Payroll Specialist - Project Lead

About Us

At Medius, we believe managing finance should be about strategy, not stress. That same mindset shapes not only the solutions we build, but also the culture we create for our people. We remove complexity, embrace innovation, and give our teams the freedom to focus on what truly matters — whether that’s transforming the future of finance with AI or finding balance to go home on time.

Founded in Sweden in 2001, Medius has grown from a local startup into a global leader in cloud-based spend management solutions. Today, thousands of organizations worldwide trust us to simplify accounts payable and spend management processes. Our journey has been driven by continuous innovation, a passion for technology, and above all — the people who make it happen.

We’re more than a software company. We’re a team of problem-solvers, innovators and collaborators working together to reinvent the category of accounts payable. Our solutions use Artificial Intelligence to eliminate manual work, bring clarity, confidence, and control, and empower finance teams of the future.

At Medius, our values guide how we work and grow together:

• Connect – We believe in the power of people—individually and collectively—and our success depends on understanding and respecting each other. We appreciate that ‘empowering finance teams of the future’ is an exciting endeavor, and we share it with everyone around us.

• Question – We enjoy the challenge of our work and the thrill of collaboration. We are not afraid to question ourselves and each other because we believe diverse perspectives can lead to better outcomes and that there is great power in resolution.

• Own – We are thorough, thoughtful, and decisive. We anticipate what’s next, what a customer might need, and then we deliver. That’s how we get things done. And that’s how we remain a leader. Customers trust us to do our job so that they can focus on what they do best.

At Medius, you’ll join a diverse, global community where curiosity is celebrated, ideas matter, and innovation never stops. If you’re passionate about technology, eager to make an impact, and ready to grow alongside a team that lives its values, Medius is where you can do your best work — your impact is global.

Learn more at www.medius.com

Job Overview

• Department: People Services

• Reports to: VP People Services

• Team: Global Payroll Manager and Payroll Specialist

• Location: Remote – UK

• Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract

About the Role

Payroll across 14 countries currently operates through five delivery models: Deel (standard and EOR), Arpi in Poland, ADP as a PEO in the US, and an in-house payroll in Tunisia. The process depends on a small number of named individuals, with limited documented processes and trained backup.

We're looking for a Payroll Specialist – Project Lead to address this and establish a sustainable global payroll operating model.

This is a build role, not solely a processing role. Over 12 months, you'll document how payroll operates in each country, establish and train a primary and backup owner for every country, move all payroll onto a global operating model, and hand over the result to a permanent team, supported by a costed recommendation on how that team should be structured.

You'll work alongside the Global Payroll Manager and the Payroll Specialist, with sponsorship from the VP People Services.

The focus will be on building the new operating model during the first eight months. Your responsibility for running payroll will grow through the final phase, culminating in running payroll for all 14 countries on the new model.

What You'll Be Responsible For

1. Global Payroll Operating Model

• Lead the move of all 14 countries onto the global payroll operating model.

• Define and embed workflows between HR Operations, Finance and HRBPs.

• Strengthen and deliver the service catalogue.

2. Process Documentation & Assessment

• Document processes, calendars, cut-offs, approvals, provider interfaces and controls for each country, starting with the five priority countries.

• Capture volume and productivity data to inform the sizing of the permanent team.

3. Ownership & Continuity

• Establish a named primary owner and a trained backup for every country.

• Secure time commitments from current owners, scheduled around payroll cut-offs.

• Train backups to run each payroll.

4. Payroll Operations

• Ensure accurate, timely and compliant payroll processing, reconciliations, audits and issue resolution alongside the existing team.

• Build towards running payroll for all 14 countries by the end of the contract.

5. Capability Building

• Upskill colleagues where required on the documented model, ensuring knowledge sits with the permanent team and not with the postholder.

6. Controls & Governance

• Build documented approvals and independent reviews into each country process so Finance and auditors can evidence repeatable controls.

• Maintain regulatory compliance, statutory filing discipline and legislative awareness across jurisdictions.

7. Provider Management

• Produce a single view of how each country operates and what each provider does, establishing the baseline for a later, separate decision on provider consolidation.

8. Automation & Self-Service

• Specify self-service and automation use cases for Luna, HiBob, HR Hub and Jira ticketing systems, built on documented and standardised processes.

