(Senior) Payroll Specialist - EMEA

Alvarez & Marsal Deutschland GmbH; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Alvarez & Marsal Deutschland GmbH in London is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to manage end-to-end payroll for multiple countries across the EMEA region. You will ensure accurate, timely processing and regulatory compliance, while coordinating with external vendors and internal stakeholders within a Global Payroll framework.

The role offers high autonomy within a centralized payroll team, with involvement in payroll transformations and close collaboration with The People Team and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience processing EMEA payroll with knowledge of local regulations and benefits.
• Experience working with local payroll providers and managing external vendors.
• Proficient in MS Excel for data analysis and reporting.
• Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus.
• Excellent stakeholder management and data confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll for multiple EMEA countries, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Prepare payroll documents and registrations per country and local requirements.
• Adhere to payroll cut-off dates with providers and business partners.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of payroll legislation and company policies.
• Obtain necessary approvals for payroll finalisation and payments.
• Coordinate FX rates for cross-border salary/bonus payments.
• Serve as primary contact for payroll queries from employees, tax authorities, and providers.
• Deliver month-end payroll reports to Finance and support audit requests.
• Support continuous improvement and digitisation of payroll processes.
• Collaborate with The People Team and Finance to maintain a trusted payroll service.

Skills

EMEA payroll processing

Microsoft Excel

Stakeholder management

English communication

Time management

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Description

Role Overview

As A&M continues its strong growth across EMEA, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Payroll Specialist to be based in London.

The Payroll Specialist will take ownership of delivering accurate and timely payroll processing for multi-country payroll delivery across the EMEA region. In addition to primary country responsibilities, the role will provide back-up support for other EMEA payrolls, contribute to the Global Payroll Transformation Project, and manage relationships with external vendors. The role is ideal for someone who enjoys new challenges, appreciates a streamlined and supportive process, and has a passion for innovative solutions.

This role offers a high level of autonomy, while being fully supported by the centralised EMEA payroll team, along with HR, Benefits, Finance, and global business stakeholders. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your technical expertise and leadership capability within a collaborative, international payroll environment as part of a Global Payroll team.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and deliver the end‑to‑end payroll cycle for various countries in EMEA (largest headcounts: UK, Germany, France, UAE, Spain, Italy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Netherlands and Switzerland. However current footprint spans 27 countries and 50 legal entities with growth expected), ensuring payments are accurate, on time, and fully compliant with local legislation, statutory requirements, and company policies.
• Prepare by law mandatory payroll documents and de/registrations such as termination documents, employment confirmations, annual tax statements and compliance reports for each country in accordance with local legislation.
• Adhere to payroll cut-off dates and ensure that deadlines with the payroll provider and Business Partners are met.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of payroll legislation and internal policies, working with payroll providers and internal payroll management to ensure that payroll legislative changes are applied timely.
• Ensure adequate approvals are obtained in respect of payroll finalisation and payment requests.
• Ensure all appropriate FX rates have been updated where translation is required for payment of salaries or bonuses.
• Act as the primary contact on payroll related queries from employees, the business, tax authorities, pension and other statutory benefits providers and payroll providers in a timely manner, ensuring service quality and issue resolution
• Deliver month-end payroll reports to the Finance team and support the Accounting team in reconciling payroll-related accounts, reports and audit requests.
• Support continuous improvement of payroll processes and maintain a strong focus on payroll controls, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and digitalisation of payroll processes by participating in the Global Payroll Integrator Project or other initiatives.
• Foster close collaboration with The People Team, wider Finance team and all stakeholders, maintaining a professional, efficient, and trusted payroll service reputation.

Requirements (Essential)

• 5 plus years of experience processing EMEA payroll with sound knowledge of legislation, social security regulations, collective‑bargaining provisions and benefits regulations (additional European countries is a plus).
• Experience working with local payroll providers and managing relationships with external vendors.
• Proficient in using MS Office applications, particularly Excel, for data analysis and reporting.
• Fluent in English (any other language is a plus).
• Excellent stakeholder management, attention to detail, used to handling confidential data.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service, be proactive, flexible, adaptable while problem solving when required to effectively address inquiries and concerns related to payroll.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills to handle multiple payrolls and deadlines.
• Experience working a fast‑paced, growing environment and across time zones.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Resilience and flexibility with the ability to adapt to changing payroll requirements across different countries within the EMEA region.