Global Payroll Analyst

Oyster®; Portugal; Remote; EUR 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Oyster is seeking a Global Payroll Analyst for a 9-month fixed-term contract. The role focuses on optimizing global payroll processes, analyzing data to support compliant, timely operations, and ensuring accurate audits across countries within the EMEA region.

You will collaborate with external vendors, finance, and HR to translate complex data into actionable recommendations, improve controls, and scale payroll workflows while maintaining regulatory alignment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in payroll analysis or related payroll/finance roles.
• Hands-on multi-country payroll experience and a strong understanding of payroll tax and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing large datasets, investigating discrepancies, and producing actionable insights.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including lookups, pivot tables, and efficient data manipulation.
• Experience with payroll software, accounting concepts, and basic data-transformation tooling.

Responsibilities

• Collect, analyze, and interpret multi-country payroll data to support accurate processing, reporting, and decision-making.
• Validate payroll inputs and outputs; identify and resolve discrepancies involving employee records, benefits, taxes, deductions, and payments.
• Support payroll processing and help ensure country-level payroll and tax compliance.
• Conduct regular payroll audits and reconcile payroll records with general-ledger accounts.
• Investigate trends and root causes, then recommend practical improvements to accuracy, efficiency, controls, and compliance.
• Use payroll systems, HR systems, spreadsheets, and data-transformation tools to improve reporting and workflows.
• Coordinate payroll activity and data exchange with external vendors and cross-functional partners.
• Respond to payroll-related questions professionally and resolve issues with appropriate urgency.
• Maintain current knowledge of payroll regulations and industry practices, translating changes into operational updates.
• Strengthen documentation, controls, and team practices so improvements are repeatable and scalable.

Skills

Multi-country payroll experience

Data analysis

Advanced Excel/Sheets

Payroll software

Attention to detail

Cross-functional communication

Tools

Payroll software

Job description

Location: While this position is posted in a specific location, all of Oyster’s positions are fully remote and you can work from home. Forever. To create the best experience for our new hire this role does require that you are based within EMEA.

The Global Payroll Analyst is a 9-month fixed-term contract (FTC) role responsible for optimizing global payroll processes and analyzing payroll data to support accurate, timely, and compliant operations. As part of the Global Payroll team, this person will identify discrepancies and trends, support payroll processing and audits, improve controls and workflows, and translate complex data into actionable recommendations. The role works closely with external providers and partners across payroll operations, finance, people, and process excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collect, analyze, and interpret multi-country payroll data to support accurate processing, reporting, and decision-making.
• Validate payroll inputs and outputs; identify and resolve discrepancies involving employee records, benefits, taxes, deductions, and payments.
• Support payroll processing and help ensure country-level payroll and tax compliance.
• Conduct regular payroll audits and reconcile payroll records with general-ledger accounts.
• Investigate trends and root causes, then recommend practical improvements to accuracy, efficiency, controls, and compliance.
• Use payroll systems, HR systems, spreadsheets, and data-transformation tools to improve reporting and workflows.
• Coordinate payroll activity and data exchange with external vendors and cross-functional partners.
• Respond to payroll-related questions professionally and resolve issues with appropriate urgency.
• Maintain current knowledge of payroll regulations and industry practices, translating changes into operational updates.
• Strengthen documentation, controls, and team practices so improvements are repeatable and scalable.

Core Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in payroll analysis or related payroll/finance roles.
• Hands-on multi-country payroll experience and a strong understanding of payroll tax and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing large datasets, investigating discrepancies, and producing actionable insights.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including lookups, pivot tables, and efficient data manipulation.
• Experience with payroll software, accounting concepts, and basic data-transformation tooling.
• High attention to detail and a strong control mindset, especially in audits and reconciliations.
• Sound problem-solving and judgment under time-sensitive conditions.
• Clear written and verbal communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across functions and with external providers.

Bonus Experience:

• Payroll exposure across continental Europe, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe, APAC, or South Africa.
• Experience coordinating local payroll providers or other third-party vendors.
• Payroll-to-general-ledger reconciliation or broader accounting experience.
• Experience standardizing outputs from different systems into consistent templates such as CSV files.
• Experience improving or automating payroll analytics, reconciliation, reporting, or data-transformation workflows.

This might not be right for you if...

• You prefer narrowly defined processing tasks and do not enjoy analyzing messy data or investigating root causes.
• You need frequent direction for familiar work rather than independently planning and executing within a team context.
• You are uncomfortable working across countries, vendors, systems, and evolving compliance requirements.
• You do not enjoy documenting processes, improving controls, or explaining detailed findings to non-payroll stakeholders.
• You prefer predictable work without recurring deadlines, exceptions, or competing operational priorities.

You'll also need

• A reliable home internet connection (or be able to get one)