Global Payroll Business Operations Leader

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

Finance strategically partners with operations to drive outstanding business results and enhance Ford’s industry leadership. When you join us, you’ll be able to contribute financial expertise that impacts all areas of our company, including planning, manufacturing, marketing and global distribution.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Global Payroll Operations, the Global Payroll Business Operations Leader is responsible for driving operational excellence, strategic execution, and business transformation across Ford's Global Payroll organization. This role serves as the operational backbone of the payroll leadership team, ensuring strategic initiatives, cross-functional programs, governance activities, and organisational priorities are executed with speed, discipline, and measurable business impact.

As a trusted business partner, you will collaborate across Payroll, Finance, Human Resources, Technology, Legal, Compensation, Benefits, Tax, Treasury, and external partners to lead initiatives that improve operational performance, strengthen governance, and enable scalable payroll delivery.

As stewards of one of Ford's most critical employee-facing functions, our mission is to deliver an exceptional customer experience while ensuring every employee is paid accurately, compliantly, and on time. Our vision is to maximize the potential of our people by building a world-class payroll organization that accelerates organizational growth through operational excellence, innovation, automation, and continuous improvement.

This role requires a highly collaborative leader who thrives in ambiguity, balances strategic thinking with operational execution, and consistently drives results across large, complex, global initiatives. Success in this position requires strong executive presence, exceptional organisational skills, and the ability to influence without direct authority while building trust, accountability, and alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

• Lead operational planning and execution for strategic payroll initiatives in partnership with Finance, Human Resources, Technology, Benefits, Compensation, Legal, Treasury, Tax, and external service providers.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to payroll leadership by identifying operational risks, recommending solutions, and driving execution of critical business initiatives.

• Develop and maintain enterprise roadmaps, integrated project plans, governance forums, dashboards, and executive reporting.

• Drive alignment across multiple work streams while managing priorities, dependencies, and competing business demands.

• Build strong partnerships across all levels of the organization to influence decision‑making and deliver business outcomes.

• Anticipate organisational challenges and proactively resolve issues before they impact delivery.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, ownership, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Drive adoption of operational best practices, governance standards, and disciplined execution across the Global Payroll organization.

• Lead organisational readiness efforts supporting system implementations, process redesign, acquisitions, and business transformation initiatives.

• Ensure operational processes, governance models, and reporting capabilities scale effectively with organisational growth.

• Promote the use of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and technology‑enabled solutions to improve operational efficiency and enhance payroll service delivery.

• Support payroll leadership in developing strategic priorities, organisational planning, and long‑term transformation initiatives.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation preferred.

• Minimum of 12 years of progressive…