Vice President, Global Payroll

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares is looking for a committed and experienced Vice President of Global Payroll to join its high performing Payroll Team. The VP of Global Payroll will be responsible for the strategic oversight, leadership, and operational excellence of payroll processing across all countries in which Ares operates. This high-profile role ensures timely, accurate, and compliant payroll execution in adherence with local, state, and international laws and regulations. The VP will be a key member of the Global Payroll Team, managing vendor relationships, optimizing payroll systems, and working cross-functionally to support business growth and transformation. This role demands close collaboration with Finance, HR, Legal, Tax and external partners. The successful candidate should be able to create a long-term payroll strategy aligned to broader business objectives-encompassing M&A transitions, new markets and scalable global operations. The VP of Global Payroll should have fluency in global payroll platforms (e.g. ADP, Workday, CloudPay) and vendor integrations. More than just technically competent, the ideal candidate should show courage and perseverance – willing to take calculated risks in transformational initiatives and uphold high standards through challenges.

Reporting relationships

Reports to:

Global Head of Payroll

Supervises: n/a

Primary functions & responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Provide support for Ares global payroll strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

• Be a strategic leader who excels at bridging global operations and local execution

• Establish global payroll governance and risk frameworks to ensure compliance and mitigate risk.

• Drive global standardization while accommodating local regulatory requirements.

Payroll Operations:

• Partner with the Head of Global Payroll on the transition of payrolls to the firm’s standard global payroll platform

• Manage payroll accounting, reporting, and reconciliations in partnership with Finance and Accounting teams.

• Process owner for US tax compliance across the States in which we have employees.

• Partner with HRIS to monitor, enhance, and maintain the firm’s integrations with payroll and other ERP systems.

Compliance & Audit:

• Stay abreast of changes in international labor, tax, and employment laws.

• Lead internal and external audits of payroll processes and systems.

• Maintain compliance with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR).

• Partner with Legal and Compliance on country-specific payroll practices.

Technology & Process Optimization:

• Oversee global payroll systems and automation initiatives, with a specific focus on standardizing the CloudPay payroll process

• Partner with HRIS to ensure secure, scalable, and resilient payroll infrastructure.

• Streamline and enhance payroll processes for efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

• Leverage analytics to identify trends, improve accuracy, and support workforce planning.

• Lead efforts to develop, review, and enhance payroll process documentation

Vendor & Stakeholder Management:

• Manage global payroll service providers and third-party vendors, ensuring performance and service-level agreement (SLA) adherence.

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Global Head of Payroll on payroll-related matters.

• Serve as an escalation point for critical payroll issues worldwide.

People Leadership:

• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

• Mentor and coach team members

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field (required).

• MBA or Master’s degree (preferred).

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Global Payroll Management Certificate, or equivalent (highly preferred).

Experience Required:

• 10+ years of Global Payroll experience is required within Workday and ADP. Experience within the Financial Services industry highly preferred.

• Proven experience managing payroll across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

• Expertise in payroll compliance, global taxation, and social insurance contributions.

• Experience leading large-scale payroll system implementations and transformations.

• Strong track record of vendor management and international partnerships.

General Requirements:

• Deep knowledge of international payroll legislation and best practices.

• Proficiency in global payroll systems (e.g., ADP Streamline, Workday, CloudPay, Safeguard).

• Strong financial acumen and understanding of payroll accounting.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to be flexible in terms of hours to coordinate with team members across various time zones

• An analytical mind and a passion/interest in bringing new ideas to increase efficiency of existing processes

• Dependable, great attitude, highly motivated and a team player

• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately

Reporting Relationships

Global Head of Payroll

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$175,000-$225,000

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.