(Senior) Payroll Specialist - EMEA

Alvarez & Marsal; Manchester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Alvarez & Marsal in London is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to own end-to-end payroll processing across the EMEA region. You will deliver accurate, timely payroll for multiple countries, support the Global Payroll Transformation Project, and collaborate with HR, Finance, and external vendors in a fast‑paced, international environment.

This role offers autonomy within a central payroll team, requires strong Excel skills, stakeholder management, and the ability to work across time

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll for multiple EMEA countries, ensuring accurate and timely processing
• Prepare required payroll documents and compliance reports per country
• Maintain payroll cut-off dates and coordinate with providers and business partners
• Stay updated on payroll legislation and internal policies across regions
• Serve as primary payroll contact for employees, tax authorities, and vendors
• Deliver month-end payroll reports and support accounting reconciliation
• Contribute to payroll process improvements and governance controls
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, and stakeholders to maintain a trusted payroll service

Skills

Payroll processing

Excel

MS Office

Stakeholder management

Time management

Cross-country payroll

English fluency

Tools

Payroll software

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.