Senior Payroll Manager - Global

Shift4 Payments · Tampa

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Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR) is boldly redefining commerce by simplifying complex payments ecosystems across the world. As the leader in commerce-enabling technology, Shift4 powers billions of transactions annually for hundreds of thousands of businesses in virtually every industry. For more information, visit www.shift4.com.

The Senior Payroll Manager leads Shift4's international payroll consolidation and global payroll operations, owning the execution of our Deel migration strategy, vendor management, backup and continuity planning, and process standardization across all international markets. This role sits within HR Operations and does not include U.S. or Canada payroll, which remain separately managed by the in-house payroll team.

This is not a traditional payroll processing role — it's a hybrid position requiring strong program/project management skills paired with deep subject-matter expertise in global payroll practices, compliance, and vendor management.

The Senior Payroll Manager is a strategic operator and project leader — someone who can build structure where little exists, assess and organize the payroll talent already embedded in our organization, and deliver compliant, consistent payroll operations across 35+ countries as Shift4 integrates Global Blue and rationalizes its international vendor landscape.

This role embodies Shift4's core principles:

• Deleting the Parts — consolidating fragmented vendor relationships into a rationalized global payroll model.
• Being Procedurally Driven — building SOPs, documented approval workflows, and audit-ready payroll controls across every active market.
• Radical Ownership — full accountability for international payroll compliance, continuity, and consolidation.
• Executing with Urgency — delivering the 1/1/2027 Deel go-live for Germany, Australia, and New Zealand on time.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Global Payroll Consolidation

• Own and project-manage the 1/1/2027 Deel migration for Germany (S4 ~193 employees), Australia (~122 combined), and New Zealand (~169 combined), including timeline, testing, parallel runs, and go-live sign-off.
• Build and maintain the international payroll consolidation roadmap for all remaining markets; evaluate feasibility of Deel migration for each country against compliance requirements, vendor capability, and operational complexity.
• Define the consolidation approach for complex markets (France, Italy, Turkey, Lithuania, Argentina, and others) where local presence may be required by law or practical necessity.

Vendor Management

• Own the Deel relationship as primary global payroll vendor; establish performance accountability, SLA standards, and escalation protocols.
• Manage all remaining international payroll vendor relationships; rationalize and reduce the vendor landscape over time, ensuring compliant, high-performing providers with strong Workday integration capability.
• Lead vendor assessments and selection for markets requiring local payroll providers;

Global Backup & Continuity

• Map payroll backup coverage across all 35+ international markets; identify single points of failure and key-person dependencies in every active payroll.
• Implement documented contingency plans for each market to ensure no payroll is left without a continuity plan and an identified backup owner.
• Establish and maintain a payroll risk register with mitigation actions and ownership assignments.

Process Standardization & Compliance

• Implement standardized SOPs and documented approval workflows across all active international payroll markets.
• Establish HR Operations as the accountable payroll function globally — ensuring all international payrolls flow through HR Ops with appropriate controls, audit trails, and Finance alignment.
• Maintain compliance with local tax, labor law, and regulatory requirements across all active markets, leveraging vendor in-country expertise and staying current on statutory changes.

Workday Integration

• Partner with HRIS to define the Workday-to-Deel integration strategy for all consolidated markets; drive implementation to reduce manual data entry and improve payroll accuracy.
• Ensure Workday is used as the system of record for all international payroll inputs; define data standards, integration touchpoints, and audit controls.

Competencies & Skills:

• International Payroll Expertise — 5+ years of hands-on experience managing payroll across multiple countries; deep understanding of multi-country compliance, statutory requirements, and local payroll complexity.
• Deel Platform Experience — familiarity with configuration, onboarding, and troubleshooting in a multi-country payroll environment is required. Proven experience operating Deel as a payroll platform is a plus.
• Vendor & Project Management — ability to manage external payroll vendors and drive structured consolidation projects end-to-end, including timelines, parallel runs, and cutover management.
• Process Building — demonstrated ability to build SOPs, approval workflows, and compliance controls from scratch in an environment with limited existing structure.
• Workday Integration — familiarity with Workday HCM as a payroll input system; experience with or understanding of Workday-to-payroll vendor integrations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration — comfortable working across HR, Finance, Legal, and IT in a fast-paced, global, matrixed environment.
• Communication & Influence — ability to translate payroll complexity for senior HR and Finance leaders; skilled at building credibility quickly in a new organization.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

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