Assistant Director - Global Payroll

Assistant Director – Global Payroll

* Salary: £70,800 - £100,000 per annum

* Location:

Cambridge, UK/Hybrid – working at least 2 days per week from the office

* Contract:

Permanent

* Hours:

Full Time – 35 hours per week

Ready to transform global payroll into a strategic, data-driven function that positively impacts thousands of colleagues across the world? As our Assistant Director, Global Payroll, you will lead the strategy, systems and people that make this possible across our global organisation.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

As Assistant Director, Global Payroll, you will take the lead in shaping and evolving our global payroll function, ensuring our colleagues are paid accurately and reliably across more than 50 countries. This is a senior, high-impact role where you will have the opportunity to move payroll beyond a traditional operational function and develop it into a more strategic, data-driven service.

Working closely with People & Culture, Finance, Reward, Legal and other senior stakeholders, you will lead the modernisation of our payroll processes, systems and ways of working. From developing our long-term payroll strategy to driving automation and continuous improvement, you will play a key role in creating a scalable, compliant and effective global payroll operation.

In this role, you will:

* Lead and develop a global payroll team.

* Oversee high-volume weekly and monthly payroll cycles across multiple entities.

* Turn complex payroll data into meaningful dashboards and insights for senior leadership.

* Take the lead on payroll audits, tax reconciliations and year-end statutory requirements.

* Act as the senior escalation point for complex payroll matters.

* Build strong relationships with external payroll providers, auditors, HMRC and pension providers.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

About You

You are an accomplished payroll professional with significant experience leading payroll operations within a large, complex and global organisation. You will bring comprehensive knowledge of UK and US payroll legislation, together with the technical expertise and sound judgement needed to operate effectively in a high-volume environment where accuracy, compliance and strong governance are essential.

You are an experienced people leader, with a proven track record of managing and developing high-performing teams and building effective relationships across an organisation. Comfortable working with stakeholders at all levels, you'll be able to influence senior internal and external partners, bring people together around shared priorities and remain calm and solutions-focused when navigating complex issues.

Importantly, you will bring a strategic and improvement-focused mindset. You have experience developing and implementing payroll system strategy, leading significant projects and continuously improving payroll processes. You are confident tackling new and complex problems, balancing competing needs and working through ambiguity to deliver practical and sustainable solutions.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

* Knowledge and…