Western Europe Senior Payroll Manager

We are seeking a finance executive to lead and further develop the Payroll Financial Operations team at the Bratislava Center; within our rapidly growing Finance organization. This position will manage a team of 40+ individuals across Payroll domain supporting several countries in Western Europe.

This position will be responsible for all aspects of Western Europe Payroll Operations including: hiring, training, and employee development; managing group workload and establishing priorities; ensuring existing policies and procedures are followed; managing annual performance targets and operating budget; creating and monitoring appropriate performance metrics. This position will also act as an escalation point in resolving complex outstanding issues with internal and external business partners. Overall responsible for Audit compliance and Business controls.

Key Strategic Objectives

Lead a team of 40+ amazonians
Contributes to the strategic direction of the company based on internal and industry knowledge
Responsible for developing and communicating team or department vision and goals
Build and monitor the consolidated Western Europe Payroll Operations annual operating plan to forecast headcount needs with detailed analysis of budget to actual results on a monthly and quarterly basis
Partner with external stakeholders HR, HRS, Accounting, Treasury (external to Payroll department)
Partner with internal stakeholders Compliance, Controllership, Vendor Management, Operational Excellence, PMO, Payroll Academy
Responsible to develop and implement systems to support rapid growth. Performs autonomously and initiate and manages complex, departmental and/or cross- company work
Build scalable processes to recruit, train and develop business professionals to support business expansion in Western Europe
Lead performance review processes with the Finance Operations VP, Directors and senior leaders

Focus and Deliverables for first 12 Months

Establish deep relationships with HR\HRS in order to develop strategies in support of business growth
Conduct in-depth process analysis supporting a transition to the best payroll delivery model (in-house vs. outsourced) by identifying best in class processes, vendors and developing methods to improve results without sacrificing frugality
Develop and execute a plan to support global expansion. Determine how to off-set at current process capacity
Developing, modifying and maintaining the operational and design effectiveness of internal controls
Lead cross functional systems and process improvement initiatives

Professional traits that are not unique to this position, but necessary for Amazon leaders:

Exhibits excellent judgment
Hires great people. Develops great people
Leads with data and develops audit mechanisms to stay close to the data
Has relentlessly high standards
Superior written and verbal communication
Thinks strategically, but stays on top of tactical execution
Expects and requires innovation of her/his team
Thinks big and has convictions
Results oriented
Has the innate ability to inspire passion in others
Deals well in ambiguous environments

Basic Qualifications:
Fluent English + at least one other EU language C1/C2
12+ year experience managing a Global Payroll Operations (multi-country, multi-language) organization
Experience in Shared Services: HR, Accounting or Payroll
Past experience in effectively managing groups of at least 80 - 100 FTEs
Proven ability to build and lead large complex payroll teams
Experience with complex problem solving using Lean/Six Sigma techniques
Proven project management ability and business judgment capable of organizing problem sets, finding solutions, and executing to a successful conclusion
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment
Advanced analytical skills and the ability to get into the details, while also seeing and understanding the big picture
Advanced presentation skills and the ability to guide and influence senior leadership
Internal and external customer obsession and a work ethic based on a strong desire to exceed expectations

Preferred Qualifications:
CPP or CIPP Certified
PMI Certified
Agile Certified
CIA Certified
Enrolled Agent