9. Payroll Onboarding Playbook

• Produce a standard payroll onboarding playbook so that an acquisition or new country can be absorbed into the model rather than set up with another provider and another individual owner.

10. Benefits Ways of Working

• Support the move of benefits administration individual HR Operations and payroll owners to a global operating model by capturing the as-is and setting up structured ways of working.

• Benefits management remains in HR Operations.

11. Reporting & Analytics

• Establish reporting on payroll corrections and off-cycle payments, where there is no visibility today.

• Report on progress against the delivery plan to the VP People Services.

12. Permanent Structure & Handover

• Provide the as-is, the to-be and the full cost, with a recommendation on the permanent payroll structure, for the leadership decision gate.

• Complete the handover to permanent hires with an overlap period.

13. Stakeholder Partnership

• Act as the payroll SME and collaborate across HR Operations, HRBPs, Finance, Legal, IT, country payroll owners and providers.

Your First 12 Months

The role has a clear delivery roadmap, with a focus on building the operating model before taking full ownership of payroll operations.

Months 1–3 | Capture the As-Is

• Document processes, calendars, cut-offs, approvals, provider interfaces and controls for Australia, Norway, Poland, Tunisia and France.

• Name a primary and a backup owner for each country.

• Establish baseline volumes and productivity.

• Build the plan to move all countries to the global operating model.

• Present a progress checkpoint to leadership at month 3.

Months 4–8 | Move to the Model

• Work with the VP People Services to implement workflows between HR Operations, Finance and HRBPs.

• Embed the workflows and deliver a service catalogue.

• Move payroll onto the global operating model.

• Build the capability of the existing team.

Months 9–12 | Extend & Hand Over

• Extend the model to the remaining countries.

• Specify self-service and automation use cases for Luna, HiBob and HR Hub.

• Run payrolls for all 14 countries.

• Complete the handover to permanent hires with an overlap period.

• Deliver a recommendation on the permanent team structure.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

• 7+ years of payroll experience in a complex, multi-country environment.

• 2+ years leading payroll projects or process improvements.

• Demonstrated experience running payroll across multiple countries and delivery models, including outsourced, EOR or PEO providers.

• Experience documenting payroll processes and designing controls to audit standard.

• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations and tax requirements.

• Experience with payroll systems, ideally ADP, Deel and HiBob.

• Ability to build capability in colleagues and secure time from stakeholders who do not report to the role.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

Nice to Have

• CPP, FPC, PMP, Agile, or similar certifications.

• Merger and acquisition or new-country payroll onboarding experience.

• Experience specifying self-service or automation use cases for HRIS and payroll platforms.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Payroll Administration

• Operating Model Design & Documentation

• Project Management

• Process Improvement

• Multi-Country & Provider Management

• Capability Building & Handover

• Stakeholder Management

• Compliance, Controls & Risk Management

• Data Analysis & Reporting

What Success Looks Like

By the end of the 12-month contract, success will mean:

• 14 out of 14 countries have a documented payroll manual and are aligned with the global operating model.

• 14 out of 14 countries have a named primary owner and a trained backup.

• The as-is documentation and named primary and backup owners are in place for the five priority countries by the month 3 checkpoint.

• Workflows between HR Operations, Finance and HRBPs are live, with a service catalogue in use.

• Full visibility of payroll corrections and off-cycle payments, with a 2% global error rate target.

• Payroll accuracy and timeliness are maintained throughout the transition.

• A costed recommendation on the permanent structure is delivered for the decision gate, and the handover to permanent hires is completed.

• Positive audit and compliance outcomes.

Medius is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. 

The estimated base salary range for this role is £80,000 - £90,000/year, which represents a good-faith estimate of the compensation for this position. 

Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to relevant skills, experience, qualifications, certifications, internal equity, and the geographic location in which the role is performed. Compensation may vary for roles performed in different locations due to differences in the cost of labor. 

The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for variable compensation (such as a performance bonus or commission), benefits, and/or participation in other incentive or benefit plans, in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans. Benefits may include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, and retirement benefits, subject to eligibility requirements. 

Medius is an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), national origin, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, medical condition, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. 

If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability or for religious reasons during the application or interview process, please review our accommodations process. 

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