International Payroll Specialist – EMEA
Overview
Own the monthly payroll cycle for four European entities across the UK, Germany, France, and Spain in a fast-paced technology environment. This remote role is ideal for an experienced payroll professional who can manage complex multi-country processing, strengthen controls, and transform a highly manual, person-dependent process into a clear, scalable operation.
Reporting to the Payroll Manager, you will manage payroll inputs through funding and reconciliation, partner closely with an outsourced payroll provider, support employees across the region, and create documented country-specific procedures that improve accuracy, consistency, and service. You will also contribute to planned Netherlands and Sweden payroll implementations in 2027.
Required Skills
- 5+ years of hands-on UK payroll processing experience.
- Practical payroll experience in at least one of the following countries: Germany, France, or Spain.
- Working knowledge of:
- UK PAYE and National Insurance.
- Auto-enrollment pensions and statutory payments.
- RTI, FPS, P45s, P60s, and P11Ds.
- Applicable statutory deductions and filings in other supported countries.
- Experience managing payroll through an outsourced provider, including reviewing provider output rather than only entering data.
- Ability to prepare and review monthly payroll inputs, including:
- New starters and right-to-work information.
- Leavers and P45s.
- Salary and job changes.
- One-time payments, commissions, expenses, and benefit deductions.
- Experience reviewing gross-to-net, variance, and payroll register reports.
- Strong reconciliation skills, including reconciling payroll registers to an HRIS and prior-month results.
- Ability to investigate, document, and clearly explain payroll variances.
- Experience preparing payroll funding requests and supporting documentation.
- Familiarity with UK benefits administration, including Smart Pension, salary sacrifice, private medical benefits, and dependent health elections.
- Ability to manage country-specific payroll requirements, including French statutory leave, German benefit uploads, and year-end filings.
- Strong employee service skills with the ability to respond to payroll questions clearly and accurately.
- Clear, direct written and verbal communication with employees, Finance teams, payroll vendors, and internal stakeholders.
- Fluent written and spoken English.
- Ability to work independently across GMT and CET hours while collaborating with a US-based team.
- Strong judgment and discretion when handling confidential payroll and employee information.
Nice to Have Skills
- CIPP certification or equivalent payroll qualification.
- Experience with ADP Celergo or ADP local payroll platforms, including:
- ADP UK iHCM 2.
- ADP Germany Easypay.
- Pegases for France.
- SINCRO for Spain.
- Experience with Workday or another HR information system.
- Experience documenting payroll standard operating procedures or leading payroll process improvements.
- German, French, or Spanish language skills.
- Experience with Remote or another global payroll platform.
- Experience supporting multi-country payroll implementations, including data mapping, parallel runs, and first payrolls.
- Experience in a fast-growing technology company with frequent new hires, equity events, and commission payments.
- Familiarity with Google Workspace and Slack.
Preferred Education and Experience
- Five or more years of professional payroll experience, including substantial UK payroll ownership and experience supporting at least one additional European country.
- A payroll certification such as CIPP or an equivalent credential is preferred.
- A specific college degree requirement was not provided; relevant payroll expertise, country-specific compliance knowledge, and experience managing outsourced payroll operations are highly valued.
Other Requirements
- Work arrangement: Fully remote.
- Contract term: Six months, with the possibility of extension.
- Availability to support payroll activities across GMT and CET working hours while partnering with a US-based team.
- Ability to meet recurring country-specific payroll cutoffs, approval timelines, funding deadlines, and payment dates.
- Successful completion of a background check.
- Ability to support Netherlands and Sweden payroll implementations planned for 2027.
- Commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality of employee, payroll, tax, and financial information.
