Manager, Payroll Governance

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Manager, Payroll Governance

Overview :

We are seeking a detail-oriented, experienced Payroll Manager to join our Payroll Governance team. In this role, you will play a critical part in driving operational excellence, compliance, and employee support across our payroll operations. You’ll be instrumental in managing payroll-related inquiries, enhancing control frameworks, supporting audit readiness, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. This role requires a proactive leader to drive the overall strategy for payroll governance and ensure a seamless payroll experience globally.

Role :

1. Case Management & Employee Support

a. Support Tier 2 and Tier 3 payroll inquiries, including escalations from HR, Tier 1 service centers, and regional payroll leads.

b. Develop and maintain standardized processes, templates, and a knowledge base to ensure consistent inquiry handling.

c. Provide country-specific payroll support and guidance for complex or non-standard questions.

d. Liaise between employees, vendors, and internal departments to resolve issues efficiently.

e. Lead training to Tier 1 teams to improve first-line payroll inquiry resolution.

2. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) Support

a. Serve as subject matter expert and provide project support for global ESPP implementations.

b. Collaborate with Workday Technology, Total Rewards, and Payroll teams to support payroll-related ESPP processes.

c. Manage processes related to ESPP refunds, terminations, and reporting.

3. Controls, Compliance & Audit

a. Support the design and implementation of global operational and SOX payroll controls.

b. Ensure execution and documentation of payroll controls across regions.

c. Track and document compliance activities; identify gaps and recommend improvements.

d. Assist with internal and external audit preparation and act as a liaison in partnership with regional payroll leads.

e. Ensure payroll tax compliance across all jurisdictions by monitoring regulatory changes, reviewing tax filings, and partnering with internal teams and external vendors to mitigate compliance risks.

4. Vendor Management & Service Delivery

a. Partner with vendors and internal teams to resolve operational issues and improve service delivery.

b. Monitor vendor performance against SLAs, raise service tickets, and track issue resolution.

c. Coordinate invoice reviews and support data reporting for payroll costs and headcount metrics.

5. Change Management & Payroll Projects

a. Support process redesign, system updates, and configuration requests.

b. Document payroll processes including checklists, control logs, and process templates.

c. Provide testing guidelines and timelines for payroll process changes, integrations, and system updates.

6. Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement

a. Identify and lead operational efficiency improvements to reduce manual effort and errors.

b. Monitor and report on key operational metrics such as error rates and processing timelines.

c. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Total Rewards, Benefits, Risk Management, Workday Technology) to drive alignment and efficiency.

d. Support payroll transitions, M&A integrations, and new country rollouts.

e. Partner with cross functional teams on data needs and insights

All About You :

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field.
• Experience in payroll, compliance, or audit experience in a multinational environment.
• Strong understanding of global payroll processes and related regulatory requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of payroll systems (e.g., Workday, ADP) and case management tools.
• Experience with SOX controls and internal audit processes is a plus.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Advanced Excel and data analytics skills (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, reporting tools).
• Demonstrated experience in payroll auditing, compliance, and vendor management.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams, functions and time zones

Pay Range :

O'Fallon, Missouri : $99,000 - $158,000 USD

Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We hire the most qualified candidate for the role. In the US or Canada, if you require accommodations or assistance to complete the online application process or during the recruitment process, please contact reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com and identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. Do not include any medical or health information in this email. The Reasonable Accommodations team will respond to your email promptly.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must :

Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

In line with Mastercard’s total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in the US, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. The base salary offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including but not limited to location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Mastercard benefits for full time (and certain part time) employees generally include : insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance); flexible spending account and health savings account; paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave); 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire; 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays; 401k with a best-in-class company match; deferred compensation for eligible roles; fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities; eligibility for tuition reimbursement; and many more.

Pay Ranges

O'Fallon, Missouri : $99,000 - $158,000 USD