Payroll & Benefits Team Lead DACH

 We are looking for:

A Payroll & Benefits Team Leader (DACH) who will lead a team of two specialists and owns end-to-end Payroll & Benefits delivery across the DACH region. Ensuring accuracy, compliance, strong controls, and continuous improvement. 
 

This hands-on role partners closely with the Regional Payroll Lead (EMEA & APAC), Global Payroll Experts, HR, Finance, HRIT, local stakeholders, and external payroll/time vendors, combining people leadership, operational ownership, and service management. 
 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead and develop a team of two Payroll & Benefits Specialists. 

• Own end-to-end Payroll & Benefits delivery, ensuring accurate, compliant, and on-time results. 

• Manage the full payroll cycle, including calendars and cut-offs, input readiness, validation and approvals, and post-payroll reconciliations and controls. 

• Ensure robust compliance and risk management, including access controls, audit support, and timely escalation of material issues. 

• Lead issue resolution and root-cause analysis, driving corrective and preventive actions to prevent recurrence. 

• Manage payroll and time vendors and drive continuous improvement and transformation through SLA/KPI management, ticket governance, and process simplification/automation. 

You bring 

• Minimum 2 years of people leadership experience in a deadline-driven, payroll-critical environment. 

• Extensive knowledge of German payroll tax and social insurance regulations.

• Solid track record in preparing and processing payroll, backed by a completed commercial apprenticeship/degree or a relevant payroll qualification. 

• Strong command of payroll governance to ensure accurate, audit-ready outcomes, including controls, compliance, reconciliations, and payroll accounting. 

• Proven analytical problem-solver who can investigate payroll, HR, and Finance variances, perform root-cause analysis, document findings, and drive issues through resolution. 

• Experience with SAP payroll solutions, and strong communication skills in both German and English. 

You will get 

• The German annual base salary range reasonably expected to be paid for this new hire is: € 80.320 to € 100.400. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, experience, qualification and internal equity and can ultimately be more or less than the posted salary range. 

• 16, or more, weeks of maternity/paternity and co-parenting leave, according to local regulations. 

• Free language courses (24 languages available) 

• Additional local benefits 

Location: Östringen, Germany