About the Role:

Grade Level (for internal use):

The Role

Paying our people accurately and efficiently is a cornerstone of our employee experience. As Head of Global Payroll, you will serve as a strategic leader and subject matter expert, shaping global payroll strategy and delivery across the enterprise. You will influence how employees feel valued, ensure compliance and operational excellence, and drive innovation across payroll processes worldwide.

The Team:

We are operating in 22 countries with offices in APAC, North America (primarily Centerville VA and London, Ontario Canada), and EMEA.  The role is initially to consider the long-term design of the team. This role reports directly to senior leadership and partners closely with Finance, People, Technology, and divisional business leaders to ensure payroll is executed seamlessly and strategically across all regions.

S&P Global has recently announced the intent to separate our Mobility Segment into a standalone public company. 

For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/mobility.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Define and execute the global payroll strategy, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals, regulatory requirements, and employee experience priorities.
• Global Payroll Operations: Oversee end-to-end payroll operations for 3,500+ employees across 13+ countries, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with local laws and regulations.
• Governance & Compliance: Maintain oversight of payroll governance, internal controls, audit readiness, and fiduciary responsibilities across all jurisdictions.
• Vendor & Technology Management: Lead and optimize payroll vendor relationships and technology platforms to drive efficiency, scalability, and service excellence.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and inspire a global payroll team, fostering a high-performance culture and professional growth.
• Transformation & Process Improvement: Drive payroll transformation initiatives, including consolidation of processes, technology enhancements, and harmonization of global payroll operations.
• Executive Partnership & Influence: Act as the enterprise payroll advisor to senior leaders, Board of Directors, and M&A teams. Provide insights and data to inform executive decision-making and strategic initiatives.
• Financial Stewardship: Oversee payroll budgets, forecasting, and reporting for payroll and related benefits expenses. Partner with the Benefits team to ensure seamless integration with total rewards programs.

Experience & Qualifications

• Proven global payroll leadership: 15+ years of experience in complex, multinational payroll environments.
• Strategic thinker with operational excellence: Experience leading payroll transformation, vendor management, and global process standardization.
• Technology expertise: Deep understanding of payroll systems, including ADP and/or CloudPay or comparable enterprise platforms, and experience driving automation and technology-enabled improvements.
• Strong compliance knowledge: Expertise in global payroll compliance, tax regulations, statutory reporting, and fiduciary obligations.
• Executive presence: Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills across senior leadership, business units, and the Board of Directors.
• Leadership & people development: Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams, foster professional growth, and cultivate a culture of accountability and excellence.
• Change agent: Comfortable challenging the status quo, driving innovation, and navigating complex global environments.

Right to Work Requirements:

This role is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States.

Compensation/Benefits Information: (This section is only applicable to US candidates)

S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is $137,000 to $250,000.  Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses and certifications.

In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for an annual incentive plan. This role i