Germany Payroll Subject Matter Expert

The Germany Payroll Specialist is a subject-matter expert responsible for the accurate, compliant and timely delivery of German payroll across GoGlobal's in-house client portfolio. Based in Romania within RDC Central, this role will build dedicated Germany payroll capability in GoGlobal's EMEA regional delivery model, creating resilient coverage, repeatable processes and scalable support close to GoGlobal's European client base.

This is a hands-on specialist position for someone with strong practical knowledge of German payroll, including gross-to-net processing, social security and tax requirements, statutory reporting, employee lifecycle changes, payroll controls and year-end activities. The successful candidate will work autonomously in a remote environment while partnering closely with Germany subject-matter experts, local partners, internal stakeholders and the Payroll Operations Lead.

This role is ideal for an experienced Germany payroll professional who wants to apply deep country expertise in a global, fast-paced services environment while helping establish Germany payroll delivery capability within RDC Central in Romania.

Roles & Responsibilities

Germany Payroll Processing

• Own the end-to-end processing of German payrolls for a portfolio of GoGlobal clients, ensuring accuracy, compliance and on-time delivery every cycle.
• Process and validate payroll inputs, including joiners, leavers, salary changes, variable pay, overtime, bonuses, absences, benefits, deductions and corrections.
• Apply German payroll tax and social security requirements accurately, including employee and employer contributions, statutory deductions and applicable payroll treatments.
• Coordinate required payroll declarations, statutory submissions and payment outputs with internal teams and authorised local partners within agreed deadlines.
• Process and reconcile payroll journals, ensuring payroll outputs align with client finance requirements.
• Validate statutory benefits, leave-related payroll treatments, severance-related items and other country-specific calculations, escalating complex cases where required.
• Produce and distribute payslips, annual employee payroll statements and other required payroll documentation accurately and on time.
• Complete payroll year-end activities, reconciliations, reporting and audit preparation for assigned German payrolls.

Compliance & Regulatory Adherence

• Maintain current knowledge of German payroll legislation, tax and social security requirements, collective agreement considerations and employment-related payroll changes, proactively flagging impacts to the EMEA RPO and Data & Compliance function.
• Ensure all German payrolls are processed in line with applicable statutory requirements, authorised guidance and GoGlobal's internal compliance standards.
• Monitor and apply relevant legislative, regulatory and statutory rate changes affecting assigned German payrolls.
• Maintain accurate and audit-ready payroll records for all assigned clients, ensuring documentation meets regulatory and internal governance standards.
• Support internal and external audits by providing accurate payroll data, evidence of controls and clear explanations of processing decisions.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary payroll contact for designated Germany payroll clients, managing day-to-day queries with professionalism and accuracy.
• Communicate proactively with clients on processing timelines, legislative changes and payroll-related actions required from their side.
• Liaise with client HR and finance teams to collect and validate payroll inputs, resolve discrepancies and ensure clean data ahead of processing.
• Escalate complex client queries, compliance risks or payroll errors to the EMEA RPO and relevant Germany subject-matter experts in a timely and structured manner.
• Support client onboarding, parallel runs and go-live activities for new German payrolls, ensuring configurations, calendars and controls are established correctly.

Data Quality & Process

• Conduct pre- and post-payroll data-quality checks to identify and resolve discrepancies before outputs are delivered to clients.
• Maintain and update Germany payroll SOPs, run guides, calendars, checklists and process documentation, ensuring they reflect current requirements and GoGlobal operating standards.
• Identify manual inefficiencies in Germany payroll processes and contribute ideas for automation, tooling improvements and standardisation within RDC Central.
• Support system changes or new payroll tools affecting Germany payroll delivery, acting as the Germany payroll technical point of contact for testing and validation.
• Contribute to RDC Central and the broader EMEA payroll operations team by sharing Germany payroll knowledge, supporting cross-training and providing documented backup coverage.

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on Germany payroll processing experience, with strong working knowledge of end-to-end payroll calculations, controls, statutory requirements and payroll reporting.

• Strong understanding of German payroll tax and social security requirements, employee lifecycle processing, statutory submissions and payroll reconciliations.
• Experience applying country-specific payroll rules and working with local advisers or authorised partners on complex payroll matters.
• Comfortable working remotely and independently, managing multiple client payrolls simultaneously to strict deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail with a structured, methodical approach to payroll processing, controls and data validation.
• Experience using German payroll software, bureau platforms or equivalent in-house payroll systems.
• Professional working proficiency in German and English, with the ability to explain payroll matters clearly to clients and non-payroll stakeholders.
• Proficiency in payroll software and Microsoft Excel; experience with cloud-based payroll or HRIS platforms is advantageous.
• Comfortable working with AI-assisted tools and open to continuous learning as RDC Central and the payroll function evolve.

Preferred

• A recognised German payroll, accounting or HR qualification, or equivalent relevant professional certification.
• Experience working in a payroll bureau, outsourced payroll, EOR, shared-services or global payroll environment.
• Experience with German payroll applications, local statutory portals or equivalent country payroll platforms; previous experience with DATEV payroll software is desirable.
• Experience supporting payroll audits, statutory reviews or compliance assessments in Germany.
• Experience supporting payroll implementations, transitions or knowledge transfer into a regional delivery centre.
• Knowledge of GDPR and data-protection obligations in a payroll-processing context.

ABOUT US

GoGlobal is the leading professional services company to guide, establish and manage global operations with compliance and confidence. We bring the human touch to entering new markets and consolidating vendors through a single point of management. With a presence in over 140 countries on six continents and growing, we make running a global business easy.

Business & Corporate Services provided:

• Entity Solutions: Entity establishment, Corporate secretarial & directorship services, Domicile services, Dormancy/Liquidation
• HR Solutions: Global recruitment, Employer of Record (EOR), Agent of Record (AOR), Global benefits, Global payroll, International HR Consulting
• Finance Solutions: Accounting & Tax

For more information, please visit GoGlobal.com

OVERVIEW

We Measure Success by Results, Not Hours Worked

At GoGlobal, we give you the autonomy to make decisions that create real impact. We prioritize results over hours worked, focusing on quality of outcomes rather than tracking time.

As a privately owned company, we are free from the pressures of venture capital or private equity investors demanding exponential growth in unreasonable time frames.

Sometimes, things just take time to do well. In our business, delivering great results is a process - and we're committed to doing it right.

We are not for sale. We believe that financial success is a natural outcome of our work, not the primary goal. Unlike many investors who view money as a goal, our focus is on long-term growth and sustainable success.

We are a global team, built for those who want to go further. Here's what your career at GoGlobal looks like:

• A company small enough for your voice to be heard meaningfully, yet large enough to make a global impact
• Collaborating with a diverse, global and supportive team
• Built for the long-haul - no VC or PE pressure, just a focus on sustainable growth

WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT

We Make Growing Your Career Possible

• We operate with the benefits of a partnership without the complexities of a partnership. Our hybrid partnership-corporate model offers all employees the opportunity to become a partner, while maintaining a streamlined corporate structure so that decisions are made quickly

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• We prioritize organic and sustainable growth. Expanding operations quickly by way of mergers and acquisitions might seem appealing, but the reality is integrating diverse cultures can be challenging. We're proud of our own culture and prefer to grow it our way

• We're global. We offer career opportunities across the world-whether it's new job roles or international locations

• English is our official language, but for many, it's our second language. We embrace this and find it rewarding communicating with colleagues from all over the world

• We are not a family. We operate more like a high-performing sports team where each individual's contribution is crucial to our collective success

• We keep things simple and collaborative. Our structure makes it easy for teams to work together across borders so we can serve our clients with global needs more effectively. Unlike big, siloed companies, we work seamlessly to handle international deals without the headaches of territorial ownership

• We believe in transparency and trust. Every month, we share our financials with the team so everyone knows where we stand and what's coming next. It's all about open communication, building trust and empowering every individual to be part of our journey. We don't tell you what to think - we provide the information you need to make your own informed decisions

• We believe flexibility drives success. Our company is built on trust, and that's why we embrace fully remote work, and hybrid options in some countries. Forget rigid office routines - it's old school! This flexibility fuels productivity, strengthens our workforce, and ensures we remain agile in a fast-changing world.

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