Payroll Operations Manager (Germany)

Payroll Operations Manager (Germany) - Lead. Transform. Inspire.

Frankfurt, Germany | Hybrid Working Available

Competitive Salary (six figures)

An established international payroll and workforce solutions provider is seeking an experienced Payroll Operations Manager to lead its German payroll operation through the next phase of growth and transformation.

This is not a turnaround role.

The German business is already a high-performing, respected operation delivering payroll services to a portfolio of enterprise, mid-market and SME clients. Following an internal promotion, an opportunity has arisen for a proven payroll leader to take ownership of a well-established function and help shape its future.

If you thrive on leading people, driving operational excellence and delivering meaningful change, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

The Opportunity

As Payroll Operations Manager, you will take responsibility for the leadership, performance and ongoing development of a sizeable German payroll operation.

You'll inherit an experienced team, established customer relationships and a strong platform from which to drive further improvements in service delivery, efficiency and employee engagement.

Alongside day-to-day operational leadership, you will play a key role in a significant payroll technology transformation programme, helping guide the business through systems migration and process optimisation initiatives.

This is a highly visible leadership role reporting directly to senior operational leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach and develop a payroll function of approximately 24 employees.
• Manage and support two Team Leads overseeing payroll delivery teams.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement.
• Drive performance management, succession planning and career development.
• Act as a visible, approachable and inspiring leader.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure the consistent delivery of accurate, compliant and high-quality payroll services.
• Monitor departmental performance, service levels and customer satisfaction.
• Act as an escalation point for complex payroll, customer or operational issues.
• Support onboarding and implementation of new customers.

Transformation & Process Improvement

• Lead ongoing payroll technology and systems transformation initiatives.
• Support payroll platform migration projects and associated change management activities.
• Review and optimise existing payroll processes and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability and service delivery.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with customers, colleagues and senior leadership.
• Partner with operational and commercial stakeholders to support wider business objectives.
• Provide leadership input into strategic initiatives and continuous improvement programmes.

What We're Looking For

We are keen to speak with payroll leaders who bring a blend of operational expertise, people leadership and transformation experience.

You will likely have:

• Significant payroll leadership experience within a payroll bureau, managed services or large multi-client payroll environment.
• Strong knowledge of German payroll legislation and payroll operations.
• Experience managing larger payroll teams and developing people leaders.
• Exposure to payroll system implementations, migrations or transformation projects.
• A track record of improving processes, efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Strong commercial awareness and operational decision-making capability.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Languages

• Fluent German and Business English are essential.

Leadership Style

This role requires far more than technical payroll expertise.

We're looking for a leader who enjoys being present, visible and engaged with their teams.

Someone who can:

• Bring people together.
• Build trust and credibility quickly.
• Navigate change positively.
• Hold teams accountable whilst maintaining a supportive culture.
• Celebrate success and create a high-performance environment.

What's On Offer

• Six figure basic salary.
• Modern Frankfurt office location.
• Opportunity to influence business transformation and future growth.
• Career-defining role within an established international organisation.

During onboarding, there will be an expectation to spend approximately two days per week in the office. Following this period, greater flexibility is available, with a significant proportion of the wider workforce operating remotely.

If you're an experienced payroll leader looking for an opportunity where you can genuinely influence people, processes and business performance, we'd love to hear from you.

All applications and conversations will be handled with complete confidentiality.