Zendesk
Overview
Zendesk is seeking a strategic, hands-on Senior Director of Global Payroll to lead our payroll operations. This is a high-impact, cross-functional leadership role responsible for overseeing a team of payroll professionals spanning the globe. You will be accountable for ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing for thousands of employees while driving process improvements, scaling global operations, and strategically partnering with Finance, HR, Legal, and external vendors to drive business and employee experience outcomes.
Responsibilities
Lead and manage a disbursed global payroll team of 10+ professionals across the US, LATAM, APAC, and EMEA
Oversee end-to-end payroll operations for 20+ global entities, ensuring compliance with local regulations, labor laws, and payroll tax requirements
Heavy engagement with HR, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to support business needs and strategically shape compensation policies and procedures
Establish and maintain standardized payroll processes and controls across all regions while balancing local requirements
Represent Payroll in M&A activities, entity expansions, policy rollouts, ensuring seamless integration and execution
Serve as the subject matter expert and escalation point for complex payroll inquiries and global pay-related issues and policies
Partner with IT teams to optimize integrations between payroll systems and platforms
Drive global process improvements that scale Zendesk's growth, reduce manual effort, and minimize errors
Own global reporting, forecasting, and analytics providing insight and visibility into payroll costs, and trends
Prepare and present executive-level reporting on global payroll operations, risks, and strategic initiatives
Requirements
15+ years of experience in a global payroll leadership role, preferably in tech or a high-growth environment
Strong expertise in global payroll systems (Workday, Cloudpay, ADP)
Exceptional people management, cross-cultural communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
Skilled at balancing strategic leadership with operational excellence
The US annualized base salary range for this position is $194,000.00-$292,000.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.
Work Arrangement Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration, while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.
Zendesk The Intelligent Heart Of Customer Experience
Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.
Equal Opportunity Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.
Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.
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Responsibilities
Lead and manage a disbursed global payroll team of 10+ professionals across the US, LATAM, APAC, and EMEA
Oversee end-to-end payroll operations for 20+ global entities, ensuring compliance with local regulations, labor laws, and payroll tax requirements
Heavy engagement with HR, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to support business needs and strategically shape compensation policies and procedures
Establish and maintain standardized payroll processes and controls across all regions while balancing local requirements
Represent Payroll in M&A activities, entity expansions, policy rollouts, ensuring seamless integration and execution
Serve as the subject matter expert and escalation point for complex payroll inquiries and global pay-related issues and policies
Partner with IT teams to optimize integrations between payroll systems and platforms
Drive global process improvements that scale Zendesk's growth, reduce manual effort, and minimize errors
Own global reporting, forecasting, and analytics providing insight and visibility into payroll costs, and trends
Prepare and present executive-level reporting on global payroll operations, risks, and strategic initiatives
Requirements
15+ years of experience in a global payroll leadership role, preferably in tech or a high-growth environment
Strong expertise in global payroll systems (Workday, Cloudpay, ADP)
Exceptional people management, cross-cultural communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
Skilled at balancing strategic leadership with operational excellence
The US annualized base salary range for this position is $194,000.00-$292,000.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.
Work Arrangement Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration, while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.
Zendesk The Intelligent Heart Of Customer Experience
Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.
Equal Opportunity Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.
Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.
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