Payroll Manager Europe

Skechers USA Ltd.; Paris; Sur place; EUR 120 000 - 180 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Skechers USA Ltd. is seeking a senior payroll transformation leader to drive European payroll program governance, tool migrations, and process harmonization.

You will shape the operating model across Europe, lead RFP processes, and coordinate with HR and Finance to ensure auditable, compliant payroll delivery. The role requires senior-level program management, cross-country collaboration, and a strong focus on change management and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, payroll, IT, business administration or related field.
• Master’s degree or equivalent is a plus.

Responsabilités

• Lead and own the European payroll transformation roadmap including tool migrations and outsourcing strategy.
• Structure and deliver transformation initiatives with scope, planning, budget control, milestones, risks and governance.
• Define target operating model for European payroll aligned with global HR/Finance strategies and auditable steps.
• Pilot and manage RFP processes for payroll providers, vendor onboarding, and standardization of T&A interfaces.
• Drive change management with structured communications, stakeholder alignment, training, adoption frameworks and go-live stabilization.
• Build and maintain project governance with scope, budget, milestones, risks, KPIs and executive reporting.
• Define and implement a KPI framework and a European dashboard consolidated from local data.

Connaissances

Payroll transformation

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Change management

Data-driven decisions

Vendor management

Coaching payroll teams

Formation

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Payroll/IT/Business

Master’s degree or equivalent (plus)

Outils

ADP

SD Worx

Workday Payroll

SAP

HRIS (Workday)

Description du poste

WHAT 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.
• 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 communication to diverse audiences from operational staff to executive sponsors.
• Ensure regularizations are processed without unexpectedly impacting employees’ net pay.
• Define and enforce SLA-driven query response times for payslip questions, and track query volume as a key performance indicator.
• Collaborate closely with local HR Business Partners and country HR/Finance teams to ensure alignment and buy-in.
• Present project progress, risks, KPI dashboards (on-time rate, error rate, correction rate, payroll cost visibility by country), and recommendations to senior leadership and executive sponsors.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Proven ability to lead complex, multi-country transformation programs in a fast-paced, international environment.
• Demonstrated project management expertise: structured methodology, delivery discipline, and ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• A genuine passion for developing people: experience coaching or mentoring payroll professionals, with the ability to assess skills and build individual growth plans.
• Strategic mindset combined with a hands-on approach and strong attention to detail.
• Excellent leadership, influencing, and stakeholder management skills at all organizational levels.
• Outstanding communication skills – able to adapt messaging to diverse audiences, from operational teams to executive sponsors, and to build a proactive, trust-based communication culture.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making abilities.
• Experience managing external vendors and leading RFP / provider migration processes.
• Demonstrated change management skills: ability to drive adoption and navigate organizational complexity.
• Ability to balance long-term strategic vision with operational rigor.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Payroll, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field (Master’s degree or equivalent is a plus).
• 10+ years of experience in payroll, with a significant portion in a multi-country European context.
• Demonstrated experience leading payroll transformation or HRIS implementation projects.
• Strong understanding of European payroll regulations, social legislation, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience working with payroll software platforms (e.g., ADP, SD Worx, Workday Payroll, SAP) and HRIS tools (Workday).
• Familiarity with project management methodologies is an asset.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• English: Excellent command, Advanced level (C1 minimum) - working language.
• Two languages are mandatory (French recommended); a third European language is a strong asset (German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, etc.).

WHO WE ARE:

Headquartered in Southern California, Skechers - Comfort Technology Company - has spent over 30 years helping men, women, and kids everywhere look and feel good. Comfort innovation is at the core of everything we do, driving the development of stylish, high-quality products at a great value. From our diverse footwear collections to our expanding range of apparel and accessories, Skechers is a complete lifestyle brand.

Be You - Feel Welcome

Skechers recognises the importance and power of diversity within our business. We ensure that our people processes are fair, transparent and promote equality of opportunity for all employees and job applicants.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities or health conditions, who are otherwise qualified for the job position, to perform the essential functions as detailedabove.