Payroll Specialist / Lohnbuchhalter

his role forms part of our committed and driven German operational team, who thrive on the excitement of managing a diverse workload, interacting with colleagues and clients and delivering a best in class service. You’ll be responsible for your own client portfolio, which given that we provide our services to a host of some of the world’s most recognisable brands globally, will be varied and full of its own challenges and opportunities to learn. You’ll manage the end to end payroll processing cycle across the portfolio, building great relationships with your clients, understanding their individual needs and working collaboratively to make sure that their people get paid on time, every time. We have an office base in Frankfurt, and offer hybrid working for those who are in this region. We are also open to discussions with candidates in other areas of Germany who may be able to deliver this role remotely. On a typical day, you’ll be… Acting as the focal point for a varied portfolio of payroll clients, delivering consistently fantastic customer service Processing end-to-end German payrolls of various headcount and pay complexity Hosting and chairing regular governance calls with clients to track progress, review performance and identify opportunities for improvement Preparing monthly governance reports Ensuring that payroll manuals are relevant and updated regularly to reflect current processes Preparing payroll calendars and checklists, ensuring that checking sheets are completed for every payroll processed Answering queries from clients, partners and colleagues, troubleshooting and resolving where possible, or escalating more complex issues through our internal channels Delivering excellent customer service, responding quickly and effectively to all queries and ensuring that issues are resolved either directly or through the right escalation channels Making sure that customers are fully updated and never in any doubt as to how their service is being managed Making sure that any risks to service delivery are communicated quickly and realistically to the client and to the appropriate managers, and being innovative and agile in bringing solutions or mitigations to the table Being honest and authentic in communicating both positive and difficult conversations Being a brilliant team player, supporting colleagues across the team to ensure that customer service delivery is consistent across the department, providing help and guidance and ensuring no one is left behind What attributes make someone brilliant in this role… Experience in German Payroll processing, ideally with a relevant qualifications A passion and aptitude for numbers, ideally gained from a role in a finance or payroll environment A genuine commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer service An unusually high attention to detail, with the ability to spot errors or notice when things “just don’t look right” - and motivated to follow these through to resolution Really good with databases, systems and software packages, especially Microsoft Excel Being action-oriented, willing to step up and be counted under pressure and seize opportunities to make things work better for both customers and colleagues