EMEA Payroll Director

Company Information

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Supporting our customers in accelerating life sciences research, solving sophisticated analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies, and enhancing operations in their laboratories is our top priority. Our distributed team of over 120,000 colleagues delivers a pioneering combination of brand new technologies, purchasing convenience, and pharmaceutical services across our top brands like Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Group/Division Summary

Reporting into HR Operations, Global Payroll is a critical, evolving function that is accountable for the pay of over 120,000 employees across the world.

Position Overview

• Location Type: Remote (UK, Hungary, or Bulgaria) with travel to local & EMEA offices
• Job Type: Full time
• Work Schedule: Standard (Mon-Fri)
• Employment Type: Full time
• Environmental Conditions: Office
• Salary: Not Specified

As the EMEA Payroll Director, you will command the oversight of payroll operations across 45 countries and a dynamic team of over 80 professionals. Handling a significant annual gross payroll exceeding $2 billion USD, you will ensure that payroll services are driven with precision, compliance, and timeliness, meeting the intricate demands of varied country legislations. Your role will encompass supporting over 45,000 colleagues across multiple legal entities.

In this influential role, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, exercising independent judgment to address difficult issues and drive critical initiatives. You will adeptly navigate a landscape of high ambiguity while inspiring the transformation of Thermo Fisher Payroll to a best-in-class global operation. Your sophisticated leadership skills will be critical as you shape and influence strategy and establish operational standards in the EMEA region.

You will play a pivotal senior role in implementing a multi-year Global Payroll roadmap, steering critical initiatives and supporting merger and acquisition activities. Regular interaction with senior customers and vendor partners will require you to demonstrate strong influence, collaboration, and negotiation skills. Your experience with Works Councils and unions will be highly valued. By harnessing extensive industry knowledge and fostering a culture of steadfast continuous improvement, you will drive Thermo Fisher’s aggressive growth objectives, redefining the payroll function into an extraordinary model of excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional Leadership: Direct EMEA payroll operations, ensuring commitment.
• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and run payroll teams across all levels.
• Vendor Relations: Develop and maintain strategic relationships with EMEA payroll vendors and global peers.
• Service Levels: Establish, monitor, and uphold SLAs and performance metrics in collaboration with vendors.
• Internal Controls: Collaborate to implement and carry out robust internal controls.
• Industry Insight: Stay updated on payroll industry trends to guide strategic decisions and enhance processes.
• Teamwork: Cultivate effective collaboration with team members and key customers to align projects and improve cross-process efficiency.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion a culture of ongoing process enhancement and innovation.
• Strategic Guidance: Provide experienced advice and recommendations to senior leadership on payroll matters.
• Additional Duties: Undertake other responsibilities as needed to support organizational success.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent experience preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of dynamic payroll experience within a multinational organization.
• Expertise: Shown leadership in payroll functions.