Payroll Manager, EMEA - Krakow, Poland

Overview

The Payroll Manager – EMEA is responsible for ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery across multiple EMEA countries. This role oversees end-to-end payroll operations, manages external payroll vendors, ensures compliance with local labor and tax regulations, and partners closely with HR, Finance, and Legal teams.

Responsibilities

Payroll Operations

• Manage and oversee end-to-end payroll processing for multiple EMEA countries
• Ensure accurate and timely payroll execution, including salaries, bonuses, commissions, benefits, and statutory payments
• Review and approve payroll outputs from internal teams and external payroll providers
• Own payroll calendars, controls, and documentation

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with local labor laws, tax regulations, and statutory reporting requirements across all EMEA jurisdictions
• Stay current on legislative changes and assess their impact on payroll processes
• Lead payroll audits and support internal and external audit requests
• Ensure GDPR and data privacy compliance for employee payroll data

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with third-party payroll vendors and local providers
• Act as the primary payroll point of contact for HR, Finance, Legal, and local leadership
• Resolve payroll escalations and complex payroll issues efficiently and professionally

Process Improvement & Systems

• Drive continuous improvement, standardization, and automation of payroll processes across EMEA
• Support payroll system implementations, upgrades, and integrations (e.g., HRIS, Finance systems)
• Develop and maintain payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls

Reporting & Financial Partnership

• Partner with Finance to support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end activities
• Prepare payroll-related reports, reconciliations, accruals, and variance analysis
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and headcount cost analysis

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, Business Administration, or related field
• 7+ years of payroll experience, with significant exposure to multi-country EMEA payroll
• Hands-on payroll experience in Poland is required
• Experience in Bulgaria, the UK, Austria, and Germany is preferred
• 2 years of people management experience or mentorship of payroll professionals
• Strong knowledge of EMEA payroll regulations, tax, and labor law requirements
• Experience managing external payroll vendors
• Proficiency with payroll systems and HRIS platforms (e.g., ADP, Workday, SAP, or similar)
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical skills
• Fluent English required; additional European languages are a strong plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluent in written and spoken Polish and English; other European languages welcome

Compensation & Benefits

• Minimum salary: 17,500 PLN gross/month
• Comprehensive private medical healthcare
• Remote work options, subject to the type of position or project
• Option to join a group private insurance plan (subject to a fee)
• MyBenefit Cafeteria including Multisport
• Annual discretionary bonus, subject to both company performance and individual contribution

Location

EMEA (multi-country payroll coverage)