EMEA Payroll Manager

Job Title

Job Description Summary

Job Description

EMEA Payroll Manager

London

The EMEA Payroll Manager is responsible for leading payroll operations across multiple countries within the EMEA region, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery. The role provides leadership to regional payroll teams, manages vendor relationships, drives process improvements, supports payroll transformation projects, and ensures compliance with local regulations, company policies, and governance requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end payroll operations across multiple EMEA countries.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing.
• Manage relationships with payroll providers and key internal stakeholders.
• Act as the escalation point for complex payroll matters and issue resolution.
• Support, coach, and coordinate regional payroll team members.
• Drive payroll process standardisation, optimisation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, controls, and documentation.
• Lead payroll-related projects, including system implementations, harmonisation, and transformation initiatives.
• Partner with HR, Finance, IT, and external vendors on cross-functional projects.
• Drive change management and adoption of new payroll processes and technologies.
• Ensure compliance with local labour laws, tax regulations, and company policies.
• Manage payroll governance, risk controls, and SOX audit requirements.
• Monitor legislative changes across the EMEA region and implement required updates.
• Deliver a high-quality payroll service that supports employees and business stakeholders.

Skills & Experience:

• Significant payroll management experience across multiple EMEA countries.
• Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, tax regulations, and compliance requirements within EMEA.
• Experience managing third-party payroll providers and outsourced payroll services.
• Proven leadership experience, including team management, coaching, and development.
• Experience leading payroll transformation, process improvement, or system implementation projects.
• Strong understanding of payroll controls, governance, audit, and SOX requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to collaborate across HR, Finance, IT, and senior leadership teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Experience working within a complex, multinational organisation.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with payroll and HR systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

Please note: this is a direct search led by Cushman & Wakefield. We only work with recruitment agencies on our preferred supplier list, and only where a signed and in date agreement is in place and the agency has been directly instructed on the role by a member of our Talent Acquisition team. We do not accept speculative or unsolicited CVs submitted to any of our employees or outside of our agreed process. No agency fees will be payable in these circumstances.

Cushman & Wakefield is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Cushman & Wakefield is committed to equity in employment, and our goal is to have a diverse, inclusive and barrier-free workplace. If you are a person with a disability and need any other accessible accommodations during the hiring process, you are invited to bring this to the Talent Acquisition Advisor’s attention once they have made contact.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”