.
Preferred Qualifications:
Payroll certifications such as CPP (Certified Payroll Professional).
Experience with AI, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), or payroll analytics tools.
Background in global shared services / global business services (GBS) environments.
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Annual Pay Range:
127,100 - 200,000 USDCotalitc benefits information can be found here: http://www.yourcorebenefits.com/. Qualifications, locations and experience of the individual ultimately selected for the position may impact the final actual offered compensation, which may vary from any posted range.
Cotality is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to attracting and retaining the best-qualified people available, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability or status as a veteran of the Armed Forces, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Cotality maintains a Drug-Free Workplace.
Cotality is fully committed to a work environment that embraces everyone’s unique contributions, experiences and values. We offer an empowered work environment that encourages creativity, initiative and professional growth and provides a competitive salary and benefits package. We are better together when we support and recognize our differences.
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