Country Manager - Portugal (Operations & Payroll Focus)

We are hiring: Country Manager - Portugal

Location: Porto, Portugal

Reporting to: Group CEO

Salary: Competitive compensation package, based on experience

About us:

Laista Group is a Lithuanian-owned group of companies providing employee leasing, recruitment, payroll administration and back-office services in Lithuania and international markets.

Our group includes Retiva, Hireks, Rinota, Increla and Fintiva.

As we continue developing our operations in Portugal, we are looking for an operations-focused Country Manager who can take ownership of the local operational setup, ensure compliance, manage external partners and later contribute to the strategic growth of the Portuguese market.

About the position:

This is an operations-focused leadership role with strategic responsibility for the development of Laista Group’s activities in Portugal.

Your first priority will be to take over, structure and stabilise the local operations, with a strong focus on payroll oversight, employee administration, labour law compliance, posted-worker processes and external partner management.

The role will be hands-on, especially in the initial phase. You will coordinate payroll, accounting, legal and HR partners, create clear procedures and control mechanisms, communicate with local institutions and ensure that the Portuguese operation is compliant, reliable and scalable.

You will not be expected to process payroll yourself, but you must have enough payroll knowledge to oversee the process, evaluate external providers, identify risks and challenge calculations or information when needed.

Once the operational model is stable, you will also contribute to the long-term development of the Portuguese market, including identifying local opportunities, shaping the business model and supporting business growth.

Key responsibilities:

Operations and compliance

• Take over, structure and develop the existing operations in Portugal.
• Ensure compliance with Portuguese labour law, payroll requirements, employer obligations, temporary employment regulations and posted-worker rules.
• Oversee payroll, employee administration and cross-border employment processes.
• Ensure that payroll data collection, payroll validation, payment preparation and related controls are properly managed.
• Create clear procedures, responsibilities, documentation and control mechanisms.
• Identify operational and compliance risks and ensure that they are addressed in a timely manner.
• Cooperate with Segurança Social, Autoridade Tributária, IEFP and other relevant authorities or institutions.

External partner management

• Coordinate and manage external payroll, accounting, legal and HR service providers.
• Set clear expectations for external partners and monitor the quality, accuracy and timeliness of their work.
• Review whether external providers are delivering correct, compliant and reliable services.
• Challenge payroll, legal or HR providers when information is incomplete, unclear or potentially incorrect.
• Build effective working relationships with local partners, authorities and internal Group functions.

Operational model development

• Build an efficient and scalable local operating model in Portugal.
• Define how payroll, employee administration, posted-worker processes and compliance workflows should operate.
• Prepare procedures, checklists, documentation and reporting structures.
• Ensure that responsibilities between Laista Group, external providers and future local team members are clearly defined.
• Improve processes as business volumes increase.

Team formation and development

• Define the local team structure required to support business growth.
• Build a payroll, administrative and operational team as volumes increase.
• Recruit, onboard, coordinate and manage local employees.
• Establish clear responsibilities, workflows and performance standards.
• Develop the team and ensure that operational knowledge is retained within the company.

Strategic development of the Portuguese market

• Contribute to the long-term development of Laista Group’s activities in Portugal.
• Analyse the local market and identify relevant services, client segments and growth opportunities.
• Support the development of the local business model beyond the posted-workers segment.
• Help define the resources, partnerships and capabilities required to support growth.
• Contribute to the objective that at least 25% of turnover is generated from the Portuguese market.
• Work with Group management and commercial teams to implement agreed initiatives.
• Monitor progress and provide recommendations for further development.

Collaboration and reporting

• Report directly to the Group CEO.
• Provide regular updates on operations, compliance, risks, partner performance, team development and business growth.
• Present market insights, operational findings, development plans and recommendations.
• Ensure that the Portuguese operation remains aligned with the Group’s objectives and standards.

What we expect from you:

• Solid practical experience in Portuguese payroll processes, payroll oversight and employee administration.
• Good knowledge of Portuguese labour law, employer obligations, social security requirements and payroll-related compliance.
• The ability to oversee payroll without personally processing it on a daily basis, including reviewing payroll inputs, validating payroll results, identifying risks and challenging external providers when needed.
• Experience managing external payroll providers and coordinating payroll-related information between HR, finance, legal partners and internal stakeholders.
• Experience in HR operations, staffing, temporary employment, employee leasing, recruitment or workforce administration would be a strong advantage.
• Experience with posted workers, A1 certificates, cross-border employment or international employee assignments would be a strong advantage.
• Experience managing external accounting, legal or HR providers.
• Strong ability to structure processes, define responsibilities and create practical procedures, checklists and control mechanisms.
• A hands-on, proactive and solution-oriented approach.
• The ability to work independently in an early-stage operation where not everything is already defined.
• The confidence to ask questions, collect information, contact institutions and challenge external providers when needed.
• Strong leadership, communication and decision-making skills.
• The ability to combine operational discipline with strategic thinking.
• A business-minded approach and interest in developing the Portuguese market over time.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English.

What we offer:

• The opportunity to take ownership of Laista Group’s operational setup in Portugal.
• A leadership role with direct impact on the company’s local development.
• A high level of autonomy, responsibility and trust.
• The opportunity to build the local operating model, processes and team.
• Direct cooperation with the Group CEO and international management team.
• The opportunity to contribute to the long-term development of the Portuguese market.
• A competitive compensation package based on experience.
• A hybrid working model in the Algarve region.

Until the physical office in Portugal is established, the position will be fully remote. Afterwards, the role will transition to a hybrid working model in the Porto region.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.