Regional Payroll Specialist

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Experience Required: Minimum 5 years

Department: HR

Level : Associate / Specialist

Reporting to the HR leadership team, the role supports various stakeholders and offers a competitive salary, strong benefits, and hybrid work flexibility.

Role Purpose

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for managing the full regional payroll cycle across multiple countries, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery. The role also oversees payroll journals, HRMS updates, attendance records, and coordination with HR vendors including health insurance providers while upholding strong internal controls and excellent service levels.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Management

• Process monthly regional payroll (UAE, Oman, KSA, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Australia and other assigned locations) with full accuracy and confidentiality.
• Verify and reconcile salary changes, allowances, overtime, deductions, leave payouts, and EOSB calculations.
• Ensure all payroll transactions comply with local labor laws, tax requirements, and internal policies.
• Prepare and review payroll journals and coordinate with Finance for posting and reconciliations.

HRMS & Attendance

• Maintain and update employee data in the HRMS (new joiners, leavers, transfers, promotions, salary adjustments).
• Monitor and validate daily attendance, absences, overtime, and shift data across all sites.
• Generate HRMS and attendance reports as required.

Vendor & Invoice Management

• Manage payroll-related vendors including health insurance, WPS agents, pension/GOSI bodies, and other HR service providers.
• Review invoices for accuracy and process timely submissions for payment.
• Coordinate with insurance brokers and providers on additions, deletions, claims, and renewals.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure adherence to UAE labor law and regional regulations (GOSI, SPF, MOHRE updates, etc.).
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and year-end payroll reports for HR leadership.
• Support internal and external audits by providing payroll data, reconciliations, and documentation.

Service & Support

• Act as the main contact for payroll and benefits queries.
• Support HR projects and process improvements related to payroll, HRMS, automation, and reporting.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of payroll experience , preferably in a regional or multi-country setup.
• Strong background in both Accounting and HR .
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, formulas, data validation).
• Strong command of English written and verbal.
• Experience using HRMS platforms and WPS systems.
• High attention to detail, confidentiality, and accuracy.
• Ability to manage deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be based in the UAE, preferably in Abu Dhabi.