Senior Payroll Specialist

2103 Bentley Systems International Limited; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bentley Impact Day

Recognition programs

Inclusion and wellbeing initiatives

Global impact & sustainability

Job summary

Bentley Systems seeks a Senior Payroll Specialist to lead end-to-end payroll operations across EMEA, ensuring statutory compliance and system improvements. You will mentor junior colleagues and partner with HR, Finance, and Tax to optimize processes.

The role requires hands-on payroll experience, strong Excel skills, and fluency in English. This is a hybrid position with a mix of in-office and remote work.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on payroll experience in EMEA multi-country payroll.
• Senior-level experience with mentoring and training junior colleagues.
• Experience with Workday or Dayforce is strongly preferred.
• Advanced MS Excel skills (lookups, pivots, reconciliation).
• Strong statutory and tax knowledge across relevant jurisdictions.
• Fluent English with excellent communication and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Own complex and high-volume country payrolls end-to-end, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Serve as senior contact for country payroll providers, guiding escalations.
• Manage payroll calendars, deadlines, inputs, approvals and documentation.
• Review inputs for new hires, terminations, changes, bonuses and deductions.
• Reconcile payroll results with HR, Finance and source data; analyze variances.
• Hold providers accountable for service levels and timely reporting.
• Monitor statutory requirements and ensure filings and payments are timely.
• Lead off-cycle payments, year-end activities, audits and transitions.
• Collaborate with HR, Benefits, Equity, Tax, Treasury and Payroll leadership.
• Provide training and back-up support to Payroll Specialists.

Skills

EMEA payroll experience

Mentor junior colleagues

Workday

Dayforce

Advanced Excel

Statutory & tax knowledge

Fluent English

Tools

Workday

Dayforce

Job description

Location

Dublin, Ireland (Hybrid - 1 day per week in the office)

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and proactive Senior Payroll Specialist to lead end-to-end payroll operations across the EMEA entities. In this role, you will ensure total compliance with statutory regulations, drive payroll process and system enhancements, and serve as a senior mentor to junior colleagues. Hands‑on experience, analytical precision, and deep payroll expertise are valued above formal credentials.

Responsibilities

• Own complex and/or high‑volume country payrolls end-to-end, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery.
• Serve as the senior point of contact and escalation resource for assigned country payroll providers, providing guidance and resolving complex issues.
• Manage payroll calendars, deadlines, inputs, approvals, and required documentation.
• Lead the review and validation of complex payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, deductions, benefits, leave, equity, and other payroll adjustments.
• Review payroll provider calculations, registers, reports, and variance results for accuracy and completeness.
• Analyze complex payroll discrepancies and variances, determine root cause, and drive resolution with providers and internal stakeholders.
• Reconcile payroll results to HR, Finance, and other applicable source data and investigate significant variances.
• Hold payroll providers accountable for service levels, accuracy, timeliness, issue resolution, and compliance, including escalating performance concerns when necessary.
• Monitor country‑specific statutory requirements and partner with providers to ensure required filings, payments, and reporting are completed timely.
• Maintain country‑specific payroll procedures, calendars, contacts, escalation paths, and process documentation.
• Lead complex off‑cycle payments, corrections, year‑end activities, audits, provider escalations, and other country‑specific payroll requirements.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Benefits, Compensation, Equity, Tax, Treasury, and other stakeholders on payroll‑related matters.
• Act as a subject matter expert for assigned countries and provide guidance to Payroll Specialists and internal stakeholders on complex payroll matters.
• Track provider issues and recurring errors, perform root‑cause analysis, and drive corrective and preventative actions to eliminate recurring issues.
• Identify, lead, and implement process improvements, payroll controls, reporting enhancements, and provider performance improvements.
• Maintain appropriate payroll controls, audit trails, approvals, and confidential employee records.
• Support payroll leadership with provider governance, audits, implementations, country transitions, system changes, and other strategic payroll initiatives.
• Provide training, coaching, knowledge sharing, and backup support to Payroll Specialists to ensure consistent and uninterrupted payroll operations.
• Independently manage escalated payroll issues and determine when issues require leadership, provider, legal, tax, or other specialized support.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands‑on payroll experience in EMEA multi‑country payroll (hands‑on experience valued over a degree).
• Senior‑level experience with a demonstrated ability to mentor, train, and support junior colleagues.
• Experience with Workday or Dayforce strongly preferred; prior involvement in payroll system implementations or upgrades is a plus.
• Advanced MS Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, complex data reconciliation).
• Strong statutory & tax knowledge across relevant jurisdictions.
• Fluent English with excellent communication, high attention to detail, strong problem‑solving abilities, and strict adherence to confidentiality.

#LI-AK1 #LI-HYBRID

This is a Hybrid role.

What We Offer

• An attractive salary and benefits package.
• Bentley Impact Day: take a day off from work to volunteer with an organization of your choice.
• Celebrate milestone achievements and moments that matter through our colleague recognition award programs and our Bentley Achievers platform.
• A commitment to inclusion, belonging and colleague wellbeing through global initiatives and resource groups.
• Be part of a company committed to making a real difference by advancing the world’s infrastructure for better quality of life, where your contributions help build a more sustainable, connected, and resilient world.
• Discover our latest user success stories for an insight into our global impact.

Who We Are

Bentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY) is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry‑leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities.

Our offerings, powered by the iTwin Platform for infrastructure digital twins, include MicroStation and Bentley Open applications for modeling and simulation, Seequent’s software for geoprofessionals, and Bentley Infrastructure Cloud encompassing ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction management, and AssetWise for asset operations.

Bentley Systems’ 5,200 colleagues generate annual revenues of more than $1 billion in 194 countries.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Bentley is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers for employment all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, religion/belief, national origin, caste, age, or any other characteristic protected by local law or unrelated to job qualifications.

At Bentley, you’ll help shape the future of infrastructure with innovative solutions, a global impact, and a culture that values growth, collaboration, and sustainability. Built by engineers for engineers, Bentley has been the leading global provider of infrastructure engineering software for 40 years. Join us on our continued journey leading industry change.

Bentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY) is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry‑leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities.

Our offerings, powered by the iTwin Platform for infrastructure digital twins, include MicroStation and Bentley Open applications for modeling and simulation, Seequent’s software for geoprofessionals, and Bentley Infrastructure Cloud encompassing ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction management, and AssetWise for asset operations.

Bentley Systems’ 5,200 colleagues generate annual revenues of more than $1 billion in 194 countries.