Head of Americas Payroll

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To manage payroll functions, including calculating employee pay, withholding taxes, and any other deductions, as well as maintaining accurate payroll records for the business. 

Accountabilities

• Processing of payroll for hourly, salaried, and commissioned employees, calculating tax and other contributions, withholding, and paying out as appropriate.
• Employee payroll record administration and troubleshooting.
• Guidance and support to employees on all payroll matters, including queries related to calculations of salaries and wages, overtime, bonuses, and commissions.
• Compliance related statutory filings including the management of the reply to Government institution notices related to all Statutory obligations.
• Payroll statutory reporting and filing including liaison with relevant local tax authorities.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Payroll which is part of the Colleague Experience team, provides a critical service for Barclays, impacting all colleagues globally (c.90,000 colleagues). The team is responsible for the delivery of the end-to-end payroll processes across the Barclays Group, including payroll payments to Barclays colleagues (c.£7bn gross per annum), third party payments, special benefits payments, and share plans. Payroll activity is highly complex and operationally intensive with 27 country payrolls which span over 400 unique processes and multiple vendors.

Colleague Support is a core Business Service and part of the Colleague Experience team which provides critical services, impacting all colleagues globally. The team is responsible for the delivery of end to end transactions supporting talent acquisition, employee relations, talent development, rewards and performance, workforce planning and advisory services.

Key Accountabilities

• This is a senior global leadership role within the HR Colleague Support and Payroll Transaction cycle, with the opportunity to shape the bank’s global payroll strategy.
• Own the payroll strategy related to the Americas and delivery of payroll in the Americas region in accordance with all applicable regulations.
• Timely resolution of escalated issues, in regard to complex queries, requests for exceptions to standard processes and service delivery issues, and that any risk events or issues are reported.
• In partnership with the US payroll lead and team members, the role holder will own service reviews with business leaders internal and external to HR, and will be required to understand, analyse, and identify trends within service performance to recommend new ideas and solutions that improve operational efficiency and the controls environment.
• Drive a Continuous Improvement mind-set and pro-actively identify and work with HR Technology to progress automation opportunities.
• Accountable for ensuring the appropriate service governance and documentation is in place and regularly maintained to enable continuous Payroll service delivery, greater efficiencies, and improved colleague experience.
• Accountable for governance of services provided by 3rd party vendors for payroll to ensure that delivery meets required standards of performance and compliance and also accountable for the end-to-end Control Environment for the Payroll service: ensuring that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework, the Enterprise Process Taxonomy (EPT), and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards within agreed budget.
• Colleague Support and Payroll representative in US regional management Committees/forums/teams including:
  • Americas HR Leadership Team (HRLT) forum
  • Americas HR MD/D Forum

• Regional management responsibility over the Americas Colleague Support and Payroll team, who provide services for all Americas businesses/functions.
• Ensure talent development and succession plans for the Colleague Support and Payroll talent in the region.
• Ensure that reporting capabilities are sufficient, accurate and timely, including those necessary to monitor under the Management Frameworks

Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in Payroll with exposure to working with 3rd party payroll vendors. Exposure to HR processes /HJR service delivery.
• Experience working in globally diverse and inclusive teams
• Experience interacting with global stakeholders in COEs such as a Rewards, Tax and with external regulatory bodies such as IRS etc.
• Experience with defining and delivery of a strategic agenda including elements of payroll technology, process efficiency, controls/compliance and vendor governance.
• Knowledge of HR systems and process design
• Able to advise and influence senior management and HR colleagues
• Demonstrable experience with continuous improvement / LEAN
• Demonstrable experience building and developing high performing teams

This role is located in New York.

Minimum Salary: $200,000

Maximum Salary: $270,000

The minimum and maximum salary/rate information above include only base salary or base hourly rate. It does not include any other type of compensation or benefits that may be available.