Payroll Partner, EMEA

About the role

Airwallex, the AI-native financial operating system used by more than 675,000 businesses, is hiring a Payroll Partner for EMEA. The role focuses on EMEA payroll while contributing to selected global projects and helping shape longer-term payroll capabilities. It sits within the Finance & Corporate Development team, which supports financial reporting, tax and safeguarding obligations and works with investors.

Key responsibilities

• Own accurate, efficient EMEA payroll operations, including processing, region-specific securities regulations and employment tax requirements, reconciliations, and month-end and year-end close procedures.
• Provide strategic direction across payroll operations, service delivery, control frameworks, advisory, cost reduction and system improvements.
• Lead payroll implementations and improvements, including a unified global payroll solution per entity and optimised system integrations, workflows and data automation.
• Analyse global payroll data to give Finance and HR insight into employee-cost trends and forecasting, and support global payroll projects.
• Partner with Legal and HR on new entity setup and Employment of Record services, and support the evolution of payroll systems and tools.
• Advise employees and stakeholders on pay issues, award changes, new policies and payroll enquiries, resolving queries raised through JIRA and Slack.
• Build a payroll knowledge repository (process documentation, FAQs, response templates) and drive improvements to efficiency, accuracy and employee experience.

Required profile

• At least 5 years' regional experience managing end-to-end payroll processing, with strong EMEA exposure.
• Experience giving strategic direction across payroll operations, controls, advisory, system improvements and stakeholder management.
• Experience leading or contributing to payroll implementation, HRIS/payroll integration, system optimisation or workflow automation projects.
• Strong understanding of payroll compliance, employment tax, reconciliations and month-end and year-end close.
• Ability to resolve payroll discrepancies accurately and to handle confidential information carefully.
• Preferred: a bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources or a related field; experience with private equity, RSU and ESOP reporting; experience supporting entity setup and Employment of Record; experience leading a team or coordinating payroll projects; experience using JIRA, Slack or similar tools.

Required skills

• Strong analytical and numerical skills, able to produce reports for Finance and HR.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills, able to work independently and in teams.
• Comfortable working across time zones with a globally distributed team.

The role is flexible depending on location, but ideally you will work from the Airwallex office in the location you applied for three times a week. Apply only through the company's careers site or official LinkedIn page.