Global Director of Payroll & Benefits

SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE

The Global Payroll & Benefits Director is responsible for the strategic oversight, governance, and execution of global payroll and benefits operations across multiple countries, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing in partnership with internal stakeholders, external payroll providers, and Employer of Record (EOR) partners. This role oversees U.S. and U.K. payroll processed through Rippling, manages payroll coordination for Canada and Switzerland via an EOR, and supports payroll operations in France, Italy, and Saint Barthelemy with monthly reporting while also ensuring timecard accuracy, time-off processing, and timely submission of data to third-party payroll processors.

In addition, the Global Payroll & Benefits Director serves as the primary operational liaison for employee benefits, working closely with benefits brokers and medical providers to support benefit administration. Responsibilities include providing required data and reporting to brokers, responding to employee benefit inquiries, maintaining direct communication with medical carriers, auditing medical billing, and assisting with annual Form 5500 audits for retirement and medical benefit plans. The role also supports ongoing payroll and benefits audits to ensure accuracy, compliance, and proper administration across all supported regions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Global Payroll Leadership & Operations

• Owns and oversees end-to-end payroll operations for the U.S. and U.K. using Rippling, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing.
• Oversees payroll coordination for Canada and Switzerland through the company’s Employer of Record (EOR), serving as the primary internal point of contact and ensuring data accuracy and adherence to agreed timelines.
• Supports payroll operations in France, Italy, and St. Bart by:
• Ensuring accurate and timely collection and sharing of employee timecards and payroll inputs with external payroll providers.
• Overseeing the processing of time-off requests to ensure correct payroll treatment.
• Monitoring payroll calendars and deliverables to ensure payroll is processed accurately and on schedule by outside processors.
• Establishes and maintains standardized global payroll processes, controls, and documentation to support consistency, scalability, and audit readiness.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable payroll, wage and hour, tax, and statutory requirements across supported countries, in partnership with legal, finance, and external advisors.
• Verifies compliance with labor laws, tax regulations, wage and hour rules, and statutory deductions.
• Reviews overtime calculations, minimum wage adherence, and record-keeping requirements.
• Serves as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries across regions.
• Conducts periodic payroll audits and reconciliations to ensure accurate processing, proper tax treatment, and correct benefit and retirement deductions.
• Ensures employee and employer retirement and pension contributions are accurately calculated, withheld, and remitted in accordance with plan and statutory requirements.
• Identifies, recommends, and leads improvements to payroll systems, vendors, workflows, and global operating models.

Finance, Accounting & Compliance Partnership

• Acts as a key partner to Accounting and Finance by providing accurate and timely payroll-related reports, reconciliations, and data to support monthly close, quarterly reporting, audits, and year-end activities.
• Prepares, reviews, and supports payroll-related journal entries, account reconciliations, and variance analyses in collaboration with Finance.
• Ensures timely and accurate filings related to payroll and benefits compliance, including but not limited to ACA reporting (Forms 1094/1095), payroll tax filings, and other required federal, state, local, and international submissions.
• Supports internal and external audits by providing documentation, reports, and explanations related to payroll, benefits, workers’ compensation, and retirement programs.

Retirement, Pension & Statutory Contribution Oversight

• Oversees the accurate calculation, withholding, and remittance of employee and employer retirement contributions, including U.S. 401(k) plans, U.K. pension schemes, and other country-specific retirement or statutory savings programs.
• Ensures compliance with contribution limits, eligibility rules, auto-enrollment requirements, and employer matching obligations across supported countries.
• Partners with plan administrators, brokers, payroll providers, and Finance to ensure contributions are funded accurately and timely and discrepancies are resolved promptly.
• Supports annual nondiscrimination testing, plan audits, and required filings related to retirement and pension programs.
• Assists with annual Form 5500 audits and filings for retirement

Global Benefits Administration

• Actively participates in benefits renewal discussions, market reviews, and benchmarking to identify opportunities to enhance benefit offerings and improve pricing.
• Serves as the primary operational liaison with benefits brokers and medical providers, providing required data, reports, and employee information as needed.
• Supports periodic audits of payroll and benefits processes to ensure accuracy, compliance, and adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements.
• Assists with annual Form 5500 audits and filings for medical benefits.
• Responds to employee inquiries related to medical and retirement benefits, eligibility, and payroll deductions.
• Reviews and audits medical billing and benefit invoices to ensure accuracy, proper enrollment, and alignment with plan provisions.
• Oversee US benefits administration processes, including enrollments, terminations, eligibility management, and compliance with local regulations.
• Oversees COBRA administration, unemployment claims, and coordination of leave and disability programs as applicable by region.
• Supports global open enrollment planning and execution with local support.

Compensation Planning & Pay Programs

• Supports the development, administration, and maintenance of compensation structures, including salary bands, pay ranges, and job-level alignment, to ensure internal equity and market competitiveness across U.S. and international regions.
• Participates in compensation benchmarking and market pricing reviews to support hiring competitiveness, retention strategies, and ongoing pay band calibration.
• Supports annual compensation planning cycles, including merit increases, market adjustments, promotions, and other salary changes, ensuring accurate coordination, approvals, and payroll implementation.
• Oversees the operational administration of annual bonus programs, including eligibility validation, payout calculations, payroll coordination, and alignment with approved compensation plans.
• Ensures all compensation changes—including salary adjustments, bonuses, promotions, and off-cycle increases—are accurately reflected in HRIS, payroll, budgeting, and reporting systems.
• Reviews compensation-related data for accuracy, compliance, and consistency, including pay adjustments, incentive payouts, and compensation records across all supported countries.
• Supports compensation audits and reporting to ensure compliance with internal policies, pay transparency initiatives, pay equity considerations, and applicable wage regulations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Extensive knowledge of global payroll operations, including preparation, balancing, controls, payroll taxes, and statutory compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-country payroll with external vendors, EOR partners, and HRIS platforms (Rippling experience strongly preferred).
• Strong understanding of global benefits administration and broker relationships, including medical plan renewals and cost optimization.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Proven leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across regions and functions.
• High degree of integrity and understanding of data privacy and confidentiality requirements.
• Experience with modern, cloud-based payroll and HRIS platforms required; prior experience with Rippling strongly preferred.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to navigate diverse cultures and communication styles.
• Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.

BENEFITS

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Chrome Hearts provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.