Payroll Manager, SEA

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world & most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. Payroll Manager, SEA Role Purpose To lead payroll operations across SEA / MENA, accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across all assigned countries. Ensures end-to-end payroll processing, statutory compliance, and effective stakeholder management aligned with the global payroll operating model. Drive standardisation, controls, and continuous improvement across regional payroll operations while ensuring adherence to payroll calendars and service level agreements. Operates with tactical leadership accountability, translating People Services operational plans into consistent execution. Exercises judgement within defined governance and control frameworks, ensuring quality, compliance, and service outcomes. Payroll Manager, SEA Key Responsibilities 1) Payroll Delivery & Processing Manage end-to-end payroll processing (source-to-gross, gross-to-net) across SEA/MENA countries Ensure accurate and timely payroll runs including off-cycle payments Manage payroll exceptions and issue resolution 2) Statutory Compliance & Reporting Ensure compliance with country-specific statutory requirements (tax, social insurance, filings) Manage timely remittances and statutory submissions 3) Controls, Audit & Reconciliation Maintain strong payroll controls including approvals, reconciliations, and system interfaces Support internal and external audits 4) Stakeholder Management & Reporting Partner with Finance, HRBPs, and Total Rewards on payroll inputs and reporting Provide payroll reporting and insights to stakeholders 5) Cyclical Events & Payroll Projects Support bonus cycles, annual pay reviews, and other cyclical payroll activities Ensure accurate execution of variable pay elements 6) Process Improvement & Digital Enablement Drive standardisation and automation across SEA/MENA payroll processes Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention 7) Leadership & Team Management Lead and develop payroll team members across SEA/MENA Drive performance, capability building, and engagement Position Descriptions 1) Accountabilities The role-holder is accountable for the management of a discrete operational unit, department or some geography, rather than individual processes or routines. Accountability is likely include pulling together a number of interdependent processes or systems, maximising cost-benefit ratios, balancing the demands of different priorities and situations and achieving planned outputs. There may be some contribution to strategic development, although the prime accountability is for strategy implementation. 2) Timespan of Decision One to two years. 3) Resource Complexity The role-holder is commonly responsible for managing and allocating resources within the context of a discrete unit, department or geography and for delivering outputs within the constraints of an annual planning and budgeting cycle. Responsibilities are likely to include the managing and pulling together of a given mix of people and resources and the contribution of different disciplines and teams. There may be some contribution to the development of capital expenditure plans. 4) Problem Solving Typically, the role-holder faces a flow of interconnected problems, requiring recognition of the connectivity between issues. Problem solution commonly requires the role-holder to identify patterns or trends in existing products, processes or systems and to extrapolate from past events over the next planning cycle. The role-holder is commonly responsible for identifying best practice solutions, anticipating future problems and planning for alternative solutions. 5) Discretionary Authority The role-holder is often responsible for recommending changes to services or products based on the analysis of trends in operational performance data. Responsibilities often include co-ordinating different elements of work, in order to refine/tune improvements in the work processes or systems employed in their unit, department or geography. The role-holder is often responsible for innovation - identifying and implementing the new and different within a specific and discrete context. 6) Internal Collaboration The role-holder is commonly required to collaborate with others in other units, departments or geographical areas. Collaboration is commonly for the purposes of ensuring access to resources, exchanging and implementing best practice and providing practices and systems to support production or service. 7) External Collaboration External interaction is primarily for the purpose of collaboration with a network of external relationships in order to achieve results for their unit, department or geography. The role-holder is commonly required to interact with external individuals or organizations to perceive patterns or trends in the external environment. What equips you for the role Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or related discipline. Minimum Experience and Knowledge: SAP Payroll / S4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors integrations, payroll systems, statutory reporting platforms. Job-Specific Skills: 8–10+ years in payroll operations with multi-country SEA / MENA experience. Strong knowledge of regional statutory requirements, payroll controls, and stakeholder management.