Payroll & HR Specialist

Anonymous; South Shields; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Anonymous is seeking an experienced EMEA HR & Payroll Specialist to drive accurate, compliant payroll and lifecycle administration across the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. You will partner with HR leadership and outsourced providers (ADP Celergo) to manage end-to-end payroll workflows, onboarding and offboarding, and system data integrity in ADP HRIS.

Fluent English and French are required; German or Dutch is a plus.

Qualifications

• Experience in processing EMEA payroll.
• Knowledge of country legislation.
• Proficiency in MS Excel (VLOOKUP and pivot tables).
• Fluent in written and spoken English and French; German or Dutch a plus.
• Experience managing outsourced payrolls (ADP Celergo preferred).
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and audit monthly payrolls for UK, Ireland, France, Netherlands, and Germany with outsourced providers.
• Ensure local payroll tax declarations and pension contributions comply with laws.
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and year-end payroll reports.
• Resolve payroll queries for employees with discretion and speed.
• Own onboarding and offboarding workflows and contracts/IT setup.
• Maintain data integrity in HRIS and capture salary adjustments and leaves.
• Support regional optimisation projects to streamline workflows.

Skills

Payroll processing

Multinational payroll

French language

English language

Excel

Vendor management

Tools

ADP Celergo

HRIS

Job description

We are seeking an experienced EMEA HR & Payroll Specialist to drive accurate, compliant, and efficient HR and payroll operations across the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Partnering closely with HR leadership and outsourced partners, you will play a critical role in managing end-to-end payroll workflows, employee lifecycle administration, and system accuracy across five core European markets.

Key responsibilities would include, but are not limited to:

Payroll Operations & Compliance

• Multi-Country Execution: Oversee and audit monthly end-to-end payrolls for the UK, Ireland, France, Netherlands, and Germany in partnership with outsourced providers (ADP Celergo).
• Compliance & Statutory Reporting: Ensure all local payroll tax declarations, pension contributions, and employee benefit schemes (e.g., Edenred) fully comply with regional laws.
• Reporting & Reconciliation: Produce accurate monthly, quarterly, and year-end payroll reports for finance and HR leadership.
• Issue Resolution: Act as the main point of contact for employee payroll queries, resolving tax, deduction, and payment inquiries with discretion and speed.

HR Operations & Lifecycle Management

• Employee Lifecycle: Own onboarding and offboarding workflows—drafting contracts/offer letters, handling system setup, and coordinating IT offboarding.
• System Management: Maintain data integrity within ADP (HRIS), capturing salary adjustments, line management changes, leaves of absence, and terminations.
• Process Improvement: Collaborate with the EU HR Manager on regional optimisation projects to modernise and streamline workflows.

What you will need to succeed:

Experience in processing EMEA payroll.

Knowledge of country legislation.

Proficiency in MS Office (Excel – VLOOKUP and pivot table knowledge essential).

Excellent attention to detail.

Fluent in written and spoken English and French (required). Knowledge of German or Dutch is a strong asset.

Knowledge of Romanian Payroll is desirable.

Proven capability to manage key relationships.

Experience of managing outsourced payrolls (ideally with ADP Celergo).

Who you are:

Adaptable to change and a hands-on approach to tasks.

A reliable and supportive team player.

Uses initiative to investigate further and make timely decisions.

A great communicator and collaborator with partners across the business.

Has a willingness to learn and develop your career.