Junior Manager - Payroll Operations

Job description

Job Description : ROLE PROFILE Job Title - Junior Manager – Payroll Operations (Europe) Level - L5C Location - Bangalore, India (Global Business Services) Reports To- Global Payroll Manager (L5A) Context / Scope Diageo Global Business Services (GBS) delivers standardized, compliant, and efficient payroll services that support Diageo's Performance Ambition. Within the Product People Experience Tower, the Payroll Operations team is responsible for delivering accurate, timely, and compliant payroll services while providing an exceptional employee experience through strong governance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. The Junior Manager – Payroll Operations is responsible for leading the operational delivery of payroll across multiple European markets, with a strong emphasis on UK & ROI payroll operations. The role provides operational leadership by overseeing payroll processing delivered by Payroll Specialists and outsourced payroll providers, ensuring payroll inputs, calculations, statutory submissions, reconciliations, payments, and reporting are accurate, timely, and follows local legislation and Diageo's global payroll standards. The role partners closely with HR, First Point, Finance, Reward, Employment Tax, Treasury, Payroll Technology, Global Mobility, external payroll providers, and business stakeholders to ensure payroll is delivered efficiently while driving operational excellence, governance, vendor performance, process simplification, and continuous improvement across the European payroll landscape.   About the Function: Finance at Diageo is about more than the numbers, it’s about shaping the decisions behind them.  From guiding investment to unlocking growth, this team plays a critical role in how we perform today and how we plan for tomorrow. You’ll work with data, insight and digital tools to influence strategy and help drive a business that operates at global scale.  It’s a fast-moving environment where no two days are the same, and where you’ll be supported to build your skills, grow your career and make a real impact. Financial • Ensure accurate and timely payroll payments across assigned European markets. • Review payroll reconciliations, funding requests, journals, payment files, and reporting. • Support payroll cost control through variance analysis and operational efficiencies. • Ensure compliance with internal financial controls, audit requirements, and SOX/CARM controls where applicable. Countries / Complexity • Provide operational oversight across multiple European payrolls with diverse legislative and statutory requirements. • Demonstrate strong functional expertise in UK & ROI payroll, including statutory payments, taxation, pensions, benefits, and year-end activities. • Manage relationships with multiple outsourced payroll vendors. • Balance operational delivery, governance, compliance, continuous improvement, and customer expectations. • Support regional and global payroll transformation initiatives. Relationships • Partner with Payroll Specialists to ensure high-quality payroll delivery. • Build strong relationships with payroll vendors to deliver agreed SLAs and KPIs. • Collaborate with HR, Finance, Reward, Employment Tax, Treasury, Technology, and Global Mobility teams. • Partner with Global Payroll Operations and Payroll Design & Excellence teams to embed global payroll standards. • Support internal and external audit activities.     Purpose of the Role Provide operational leadership for payroll delivery across assigned European markets by reviewing payroll activities, validating payroll outcomes, and ensuring Payroll Specialists and external payroll providers consistently deliver accurate, compliant, and timely payroll services. Champion payroll operational excellence through governance, continuous improvement, automation, simplification, and standardization while partnering with regional and global stakeholders to enhance employee experience and payroll service delivery. You will be responsible for:   Key Accountabilities 1. Payroll Operations • Review payroll inputs, calculations, outputs, and reconciliations. • Validate payroll journals, funding requests, statutory submissions, and payment files. <