Head Global HR & Payroll Operations

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For over 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity. We work with people in over 150 countries and reach over 700 million people. We connect. We inspire. The Role The Head Global HR & Payroll Operations is the senior operational leader responsible for the effective, accurate, compliant and efficient delivery of global HR Operations and Payroll services across all regions. The role leads the regional People Function Operations and Payroll leads and is accountable for services delivered through internal teams and external service providers. The operational scope includes onboarding, managed workforce administration, people administration, mobility operations, pre-payroll activities, payroll processing and payments, people data maintenance, reporting and related employee lifecycle services. The postholder ensures consistent execution of the global operating model, policies, procedures and controls, while balancing standardisation with local statutory and operational requirements. The role owns operational performance, service-provider governance, risk and compliance, service recovery, operational reporting and continuous improvement. The role also leads the operational delivery of agreed HR Operations and Payroll transformation priorities, including requirements definition, RFP and provider selection support, implementation, transition, automation and embedding new solutions into business-as-usual operations to strengthen service resilience and future readiness. The role reports to the Director – People Function & Payroll Operations and is responsible for BAU operations and executing the global HR Operations and Payroll strategy through regional operational leads, payroll and People Operations teams, and external service providers. The role oversees the end-to-end delivery of global HR Operations and Payroll services, including but not limiting to onboarding, managed workforce administration, people administration, Mobility Operations, pre-payroll, payroll processing and payments, maintenance of employee and payroll records, reporting and related compliance activities. Delivery operates across multiple countries, regulatory environments, systems and provider arrangements. The postholder is responsible for maintaining consistent processes and controls, monitoring service delivery against KPIs and SLAs, resolving complex operational issues, and ensuring statutory, data protection, accounting-control and business-continuity requirements are met. The role is the senior operational point of contact for HR Operations and Payroll service providers, defining and managing service scope, overseeing mobilisation and transitions, and leading performance and improvement reviews. The role works closely with Finance, Reward, People Advisory, Procurement, Digital & Technology, country stakeholders and senior People Function leadership. Success is measured through accurate and timely service delivery, compliance, customer experience, operational resilience, provider performance, effective controls, cost management and successful implementation of agreed transformation outcomes. Main responsibilities The role leads regional People Function Operations and Payroll teams, providing strategic direction, accountability and oversight of end-to-end global HR Operations and Payroll services, including onboarding, employee administration, mobility, pre-payroll, payroll processing, people data and reporting. It ensures accurate, timely, compliant and customer-focused service delivery across internal teams and external providers, while managing resources, operational capacity, service performance, KPIs, SLAs, escalations and continuous improvement. The role also oversees provider governance, contractual performance, operational risks, statutory compliance, financial controls, budgets, audit requirements and business continuity. The role drives the operational implementation of global HR Operations and Payroll transformation priorities, including requirements definition, RFP and provider selection, implementation, service transition, automation, process standardisation and technology improvements. Working closely with Finance, Reward, People Advisory, Procurement, Digital & Technology and regional stakeholders, it strengthens operational resilience, systems effectiveness and employee experience while building team capability and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, compliance and continuous improvement. Role specific skills There are three proficiency levels for HR skills: novice, developing and exemplary. The relevant proficiency level for this role is listed against each skill. Data literacy Data driven – grasps and uses data to make decisions and inform practice (developing). Analytics translation – translates operational, people and payroll data into actionable insight (developing). Business acumen Commercial fluency – holds a clear understanding of organisational financial requirements and performance (exemplary). Customer understanding – understands customer needs and applies user-centric principles (developing). Digital agility Digital aptitude – motivated to learn and experiment with digital ways of working (developing). Digital adoption – creates an environment ready for digital adoption, automation and self-service (developing). People advocacy Risk mitigation and ethics – ensures ethical conduct and compliance and mitigates people and operational risks (developing). Change navigation – builds the structures and capacity to promote change and resilience (developing). Execution excellence Action orientation – implements actionable and adaptive plans to achieve results (developing). Problem solving – finds practical solutions to complex operational issues (developing). Interpersonal skills – achieves shared goals through effective relationships across functions, regions and providers (developing). Role specific knowledge and experience Minimum/essential * Significant operational leadership experience across global or multi-country Payroll and HR Operations, shared services and payroll transformation within a complex organisation. * Strong operational knowledge of onboarding, managed workforce administration, people administration, Mobility Operations, pre-payroll, payroll processing and payments, people data and reporting. * Proven experience leading geographically dispersed operations through regional leads, managers and specialist teams. * Extensive experience managing outsourced and hybrid service-delivery models, including governance of major service providers and payroll vendors. * Proven accountability for operational performance, KPIs, SLAs, customer outcomes, service recovery and continuous improvement. * Experience leading operational transformation, RFP or provider-selection activity, service transition, technology implementation and stabilisation. * Strong understanding of payroll and HR Operations controls, statutory compliance, audit, data privacy, accounting interfaces and business continuity. * Experience managing operational budgets, suppliers and commercial performance. * Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with evidence of using data and root-cause insight to improve services and controls. * Excellent stakeholder leadership and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across People Function, Finance, Procurement, Technology, countries and providers. Desirable * Experience implementing global HR Operations, payroll, workforce-administration or shared-service technology solutions. * Experience working in a global matrix organisation across diverse regulatory and cultural environments. * Professional payroll qualification such as CIPP or equivalent, or significant technical payroll competence. * Professional HR, shared services, service-management or operations qualification. * Programme or project-management qualification such as MSP, PRINCE2 or PMP. * Lean Six Sigma or another recognised operational-excellence qualification. * Familiarity with HRIS, timekeeping, workforce-management, case-management and payroll platforms and integrations Language Requirements * The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required” Education * A relevant degree in HR, Finance, Business, Operations or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience Professional Qualification and Certification * CIPP qualified or equivalent professional payroll qualification, or significant work experience and technical competence. An HR, service-management, operations or programme-management qualification is desirable. British Council | Pay Band 9 Location: Noida, India Department: People Function Contract: Indefinite Contract Apply by: Wednesday, Nov 18th (23:59 local time) Interview Date TBD Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in India at the time application. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided. British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview. A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability, and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent and we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities. Safeguarding Statement The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people, and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children. If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org