Payroll Manager

Thrive IT Systems; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrive IT Systems is seeking a Payroll Manager (EMEA) to lead end-to-end monthly payroll for employees in the UK, Germany and France. You will report to the Senior Manager, Global Payroll and collaborate with People Team, Finance, Accounting, and Legal to ensure accuracy and compliance.

As the regional expert on payroll legislation, you will monitor changes, coordinate with external vendors, and drive automation while upholding GDPR data privacy and timely reporting across jurisdictions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience with UK, Germany, and France.
• Experience managing payroll for 500+ employees across multiple entities.
• Strong knowledge of regional tax laws, social security requirements, and labor regulations.
• Experience managing payroll through external vendors or multi-country payroll platforms.
• Strong GDPR/data privacy and data handling practices.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Familiarity with payroll/HRIS systems such as Workday and Cloudpay.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll cycles for UK, Germany and France.
• Audit payroll data including compensation changes, benefits, time tracking, and statutory leave.
• Validate payroll inputs and outputs, execute reconciliations, run audits, and resolve discrepancies.
• Oversee payroll funding, salary payments, statutory payments, and post-payroll reporting.
• Serve as an internal expert on EMEA payroll legislation, including PAYE, NIC, pension schemes, working time rules, and statutory benefits.
• Ensure payroll compliance with HMRC (UK), Urssaf & French labor laws, and German tax and social security authorities.
• Monitor legislative changes, assess operational impact, and implement updates with legal/external advisors.
• Ensure GDPR compliance regarding payroll data handling and storage.
• Manage relationships with external payroll vendors and local partners in each region.
• Collaborate with People Team, Finance, Accounting, and Legal to ensure alignment across compensation, benefits, tax, and audit processes.
• Partner with HRIS teams to enhance payroll workflows, integrations, and data accuracy.
• Support audits, year-end activities, tax filings, and statutory reporting requirements for each region.
• Identify opportunities to automate and streamline processes, improve accuracy, and enhance employee experience

Skills

Payroll processing

UK payroll

German payroll

French payroll

Regulatory compliance

Data privacy (GDPR)

Analytical skills

Tools

Workday

Cloudpay

Job description

In the role of Payroll Manager (EMEA), you will report to the Senior Manager, Global Payroll.

Core Areas of Responsibility

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll cycles for employees across the UK, Germany, and France, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Audit employee payroll data, including compensation changes, benefits, time tracking, statutory leave, and variable payments..
• Validate payroll inputs and outputs, execute reconciliations, run audits, and resolve discrepancies, ensuring accuracy of gross-to-net calculations, statutory deductions, and funding requirements before final submission.
• Oversee payroll funding, salary payments, statutory payments, and post-payroll reporting.
• Serve as an internal expert on EMEA payroll legislation, including PAYE, NIC, pension schemes, working time rules, and statutory benefits.
• Ensure payroll compliance with HMRC (UK), Urssaf & French labor laws (France), and German tax and social security authorities.
• Monitor legislative changes, assess operational impact, and implement updates in collaboration with legal and external advisors.
• Ensure GDPR compliance regarding payroll data handling and storage.
• Manage relationships with external payroll vendors and local partners in each region.
• Collaborate closely with People Team, Finance, Accounting, and Legal to ensure alignment across compensation, benefits, tax, and audit processes.
• Partner with HRIS teams to enhance payroll workflows, integrations, and data accuracy.
• Support audits, year-end activities, tax filings, and statutory reporting requirements for each region.
• Identify opportunities to automate and streamline processes, improve accuracy, and enhance employee experience

About You

We get excited about candidates like you, because...

• 5+ years of payroll experience with direct responsibility for payroll processing in the UK, Germany, and France required.
• Experience managing payroll for 500+ employees across multiple entities preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of regional tax laws, social security requirements, statutory benefits, and labor regulations.
• Experience managing payroll through external vendors or multi-country payroll platforms.
• Strong analytical skills, high attention to detail, and comfort working with large datasets.
• Strong understanding of GDPR and data privacy best practices.
• Ability to operate in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment with tight payroll processing timelines.
• Familiarity with payroll/HRIS systems (e.g., Workday, Cloudpay).
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple deadlines and adapt to change.
• Champion a positive employee payroll experience by resolving inquiries promptly, communicating clearly, and ensuring accuracy in every pay cycle.
• Support internal and external audits, proactively identify compliance risks, and implement process improvements to mitigate exposure.