Payroll Operations Manager

Are you interested in becoming part of one of Europe's fastest-growing companies and interested in managing a smooth payroll service for our Epassi Germany businesses? Then you should continue reading
Hansefit has been part of the Epassi Group since 2024, and we are currently seeking a Payroll Operations Manager to join our team in Bremen, Hamburg or Lodz

The People Operations function within the People & Culture organization is a relatively new addition to the Epassi Group. Reporting to the Head of People Operations but closely collaborating with our local Finance and P&C teams, the Payroll Operations Manager will be primarily responsible for managing the end-to-end payroll service & support in Germany (assisting with other countries’ payroll services as and when needed). Standardizing payroll operations and driving continuous improvement initiatives will be the main focus of the role.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Managing a smooth payroll service for our Epassi Germany businesses as the initial primary responsibility. This will most likely be in the form of managing an external vendor/platform.
• Implementing a new payroll vendor/platform in Germany, setting up and further developing standardized Payroll processes in line with group policies.
• Assisting in further implementations of new platforms as well as new/standardized/ harmonized payroll-related policies and procedures in other countries.
• Supporting & guiding other stakeholders in the Epassi Group of new and/or updated best practice ways of working in delivering payroll services. This will include local People & Culture Business Partners and Finance & Accounting specialists.
• Acting as the main point of contact for various individual employee concerns/questions.
• Supporting the payroll-dependent execution & outcome of regular compensation & benefit processes & compliance-based areas, including:
  • Annual Salary Reviews
  • Bi-annual incentive scheme pay-outs
  • Pay Transparency Directive compliance
• Co-ordinating travel expense management with a view to harmonizing & standardizing way of working practices from an Epassi Group perspective.
• Co-defining and facilitating a global payroll information management approach for our key stakeholders (using native system reporting capabilities and other traditional tools like MS Excel) for:
  • ad hoc reports
  • dashboards
  • KPIs, etc.
• Working and improving solutions according to defined service delivery & management philosophy, including:
  • Service Level Agreements in the context of payroll service & support operations
  • Case management (Jira or ServiceNow)
  • Knowledge Management (Confluence, Sharepoint)
  • AI assistance or RPA considered
  • HRIS (HiBob)

REQUIREMENTS

• University degree in Finance, Economics, HR or related subject
• 5–10 years of proven experience in implementing and/or managing payroll operations in Germany (including German labour law & tax specifics)
• Robust understanding of payroll processes in the context of HR master data requirements and integrations to global HR systems of record/reference
• Demonstrable knowledge & experience of implementing & working in an HR shared services model set-up is considered a key differentiator for applicants to this role
• Very high proficiency in both English & German (spoken & written) is a must
• Experience of working with or managing external global/European payroll platforms would be highly beneficial
• Ability to communicate clearly and engage a diverse audience including senior stakeholders
• Available to travel
• Highly skilled in the MS Office suite (particularly MS Excel), knowledge of HiBob is a plus
• Team & solution-orientated, with analytical thinking & pro-active mindset
• Patient, organized yet flexible & adaptable when faced with ambiguity & fast-paced change