Global Payroll Lead - Portsmouth, NH

Albany International Corp. is a leading material science developer and manufacturer of engineered components, using advance materials processing and automation capabilities, focused on two core businesses.

• Albany Machine Clothing is the world's leading producer of custom-designed, consumable fabrics and process belts essential for the manufacture of all grades of paper products.

• Albany Engineered Composites is a growing designer and manufacturer of advanced materials-based engineered components for demanding aerospace applications, supporting both commercial and military platforms.

At Albany International, innovation starts with our people. We believe that by fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement, we empower our employees to drive change and make a meaningful impact in industries that shape the world. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your career, we offer a dynamic and supportive environment where you can grow, learn, and thrive.

Albany has been recognized as one of America's Best Employers on the Forbes 2025 list, which underscores our pledge to continue nurturing a culture of excellence and growth.

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Global Payroll Lead to manage U.S. payroll operations and partner with payroll teams across our manufacturing sites in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This role collaborates with local payroll and HRBP teams to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery for a diverse and distributed workforce, including plant-based and salaried employees.

You will lead the US Payroll team, driving continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, compliance, and employee experience. Beyond the US, you will serve as a strategic business partner for payroll projects across the MC and AEC businesses, aligning processes and systems to support business objectives and ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery worldwide. A key example includes leading the integration of local payroll systems with our HRIS system, SuccessFactors.

This position reports to the Director of HR Operations & Technology and partners closely with HR, Finance, and regional business leaders to build a world-class global payroll function that supports our evolving manufacturing organization.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end U.S. payroll operations, and oversee and advise on global payroll operations, ensuring compliance with labor laws, tax regulations, and internal controls across all countries of operation.
• Lead process standardization and optimization efforts for payroll workflows across plants, regional offices, and shared service centers.
• Act as a strategic business partner providing expert guidance external payroll vendors and ensure performance, SLAs, and compliance standards are met or exceeded.
• Implement automation and system improvements that reduce manual work, eliminate errors, and improve scalability across high-volume environments.
• Ensure accurate payroll reporting and support audits, government filings, and year-end processes across global jurisdictions.
• Support payroll integration for M&A activity and plant expansions, ensuring seamless onboarding into the payroll ecosystem.
• Create and track payroll metrics to assess payroll performance, accuracy, and efficiency, and lead initiatives to address gaps.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, compliance, and service excellence within the payroll team and with cross-functional stakeholders.

This is an onsite position following a 9X80 schedule with travel as required.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• 5+ years of experience managing U.S. payroll, including exposure to multi-country payroll; experience in manufacturing or industrial environments strongly preferred.
• Proven experience with payroll operations in Europe or Asia, and the Americas (including unionized workforces, shift-based schedules, and localized compliance requirements).
• Strong knowledge of global payroll systems and integrations; experience with platforms such as ADP GlobalView, SAP, Oracle, or Workday.
• Demonstrated success leading payroll process transformation, vendor transitions, or technology upgrades.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments and geographies.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, or related field; professional certifications (e.g., CPP, CPM) preferred.

Required Skills:

• Expert skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: VLOOKUP, macro workbook, pivot table, strong understanding of Excel functions & formulas).
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Continuous learner and willing to research issues
• Strong sense of urgency
• Desire to solve problems and come up with creative solutions
• Adaptive personal style, strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate effectively.
• Ability to work on site 5 days a week
• Exposure to working in a global environment
• US Citizens and US lawful Permanent Residents are encouraged to apply; we are unable to sponsor at this time.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting payroll operations in plant environments or other hourly workforce.
• Exposure to lean manufacturing principles or Six Sigma process improvement is a plus.
• Prior experience with union contract payroll terms, Works Council, time & attendance integration, and incentive compensation.

Why Albany

Our 9X80 work schedule has work life balance built in with every other Friday OFF! We offer 401k with a generous match up to 5% and profit sharing contribution. We have competitive Medical, Dental, and Vison benefits.