Global Mobility and Expat Payroll Coordinator

This role provides essential operational and administrative support to the Financial Times' Global Mobility team, with a strong emphasis on payroll coordination, assignment data integrity, systems reporting, and vendor liaison.

Based in Manila, you will work closely with a UK-based team and international vendors to ensure accurate and timely delivery of services for our globally mobile workforce — which includes many of our international correspondents and senior editorial staff.

This is a role with both structure and scope: while many of your responsibilities are process-driven, you'll also contribute to streamlining how we manage assignment data, support compliance, and improve our use of tools like Equus (Apro). It's a fantastic opportunity to build expertise in a specialist HR area with global exposure.

Key Responsibilities:

Payroll Coordination

• Gather and consolidate monthly payroll instructions from the business, Global Mobility, and People teams — covering changes such as base salary adjustments, assignment allowances, hypothetical tax withholdings, starter/leaver actions, and bonus payments.
• Maintain the global mobility payroll tracker with precision, ensuring inputs are accurate and submitted on schedule for processing via Apro and external payroll platforms.
• Input data into payroll systems such as iHCM, VDTs and Convera, taking full ownership for the accuracy and timing of submissions.
• Run monthly reports from Apro,  coordinate audit reviews, and participate in review meetings with EY to confirm accuracy.
• Coordinate foreign exchange rate updates twice yearly with Finance and EY, ensuring accurate reflection in Apro.
• Produce relevant reports from Workday and other platforms to support payroll processing.
• Respond to standard payroll and data queries from internal stakeholders; escalate complex cases where needed.

System & Reporting Management

• Act as the Global Mobility team's Apro super user: entering and maintaining assignment records, ensuring consistency, and spotting opportunities to improve efficiency through standardisation and automation.
• Initiate third-party vendor services (e.g. relocation, tax) via Apro.
• Liaise with Equus to troubleshoot and resolve system issues prioritising those affecting payroll cycles.
• Build and run reports from Apro to support tax compliance, social security, immigration tracking, and assignment planning.
• Help prepare and share cost estimates with Finance on a monthly basis.  Maintain cost estimate data sources (e.g. vendor fees, assignment allowances) in Apro.
• Maintain records and reporting related to certificates of coverage for social security compliance.

Assignment Administration

• Draft and manage assignment-related letters (initial assignment letter, extension, repatriation, and localisation) using templates, and update these as required.
• Issue loan agreement letters and track signatures for rental deposit purposes.
• Save signed documents to employee records and keep shared drives organised and up to date.
• Monitor the Global Mobility inbox, triaging and resolving day-to-day queries or directing more complex questions to other team members.

Vendor & Process Support

• Coordinate with third-party vendors (e.g. Vialto for tax, Cigna for medical, Crown for relocation) to ensure timely, complete, and compliant data exchange.
• Raise and receipt purchase orders in Coupa, check vendor invoices, and maintain accurate financial records.
• Manage enrolment of eligible assignees into the Cigna medical plan, update internal tracking tools, and run monthly reports.

Continuous Improvement

• Proactively review internal documentation, updating key references such as vendor contacts, social security rates, and assignment year changes.
• Contribute ideas to improve systems and processes — including the use of automation, digitisation, and AI tools where applicable.
• Support development of internal documentation, templates, and process guidance for future team use.
• Participate in regular team meetings, sharing insights, updates, and lessons learned

What's in it for you? Our Benefits:

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leaves, flexible working (including working from home), health coverage (medical & dental), and company match and enhanced family leave packages. Full details of our benefits can be found here.

Further Information:

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please contact a member of our HR team who will be happy to help.