Payroll Manager (EMEA)

Thrive IT Systems Ltd; Greater London; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrive IT Systems Ltd. is seeking a Payroll Manager (EMEA) in London with remote availability. You will lead end-to-end payroll for the UK, Germany and France, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance across multiple entities.

You will collaborate with People, Finance and Legal to drive payroll governance, optimize data quality, and partner with external vendors. A strong grasp of GDPR and regional taxation is essential for success in this fast-growing environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience with multi-country responsibility.
• Experience handling UK, Germany and France payroll.
• Strong knowledge of regional tax laws and social security.
• Experience with external vendors or multi-country payroll platforms.
• GDPR/data privacy knowledge and compliance.
• Analytical skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll cycles for UK, Germany and France.
• Audit payroll data including changes, benefits, time tracking and leaves.
• Validate inputs/outputs, perform reconciliations and resolve discrepancies.
• Oversee payroll funding, salary payments and stat payments.
• Serve as internal expert on EMEA payroll legislation (PAYE, NIC, pensions).
• Ensure compliance with HMRC, Urssaf, and German authorities.
• Monitor legislative changes and coordinate updates with Legal/Advisors.
• Ensure GDPR compliance in payroll data handling and storage.
• Collaborate with People/Finance/Legal; align compensation and tax processes.
• Partner with HRIS teams to improve payroll workflows and data accuracy.
• Support audits, year-end activities and statutory reporting.
• Identify opportunities to automate and streamline payroll processes.

Skills

Payroll processing

UK payroll

Germany payroll

France payroll

HMRC/National tax laws

GDPR/compliance

Vendor management

Data analysis

Workday

Cloudpay

Tools

Workday

Cloudpay

Job description

Job Description

Location: London (Remote)

Payroll Manager (EMEA)

About the role

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 (eg, 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