Payroll Specialist EMEA (m/f/d)

About Alvarez & Marsal

Alvarez & Marsal is a global consulting firm dedicated to entrepreneurial, action-driven, and results-oriented professionals. We take a practical approach to resolving our clients' challenges and enabling them to reach their full potential. Our culture values independent thinkers and doers who make a positive impact on our clients and innovate within the industry. Our work environment emphasizes collaboration, guided by core values including Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, Fun, Personal Reward, and Inclusive Diversity, making it a rewarding place to work.

Team Environment

This position provides significant independence while benefiting from full support through a peer in Germany, the centralized EMEA payroll team, and partnerships with HR, Benefits, Finance, and global business leaders. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate payroll technical expertise and leadership within a cooperative international payroll team as part of the Global Payroll department.

Role Responsibilities

• Oversee comprehensive payroll processing for Germany and Austria, ensuring timely and accurate payroll payments compliant with local laws and company policies, with potential extension to other countries.
• Prepare mandatory legal payroll documents such as termination notifications and employment confirmations adhering to local regulations.
• Meet payroll deadlines with payroll providers and business partners by respecting payroll cut-off dates.
• Coordinate year-end payroll activities including producing tax documentation and compliance reports per country.
• Collaborate with payroll providers and internal management to implement legislative payroll changes promptly.
• Secure all necessary approvals before payroll finalization and processing payment requests.
• Update and maintain accurate foreign exchange rates where salary or bonus payments require currency conversion.
• Stay current with payroll legislation changes and internal company policies.
• Serve as the primary contact for payroll questions from employees, business units, tax authorities, pension providers, benefits providers, and payroll vendors, ensuring timely and quality service resolution.
• Provide month-end payroll reports to Finance and support Accounting with payroll account reconciliations and audit inquiries.
• Promote ongoing payroll process improvements focusing on controls, documentation, and audit preparedness.
• Participate in payroll digital transformation projects such as the Global Payroll Integrator Project and other initiatives.
• Maintain strong cooperation with the People Team, Finance, and all stakeholders to uphold a professional and trusted payroll service reputation.

Candidate Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing German payroll with strong knowledge of corresponding legislation, social security rules, collective bargaining agreements, and benefits regulations; additional familiarity with other European payrolls is advantageous.
• Proven ability to work with local payroll providers and effectively manage external vendor relationships.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools, especially Excel, for data analysis and reporting purposes.
• Fluent German language skills with conversational and written English abilities; additional languages are a plus.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, high attention to detail, and discretion handling confidential data.
• Customer-focused with proactive, flexible, and problem-solving attitude in addressing payroll inquiries and challenges.
• Excellent organizational and time management capabilities to manage multiple payrolls and meet deadlines.
• Experience in dynamic, fast-growing environments and working across various time zones.
• Ability to function independently and collaboratively within a team setting.
• Resilient and adaptable to evolving payroll requirements across diverse EMEA countries.

Employee Development and Culture

We believe our team drives our success and focus on creating an employee experience that supports individual development professionally and personally. Our performance management promotes continuous learning and recognizes your contributions fostering merit-based growth. With high-quality training and hands-on learning opportunities, you can enhance skills and advance your career. Additionally, we emphasize employee well-being by offering benefits and resources supporting your personal journey. Team members consistently praise growth opportunities, our entrepreneurial culture, and enjoyable work atmosphere as key strengths of working here. The potential for growth is vast for highly motivated and passionate professionals.