Payroll Manager Europe

Job DescriptionWHAT YOU’LL DO Payroll Transformation & Project Leadership Own and lead the European payroll transformation roadmap: tool migrations, process harmonization, outsourcing strategy, and integration of Time & Attendance systems.

Votre CV est-il prêt ? Si oui, et si vous êtes convaincu(e) que ce poste est pour vous, assurez-vous de postuler dès que possible.

Apply rigorous project management approaches to structure and deliver every transformation initiative: clear scope, detailed planning, budget control, milestone tracking, risk management, and formal governance frameworks.

Define the target operating model for European payroll, in alignment with global HR and Finance strategies, ensuring every step is written, owned, and auditable.

Pilot and manage RFP processes for payroll provider selection, contract negotiation, and vendor onboarding – including standardization of T&A interface requirements across all providers.

Drive change management initiatives with strong project discipline: structured communication plans, stakeholder alignment, training programs, adoption frameworks, and post-go-live stabilization plans.

Build and maintain a structured project governance: scope, budget, milestones, risks, and KPIs, with regular steering committee reporting to senior leadership and executive sponsors.

Define and implement a common KPI framework applicable to all European providers, and build a consolidated European dashboard bottom-up from local data.

Process Design, Team Coaching & Continuous Improvement Conduct structured assessments of local payroll teams and processes across Europe: evaluate skills, identify gaps, and define individual and collective improvement plans
- prioritizing highest-risk countries first.

Design and implement standardized, end-to-end documented payroll processes across countries (HR cut-off calculation payment within defined SLA), while accommodating local regulatory requirements.

Act as a coach and mentor for local payroll teams, supporting their growth in technical expertise, process rigor, and compliance awareness through regular process reviews and co-built action plans.

Ensure robust internal controls before payment: formal checkpoints at every stage, not just system reliance.

Guarantee Time & Attendance data quality: clean, timely T&A input as a prerequisite for accurate variable pay output.

Proceduralize all complex case management: joiners, leavers, part-time, parental leave, expatriates, benefits in kind, sickness, and terminations.

Deploy a consistent KPI approach at country level: help each local team understand, own, and continuously improve their performance indicators (on-time rate, error rate, query volume, SLA adherence).

Foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability within the European payroll community, through regular knowledge-sharing sessions, peer learning, and best practice dissemination.

Multi-Country Payroll Operations & Compliance Provide strategic oversight of monthly payroll cycles across multiple European countries, ensuring zero recurring errors and full compliance with local social and tax legislation.

Ensure all declarations are filed on time with correct contribution bases, and that every legal update is applied on its effective date.

Serve as the ultimate point of escalation for payroll issues, complex regulatory cases, and cross-country topics.

Define and enforce a minimum control standard per country, with a clear escalation protocol with each provider.

Ensure full compliance with GDPR requirements and internal group policies.

Monitor legislative evolutions across European countries and anticipate their impact on payroll processes.

Maintain a complete and traceable audit trail: every calculation traceable, every change logged, payroll security standards upheld.

Stakeholder Management & Cross-functional Collaboration Act as the primary interface between HR Operations, Finance, Legal, and IT on all payroll-related transformation topics.

Build and maintain strong partnerships with external payroll providers, HRIS vendors, and consultants – establishing a common query management standard, tools, and support model across all countries.

Establish a proactive communication rhythm with all local payroll teams: regular touchpoints, structured updates, and anticipation of upcoming changes (legislative, organizational, or systemic)
- ensuring teams are always informed and prepared well in advance, never caught off guard.

Design and deliver training programs and toolkits (process guides, checklists, FAQ libraries) to enable local teams to operate autonomously at a high standard and continuously build their competencies.

Translate complex regulatory or technical updates into clear, actionable guidance for local payroll and HR teams, adapting commu