Director, Global Payroll & Equity

Our Payroll & Equity team sits at the center of Pega’s global employee experience—ensuring every payroll is accurate, compliant, and on time, while running equity operations that scale with growth. You’ll join a highly collaborative group that partners with Finance, People, Legal, Tax, Treasury, Internal Audit, IT/HRIS, and Mobility to deliver strong governance, clear reporting, and continuous improvement. Picture Yourself at Pega In this role, you will own and elevate payroll and equity operations across a global footprint—supporting more than 5,000 employees across ~20 countries in the Americas, Europe, India, and APAC. You will shape strategy, strengthen governance and controls (including SOX-relevant activities), and modernize how payroll and equity operate through automation and thoughtful use of AI—driving measurable improvements in accuracy, efficiency, and insight. What You’ll Do at Pega Own end‑to‑end global payroll operations, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and on‑time delivery, including audit readiness, internal controls, reconciliations, and SOX‑relevant processes. Set and execute global payroll strategy, including policies, procedures, and governance aligned to company standards and local regulatory requirements. Manage and optimize relationships with global payroll and equity vendors (including UKG, Deel, Activ Payroll and Morgan Stanley), ensuring service levels, controls, and compliance expectations are consistently met. Own systems and transformation: partner with IT and HRIS on implementations, upgrades, integrations, and data governance; continuously improve processes for efficiency and scalability; advance reporting and analytics through automation and emerging technologies. Oversee global equity administration in collaboration with Legal, People, and Finance, including RSUs, PSUs, stock options, and ESPP (as applicable). Manage the relationship with Morgan Stanley/Shareworks and ensure accurate processing, reporting, and employee support. Build, develop, and lead a high‑performing team. Serve as the primary point of contact for payroll and equity—providing clear communication, insights, and decision support to Finance and People leadership. Act as the payroll and equity subject matter expert for global expansion, M&A activity, and related systems and process change. Who You Are Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree and/or CPP/CEP certification a plus. 10+ years of progressive leadership in global payroll and equity administration across multiple countries/regions; technology/SaaS experience preferred. Experience supporting cross‑border mobility and complex multinational payroll structures. A track record of improving payroll and equity outcomes through process redesign, automation, and strong data and controls discipline. Strong knowledge of international payroll regulations, employment tax, and equity compensation requirements, including withholding and reporting considerations for equity transactions. Executive communicator who builds trusted partnerships across Accounting, Treasury, Tax, Legal, People, Internal Audit, Mobility, and IT/HRIS. Comfortable operating in a dynamic environment—prioritizing effectively, managing risk, and bringing a continuous‑improvement mindset. Pega Offers You Gartner Analyst acclaimed technology leadership across our categories of products. Continuous learning and development opportunities. An innovative, inclusive, agile, flexible, and fun work environment. Competitive global benefits program inclusive of pay and bonus incentive, employee equity in the company. A high‑impact leadership seat where you will shape global payroll and equity operations through governance excellence, cross‑functional partnership, and modern automation at scale. Additional Information Base salary range for this role is 137,700 - 213,700 USD annually. This role may also be eligible for annual bonus or commission, as well as benefits and other incentives. The final compensation will be determined during the offer process based on the candidate's education, experience, skills, and qualifications, as well as market conditions and may vary from the posted range. We will share information on benefits, bonus/commission, and other pay components for this role at the relevant recruitment stage. As an Equal Opportunity employer, Pegasystems will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran or disability status, or any other category protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Pegasystems