Job Information
American Express Director - EMEA Payroll Operations in Amex, United Kingdom
Description
You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.
With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.
At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.
Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.
How will you make an impact in this role?
In this role, Director EMEA Payroll Operations will report to the VP Colleague Services. The role is responsible for driving strategic priorities, ensuring and improving the performance, productivity, and efficiency of EMEA Payroll operations, providing direction to a diverse team of payroll professionals in order to achieve goals to support strategic, company, business and CEG Priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
Payroll Accuracy & Compliance:
Guarantee timely and accurate payroll processing while staying ahead of complex tax and labor laws across multiple EMEA countries.
Ensure timely and accurate payroll processing for all employees, including regular, variable, and off-cycle payments
Stay updated on local, state, and national payroll legislation, tax laws, and labor regulations.
Implement payroll processes that comply with statutory requirements, company policies, and industry standards.
Collaborate with legal and HR teams to address payroll-related compliance risks
Optimize Payroll Operations:
Drive efficiencies through automation, process improvements, and best practices to enhance payroll governance and execution.
Implement system driven payroll solutions to automate calculations, filings and compliance checks to reduce manual errors
Standardize workflows to eliminate redundancies and enhance processing speed
Strengthen internal controls with audit ready processes, minimising compliance risks and ensuring data integrity
Strengthen Vendor & Stakeholder Relationships:
Oversee third-party payroll providers, ensure SLAs are met, and foster strong collaboration with CEG, Finance, and Tax teams.
Conduct regular SLA and KPI reviews to ensure that third party payroll vendors meet accuracy timeliness and compliance expectations
Partner with technology teams to optimize payroll systems and implement automation for accuracy and efficiency
Partner with finance and tax teams to proactively address regulatory changes and implement compliance strategies
Support ongoing audits and reconciliations to ensure tax filings benefits contributions and financial reporting are error free
Enhance Employee Experience:
Implement strategies to ensure a smooth and transparent payroll experience while addressing employee concerns proactively.
Ensure a seamless experience by providing colleagues easy access to payroll information pay slips and tax details
Structured payroll issue escalation and resolution framework address colleague concerns efficiently with minimal disruption
Conduct regular colleagues feedback so these to identify pain points and implement continuous improvements
Leverage Data & Analytics:
Develop and monitor payroll metrics, identify trends, and provide insights to drive strategic decisions.
Monitor key payroll metrics (e.g., error rates, processing times, compliance adherence) and drive improvements
Develop dashboards to track key metrics, identify gaps and optimize resource allocations
Lead & Develop Teams:
Mentor payroll teams across the region, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Foster a culture of collaboration by implementing best practise sharing standardised processes and knowledge exchange programmes to ensure consistency and efficiency across payroll operations
Encourage innovation and continuous improvement by empowering teams to identify process enhancement, streamline workflows and proactively address risks
Minimum Qualifications
High level knowledge of Payroll, compliances, employee taxation in EMEA region.
Strong understanding of American Express business processes, Payroll and financial systems including but not limited to ADP and SAP systems employed in payroll processing.
A strong understanding of Amex and vendor systems from a solution creation, automation, and integration perspective
Exceptional leadership, business partnership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Capable of strategic thinking and results driven approach with an ability to convert strategic vision into clear outcomes.
Strategic business partner with a proven track record of independent working, positively collaborating, influencing, and coordinating with internal and external partners including senior leaders.
Ability to design, implement and streamline complex processes.
Excellent organization skills with strong attention to detail. Experience leading a team in a matrix environment. Excellent at influencing others to drive flawless execution
Good change management experience, and ability to drive and manage complex/large scale change initiatives sensitively and thoughtfully.
High drive for results, with a focus on delivering measurable outcomes.
Global mindset, with the ability to challenge the status quo
Excellent communication skills, able to cascade complex messages in simple form and ensure employees can see how what they do day-to-day supports the company’s strategic priorities and direction.
Experience with Agile and project management disciplines preferred
An understanding of relevant financial control principles and practices (i.e. US GAAP, Local GAAP), preferred
Master’s Degree with minimum 15 years’ experience.
Qualifications
We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:
Competitive base salaries
Bonus incentives
Support for financial-well-being and retirement
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
Career development and training opportunities
Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.
Job: Human Resources
Primary Location: United Kingdom-West Sussex-Burgess Hill
Other Locations: United Kingdom-Amex - for internal use only-Amex - for internal use only, United Kingdom-London-London, United Kingdom-East Sussex-Brighton
Schedule Full-time
Req ID: 25003532
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