Payroll Manager-Europe

Role Location: Southeast England

(within practical commuting distance of the Western Greater London / Thames Valley corridor)

Work Arrangement: On-site

Confidentiality Notice: Exact office location will be disclosed at shortlist stage only.

Eligibility & Engagement Criteria

• This role requires regular in-office presence with limited hybrid flexibility; it is not a remote position
• Candidates must be locally based within a reasonable and sustainable commuting distance
• Must have the legal, unrestricted right to work in the UK
• No visa sponsorship is available now or in the future
• Permanent, direct employment only (no contract, interim, or third-party arrangements)

Remuneration

• Base Salary: £75,000-£85,000
• (Final compensation will reflect relevant experience and alignment with role requirements)
• Annual Bonus: 15% target

Role Overview

The Payroll Manager-Europe is responsible for overseeing multi-country payroll operations across several European jurisdictions. The role ensures accurate, timely payroll delivery while maintaining compliance with local statutory requirements and internal governance standards.

This position is suited to a payroll leader who is comfortable maintaining close involvement in payroll execution while also providing structure, oversight, and team leadership. The environment requires operational discipline, consistency, and adaptability, particularly where processes or systems have evolved. Close partnership with HR, Finance, Compliance, and external payroll providers is central to success.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end payroll delivery across multiple European countries, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance
• Reinforce operational consistency following process, system, or organizational changes
• Maintain strong payroll controls, clear workflows, and dependable execution
• Remain actively engaged in operational details, including data validation, issue resolution, and country-specific considerations
• Investigate variances, identify compliance risks, and implement corrective actions as required
• Ensure adherence to internal policies and local employment, tax, and statutory regulations
• Support internal and external audits through documentation, controls, and governance practices
• Manage relationships with payroll vendors and internal stakeholders, escalating and resolving issues appropriately
• Partner closely with HR and business leaders on employee changes, compensation events, and operational needs
• Lead and develop a geographically distributed payroll team, fostering accountability and capability
• Promote a culture of ownership, operational rigor, and continuous improvement

Qualifications / Requirements

Experience & Background

• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience, including direct responsibility for supporting payroll across a minimum of 3 European countries
• Demonstrated understanding of country-specific payroll regulatory requirements, statutory reporting, and compliance obligations for each supported jurisdiction
• Proven experience operating in a multi-country payroll environment, balancing standardisation with local regulatory nuances
• Demonstrated experience operating in a lean payroll model, with clear personal accountability for payroll accuracy, timeliness, and compliance
• Hands-on payroll ownership experience, including involvement in data validation, reconciliations, issue resolution, and statutory filings
• Experience working with outsourced payroll providers, while retaining internal ownership for controls, vendor oversight, and escalation
• Exposure to payroll environments that have undergone process, system, or organizational change, with a focus on stabilisation and operational consistency
• Experience leading, mentoring, or supporting payroll team members in a distributed or cross-border context

Technical & Operational Capability

• Strong working knowledge of European payroll legislation and statutory requirements, with the ability to apply this knowledge across multiple countries
• Ability to operate effectively across both hands-on execution and managerial oversight, adjusting involvement based on business needs
• Comfortable reviewing payroll outputs, identifying discrepancies, and challenging results when required
• Familiarity with payroll systems, integrations, and downstream impacts to Finance and HR processes

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, HR, or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience)
• Payroll certification or formal payroll training preferred, but not required

Competencies & Skills

• Strong attention to detail and analytical problem-solving ability
• Confident communicator across functions, cultures, and time zones
• Ability to mentor and guide team members through hands-on leadership
• Comfortable working in a dynamic environment with evolving processes
• Organised, resilient, and accountable approach to payroll delivery

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact HR@vaco.com .

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

For residents of Ontario, Canada only: to the extent the position for employment is not with Highspring or not otherwise noted as vacant above, candidate should be informed that this role is to replace a presently employed person at Vaco by Highspring's client.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

· The individual's skill sets, experience and training;

· Licensure and certification requirements;

· Office location and other geographic considerations; and

· Other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).