Team Manager, Payroll

Job Title: Team Manager, Payroll

At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. From bringing lectures vividly to life to turning textbooks into laptop lessons, we are always re-examining the way people learn best, whether it’s one child in our own backyard or an education community across the globe. We also create incredible assessment clinical and professional tests to help people to growth in their personal and professional lives. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in an environment that supports and inspires us to always be better. By pushing the boundaries of technology — and each other to surpass these boundaries — we create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations, personal and global, large, and small.

What you’ll do

The Regional Payroll Leader – Europe will serve as the senior operational and strategic payroll leader for the region, helping modernize and stabilize operations while partnering closely with stakeholders to drive a scalable, resilient, and future-ready operating model.  This role will play a critical part in shaping and maturing that future-state operating model.

The position is designed for a leader who can navigate complexity, lead transformation, orchestrate multiple operational support layers, and help modernize operations within a highly matrixed global organization.

Pearson’s Global Payroll team has earned industry recognition for innovation and leadership, with team members featured on leading podcasts, and professional publications across the payroll and workforce technology space.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership

• Coach team members through organizational and operational transformation 
• Help establish future-state role expectations centered on expertise, governance, stakeholder partnership, operational orchestration, and continuous improvement
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, and modernization

Stakeholder Partnership & Governance

• Support executive-level discussions involving payroll risk, controls, compliance, and operational performance 

• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the organization 

Operational Transformation & Modernization

• Lead Europe transformation initiatives, including vendor transitions and operating model redesign 
• Support the continued evolution of operations through optimization and standardization, governance enhancement, and vendor optimization 
• Lead automation and AI-readiness strategies 
• Help evolve the function to an expertise-led and strategically aligned operating structure

Risk, Compliance & Operational Resilience

• Strengthen governance and operational controls across the region 
• Reduce key-person dependency and operational fragility through scalable support models and documentation 
• Improve operational resilience and continuity planning across supported markets 
• Oversee audit readiness and support remediation activities where needed 
• Ensure appropriate escalation management and operational transparency across all supported countries 

Success Metrics

Operational Delivery

• Achieve sustained accuracy and on-time delivery across the region
• Reduce manual workarounds year-over-year 
• Reduce sustained overtime dependency 
• Improve operational continuity through strengthened backup coverage and documentation maturity 

Transformation & Modernization

• Increase process standardization and reduce fragmented/manual workflows across the region 
• Improve operational readiness for automation and AI-enabled operations 
• Successfully implement and mature the Europe hybrid operating model 

Governance & Risk

• Improve audit readiness and controls maturity across the region
• Reduce key-person dependency and operational fragility 
• Strengthen transparency, governance, and escalation management across the region 
• Achieve positive outcomes from internal audit, tax, and compliance reviews

Stakeholder & Organizational Impact

• Increase stakeholder confidence and satisfaction across Finance, HR, Tax, and business leadership 
• Improve visibility and communication regarding operational risks and priorities 

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Significant experience leading complex multinational payroll operations in Europe
• Demonstrable understanding of European payroll governance, compliance, and operational risk 
• Strong UK employment tax awareness strongly preferred 
• Experience operating within matrixed multinational organizations 
• Experience leading transformation, vendor transitions, or operating model redesign initiatives preferred 
• Experience working with outsourced vendors and hybrid delivery models preferred 

Skills & Capabilities

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Ability to operate effectively in highly nuanced and evolving operational environments 
• Strong judgment and decision-making capability 
• Comfortable balancing operational delivery with strategic transformation 

Stakeholder Management

• Strong communication and influencing skills 
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments diplomatically and effectively 

Change Leadership

• Comfortable leading through ambiguity and organizational change 
• Strong process improvement and operational redesign mindset 
• Interest in modernization, automation, and AI-enabled operations 

Governance & Risk Management

• Strong operational governance mindset 
• Ability to identify and mitigate operational risks 
• Experience supporting audit and compliance activities 

The region encompasses over 16 countries, inclusive of the U.K., Spain, Italy, Poland, and the DACH, Benelux and Nordic regions 

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