Senior Payroll Specialist

A leading medical device organisation in Penang is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to join their dedicated team.

This role offers you the opportunity to play a pivotal part in ensuring payroll accuracy, compliance, and efficiency for a diverse workforce. You will be empowered to drive process improvements, collaborate closely with HR and finance teams, and manage relationships with third-party providers. The organisation values your expertise and commitment to maintaining high standards of confidentiality and integrity. With flexible working opportunities, ongoing training, and supportive leadership, this position provides an environment where your skills are recognised and nurtured. If you are passionate about payroll excellence and thrive in a collaborative setting, this is your chance to make a meaningful impact.

• You will have the opportunity to lead payroll operations for a multinational workforce, ensuring timely and accurate payments while upholding strict compliance standards.
• The organisation offers flexible working arrangements, generous pension contributions, and continuous training opportunities to support your professional growth.
• You will work within a supportive leadership structure that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, and personal development in a dynamic industry.

What you'll do:

As a Senior Payroll Specialist based in Penang, you will be entrusted with managing comprehensive payroll operations for a multinational workforce. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve collaborating with HR teams to ensure seamless onboarding of new employees into the payroll system, administering complex expatriate payrolls in accordance with local tax regulations, and supervising third-party vendors to uphold service quality. You will play a key role in audit preparation—both internal and external—by maintaining meticulous records and supporting compliance efforts. Your analytical skills will be utilised in month-end accounting tasks as well as compensation analysis against planned budgets. You will also champion continuous improvement initiatives by designing efficient processes alongside outsource partners. Training supervisors on time attendance systems (UKG Pro) forms part of your remit; you’ll ensure data accuracy for labour efficiency calculations. Additionally, you’ll support system upgrades, develop insightful reports for business analysis, manage bonus plans administration through payroll, oversee benefit payouts, and guarantee timely submission of statutory returns. Success in this role requires attention to detail, collaborative spirit, adaptability to evolving regulations, and commitment to maintaining confidentiality throughout all payroll activities.

• Ensure all site staff are paid accurately, on time, and in full compliance with local legal requirements by overseeing end-to-end payroll processing.
• Manage statutory remittance processes and maintain strong relationships with the HR Service Centre to ensure seamless payroll operations.
• Supervise third-party payroll service providers by monitoring service level agreements and driving efficiency initiatives through collaborative partnerships.
• Set up new employees for payroll purposes, administer ad hoc or one-off payments, and handle expatriate payroll processing including statutory taxes as per Inland Revenue requirements.
• Lead internal and external audits for the payroll function by preparing documentation, responding to queries, and ensuring adherence to statutory/SOX and company policies.
• Conduct month-end accounting for payroll, analyse compensation and benefits spend versus plan, and provide detailed management reports related to payroll activities.
• Develop, implement, and manage continuous process improvement initiatives aimed at standardisation and increased efficiency in partnership with outsource providers.
• Administer time attendance and leave recording systems (UKG Pro), set up codes for accurate tracking, train supervisors on correct sign-off procedures, and ensure completeness of employee time cards.
• Support annual system maintenance by coordinating upgrades and updates for payroll systems while developing reporting tools to aid business analysis.
• Manage finance elements of bonus plans for direct labour staff, oversee employee benefits paid through payroll, and ensure accurate returns of all statutory reports.

What you bring:

The Senior Payroll Specialist brings extensive experience from multinational environments where precision in payroll processing is paramount. Your educational background equips you with foundational knowledge across human resources or finance disciplines. You have demonstrated expertise navigating complex statutory requirements—ensuring compliance at every stage—and possess hands-on familiarity with advanced time & attendance systems like UKG Pro. Your interpersonal skills enable you to build dependable relationships across HR teams as well as external vendors; you excel at managing multiple priorities independently while maintaining open communication channels. Your analytical mindset supports thorough compensation analysis while your commitment to confidentiality ensures sensitive information remains protected. Experience administering expatriate assignments further distinguishes your profile; you understand the nuances of international tax regulations affecting payroll outcomes. Project management acumen allows you to drive process improvements collaboratively while your attention to detail guarantees accuracy across all reporting functions. If you thrive on supporting others through training initiatives or system upgrades—and value inclusive teamwork—you’ll find this role both rewarding and impactful.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Management, Finance, Administration or related field is required for this position.
• 5-8 years of proven experience handling payroll operations within an industry or multinational company is essential.
• Advanced knowledge of payroll processing principles including statutory compliance requirements and taxation is necessary.
• Hands-on experience with payroll systems such as UKG Pro or similar time & attendance platforms is highly valued.
• Demonstrated ability in expatriate payroll administration including assignment-related statutory taxes is important.
• Strong project management skills combined with effective stakeholder management capabilities are expected from the ideal candidate.
• Experience managing vendor relationships with third-party service providers is crucial for success in this role.
• High level of integrity coupled with discretion regarding confidential information is mandatory.
• Exceptional analytical abilities paired with problem-solving skills are required to deliver accurate results consistently.
• Attention to detail along with proficiency in payroll accounting/reporting; forecasting experience is considered an added advantage.

What sets this company apart:

This manufacturing and production organisation stands out as a global leader within the medical device sector due to its unwavering commitment to quality standards and regulatory excellence. Employees benefit from flexible working opportunities that accommodate individual needs while fostering communal growth through supportive leadership structures. The company invests generously in pension contributions alongside robust training programmes designed to enhance both technical expertise and interpersonal skills. Collaboration is encouraged at every level—whether it’s sharing best practices across departments or participating in continuous improvement projects that shape future workflows. The workplace culture prioritises inclusivity; under-represented groups are welcomed into an environment where loyalty is celebrated and achievements are recognised collectively. By joining this team as a Senior Payroll Specialist, you become part of an organisation that values dependability, nurtures talent through ongoing development opportunities, and empowers individuals to contribute meaningfully toward shared goals within a thriving industry.

What's next:

If you are ready to bring your expertise in payroll management to an inclusive team where your contributions matter every day—apply now!

Apply today or email me at jack.moh@robertwalters.com.my to discuss this exciting opportunity further.

Do note that we will only be in touch if your application is shortlisted.

Agensi Pekerjaan Robert Walters Sdn Bhd
Business Registration Number : 729828-T
Licence Number : JTKSM 423C