Senior Payroll Specialist, APAC (Contract)

About the company:

Our client is leading the digital transformation of energy management and automation.

Location: Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Work Mode: Hybrid
Contract: 12 month

About the Role

Manage end-to-end payroll operations across a cluster of countries (APAC), while driving payroll transformation, digitalization, and process excellence initiatives. This role partners with regional stakeholders to deliver timely, accurate, compliant, employee-centric payroll services and support ongoing organizational change.

Key Responsibilities:

• End-to-End Payroll Delivery: Manage accurate, timely, and compliant multi-country payroll processing, checking, and delivery in line with statutory and company standards.
• Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement: Act as a trusted payroll advisor and primary contact for HR, Finance, vendors, and external agencies to ensure service excellence and issue resolution.
• Governance, Compliance & Controls: Govern payroll controls, compliance requirements, audits, reconciliations, and risk management to maintain a robust control environment.
• Transformation & Automation: Lead payroll transformation, process optimization, automation, and digitalization to improve operational efficiency, scalability, and employee experience.
• System Implementations & Projects: Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to support payroll system implementations, technology enhancements, integrations, and regional/global projects (including acquisitions, transitions, and new country deployments).
• Change Management: Drive change management activities, including stakeholder engagement, communication planning, training, and adoption strategies.
• Documentation & Policies: Develop, maintain, and enhance payroll policies, standard operating procedures, documentation, control checklists, and knowledge repositories.
• Process Standardization: Identify opportunities to standardize workflows, strengthen governance, reduce operational risks, and embed industry best practices.
• Subject Matter Expertise & Coaching: Serve as a process SME by troubleshooting complex issues, coaching junior team members, and fostering capability development.
• Cross-Regional Collaboration: Collaborate with teammates across regions to ensure operational resilience, business continuity, and a culture of continuous learning.

Requirements

• Degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of payroll experience.
• Experience in payroll operations, preferably in multiple countries.
• Solid understanding of payroll processes, compliance, and controls.
• Effective analytical, project management, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to solve problems and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Able to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in payroll transformation or automation is an advantage.

Remuneration

• Basic salary: RM7,000 - RM10,000
• Completion bonus
• Other benefits