Payroll & Benefits Team Lead DACH

Syensqo SA; Östringen; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Maternity/Paternity leave

Local benefits

Job summary

Syensqo is a science company seeking a Payroll & Benefits Team Lead (DACH). You will lead a two-person team and own end-to-end Payroll & Benefits delivery across the DACH region, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely results.

You bring at least 2 years of leadership in payroll environments, deep knowledge of German payroll tax, and experience with SAP payroll solutions. Strong English and German communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Two years of people leadership in a payroll environment.
• Strong knowledge of German payroll tax and social insurance regulations.
• Solid track record in preparing and processing payroll.
• Experience with SAP payroll solutions.
• Fluent communications in German and English.

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, calendars, cut-offs, input readiness, validation, approvals, and post-payroll reconciliations.
• Ensure robust compliance and risk management, including access controls, audit support, and timely escalation of issues.
• Lead issue resolution and root-cause analysis to drive corrective actions.
• Manage payroll and time vendors and drive continuous improvement via SLA/KPI management.

Skills

People leadership

End-to-end payroll

SAP payroll

German payroll tax

Audit & controls

English-German bilingual

Education

Commercial apprenticeship or degree with payroll qualification

Tools

SAP payroll

Job description

Career Opportunities: Payroll & Benefits Team Lead DACH (34553)

Syensqo is all about chemistry. We’re not just referring to chemical reactions here, but also to the magic that occurs when the brightest minds get to work together. This is where our true strength lies. In you. In your future colleagues and in all your differences. And of course, in your ideas to improve lives while preserving our planet’s beauty for the generations to come.

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, combiningpeopleleadership, operational ownership, and service management.

Key Responsibilities

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

Own end-to-end Payroll & Benefits delivery, ensuringaccurate, 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, andtimelyescalation of material issues.

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

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

You bring

Minimum 2 years ofpeopleleadership experience in a deadline-driven, payroll-critical environment.

Extensive knowledge of German payroll tax and social insurance regulations.

Solidtrack recordin preparing and processing payroll, backed by a completed commercial apprenticeship/degree or a relevant payroll qualification.

Strong command of payroll governance to ensureaccurate, 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, andstrong communicationskills in both German and English.

Youwillget

TheGermanannual base salary rangereasonably expectedto be paid for this new hire is:€80.320to€100.400. Actual compensation will bedeterminedbased on factors such as skills, experience,qualificationand internal equity and canultimately bemore or less than the posted salary range.

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

Additionallocalbenefits

About us

• Syensqo is a science company developing groundbreaking solutions that enhance the way we live, work, travel and play. Inspired by the scientific councils which Ernest Solvay initiated in 1911, we bring great minds together to push the limits of science and innovation for the benefit of our customers, with a diverse, global team of more than 13,000 associates. Our solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices and health care applications. Our innovation power enables us to deliver on the ambition of a circular economy and explore breakthrough technologies that advance humanity.
• At Syensqo, we seek to promote unity and not uniformity. We value the diversity that individuals bring and we invite you to consider a future with us, regardless of background, age, gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability or identity. We encourage individuals who may require any assistance or accommodations to let us know to ensure a seamless application experience. We are here to support you throughout the application journey and want to ensure all candidates are treated equally. If you are unsure whether you meet all the criteria or qualifications listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply.