Global Payroll Manager (m/f/d)

About the role:

As AUTODOC continues its rapid expansion across Europe, scaling our operations efficiently requires an agile, tech-driven approach to our people processes. With a international team of around 5,500 colleagues spread across 13 countries and entities, our current payroll infrastructure is moving toward a more modern, automated, and flexible operational model. To ensure our delivery stays seamless, compliant, and scalable as we grow, we are evolving our global supplier strategy and integrating smart automation tools into our workflows.

To help us with achieving this, we are hiring a Global Payroll Manager (m/f/d) to take managerial ownership of our global payroll delivery and drive our payroll transformation strategy.

In this key leadership position, you lead a multi-national team of internal payroll experts across Germany, Ukraine, Moldova, Czechia, Poland and Portugal, while overseeing relationships with external payroll providers as well. You drive process efficiency by delivering AI and workflow automation (such as n8n) to remove manual tasks wherever effective, while maintaining robust internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance with local tax and labour laws. Working closely with People Delivery and other Finance functions, you oversee data quality on a shared Jira board and provide consolidated reporting via a global payroll dashboard to support financial closures.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced payroll leader who thrives at the intersection of process optimization, team development, and strategy. You will have a direct impact on our operational success, steering supplier strategies and transforming how payroll scales as a key part of our fast-growing e-commerce environment.

What you will do:

• Global payroll delivery: Ensure accurate and timely payroll execution across 13 countries, acting as the final escalation point for complex payroll matters.
• Supplier strategy & provider management: Steer external vendors in coordination with our internal experts through SLAs, quality reviews, and performance evaluations, transitioning to a flexible sourcing model that reduces single-provider dependency.
• Process automation & transformation: Lead the implementation of defined AI and n8n workflow automation use cases to streamline operations and scale payroll efficiently.
• Compliance, controls & audit: Ensure adherence to local tax, social security, and labour regulations, while owning internal controls and leading internal and external audits.
• Data quality & process ownership: Partner with People Delivery to improve data accuracy, maintaining an end-to-end process on Jira that is thoroughly documented.
• Finance integration & reporting: Deliver consolidated payroll figures to Finance through a global dashboard to support financial closing and accurate HR system data flow.
• Team leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a diverse payroll team across six countries, managing budgets, workload priorities, and performance.

What you bring to the role:

• Payroll expertise: 7+ years of full-cycle payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a multi-country European setup.
• Leadership experience: 3+ years managing remotely collaborating, multi-country payroll teams.
• Vendor & audit management: Proven ability to manage external providers, negotiate contracts, set SLAs, and lead compliance and audit processes confidently.
• Transformation mindset: Track record of improving payroll processes through automation, system implementations (e.g. Workday), or provider shifts.
• Technical & tool proficiency: Strong analytical skills using Google Workspace (Google Sheets) and Gemini for AI-assisted workflows. Experience with n8n or workflow automation tools and/or Workday integration is a plus.
• Background & education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, HR, or a related field. Ideally backed-up by a relevant payroll certification.
• Languages & communication: Fluency in both English and German is required. Proven communication and stakeholder management skills for both internal, managerial and external collaboration.

What we offer:

• Competitive salaries based on your professional experience.
• Fast growing international company with stable employment.
• Annual vacation of 30 days and 1 additional day off on your birthday.
• Mental Wellbeing Program – providing you and your immediate family members with free and confidential mental and physical health support services for a wide range of personal and work-related issues.
• AUTODOC Corporate Discount to order parts for their own use at special discounted rates.
• Retail discounts of up to 75% on travel, technology, fashion and much more.
• Opportunities for advancement, further trainings (over 650 courses on soft and hard skills on our e-learning platform) and coaching.
• Free English and German language classes.
• Flexible working hours and hybrid work.
• Company pension scheme (Betriebliche Altersvorsorge mit Allianz).

We celebrate diversity and are committed to building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.

AUTODOC does not accept unsolicited CVs from recruiters or employment agencies in response to the AUTODOC Careers page or an AUTODOC social media post. Any legal offering in this regard as well as any Terms and Conditions of recruiters or employment agencies are expressly rejected by AUTODOC. AUTODOC will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to these unsolicited CVs. AUTODOC explicitly reserves the right to hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.

This job was posted on 21.09.2026, and is considering applications up to 6 weeks from this date.