EMEA Payroll Specialist - 6 Month Fixed Term Contract

About the opportunity

As an EMEA Payroll Specialist reporting into the International Payroll Lead, you will be responsible for managing payroll operations for multiple countries within the EMEA region. Your primary focus will be on ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing, coordinating with regional HR teams, and supporting payroll-related activities. This role requires a strong understanding of EMEA payroll legislation, attention to detail, and the ability to handle complex payroll scenarios across multiple countries. You will play a key role in maintaining payroll accuracy and providing exceptional service to our employees in the EMEA region.

Responsibilities:

• Support end-to-end payroll processing (via our global vendor Activpayroll) for assigned EMEA countries (incl. UK, Ireland, France, Denmark, Spain & the Netherlands), ensuring accuracy and timeliness of payments.
• Ensure compliance with country-specific payroll regulations, tax laws, and social security requirements for each jurisdiction.
• Collaborate with regional HR teams to collect and validate payroll inputs, including salaries, benefits, allowances, and deductions.
• Review and validate payroll calculations, including statutory deductions, bonuses, and overtime, for each country.
• Coordinate payroll data integration between our global HR (UKG) and Payroll (Activpayroll) systems, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
• Reconcile and validate payroll outputs, including payslips, tax filings, and social security contributions and auditing gross to net calculations.
• Handle payroll-related enquiries and resolve issues from employees across different countries.
• Stay updated with changes in payroll legislation and compliance requirements for each country within the EMEA region.
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, and Tax teams to ensure accurate employee data management and seamless payroll integration.
• Provide guidance and support to HR and Finance teams regarding payroll processes, compliance, and reporting.
• Coordinate year-end payroll processes, including the production of annual tax statements and compliance reports for each country.
• Conduct periodic payroll audits to ensure data accuracy, identify discrepancies, and resolve any payroll-related issues.
• Liaise with external auditors and tax authorities for payroll-related audits, compliance checks, and reporting requirements.

This is a 6-month Fixed Term Contract, based remotely in the UK.

What would make me a good candidate?

We are looking for curious and empathetic people. We also love to hear from people who are motivated by meaningful work, resonate with our core values, have a positive outlook, are comfortable with ambiguity and thrive working in an ever-evolving and complex environment. We are inspired by meeting big-picture thinkers and doers, people who can be both tactical and strategic, aim high and put people first in everything they do.

• Proven experience as an EMEA Payroll Specialist or similar role, with a focus on processing payroll across multiple countries within the region.
• In-depth knowledge of EMEA payroll legislation, tax regulations, and compliance requirements for various countries.
• Strong understanding of statutory deductions, tax rates, social security requirements, and benefits regulations in EMEA countries.
• Certification or professional qualification in payroll (ie CIPP) or related field is advantageous.
• Proficient in using MS Office applications, particularly Excel (VLOOKUPs & pivot tables) for data analysis and reporting.
• Experience working with payroll providers and managing relationships with external vendors.
• Proficiency in using payroll software or systems for end-to-end payroll processing.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills to handle complex payroll calculations and reconciliations across different countries.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills to handle multiple payrolls and deadlines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively address employee enquiries and concerns related to payroll.
• Understanding of data protection regulations and confidentiality requirements in handling employee information.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Continuous learning mindset to stay updated with changes in EMEA payroll regulations and best practices.
• Ability to adapt to changing payroll requirements across different countries within the EMEA region.

At Xplor, we believe that the best innovation and ideas happen at the intersections of our differences - people of diverse cultures, generations, disciplines, and lived experiences. So even if you think you do not tick all the boxes, we still encourage you to apply

Values and Life at Xplor

Our five core values guide us from how we hire and recognise our team members to how we interact with our customers day to day:

• Find a better way
• Do the right thing
• Say it straight
• Win together
• Own the outcome

If these values sound like you, and describe people you want to work with, you will thrive at Xplor.

As an Xplorer, you will be part of a global network of talented colleagues who will support your success. We look for commonalities and shared passions and give people the tools they need to deliver great work and grow at speed.

Some of our perks and benefits are:

• Paid Parental Leave benefit programs
• #GiveBackDays/Commitment to social impact – 3 extra days off to volunteer and give back to your local community
• Ongoing dedication to Diversity & Inclusion initiatives such as D&I Council, Global Mentorship Program
• Access to free mental health support
• Flexible working arrangements

Ready to apply?

To start your application, please submit your resume, and we will be in touch as soon as we can. Please include the word "moonshot" at the top of your message to the Hiring Manager so that we know you took the time to read our job ad.

We understand that diverse candidates have diverse needs. We welcome you to inform us of any additional needs related to completing your job application or participating in the interview process, via [email protected].

Before you apply

To be considered for employment, you must be legally authorised to work in the United Kingdom. This applies to remote roles too, as we can only employ people who reside within the UK. Xplor does not sponsor visas, either at the time of hire or at any later time. We're also not able to offer contractor arrangements or Employer of Record engagements for this position at this stage.

Please apply through our careers portal or external job boards only. We're unable to upload emailed applications, as our process requires you to answer screening questions directly.

We also invite you to check out our Candidate FAQs for more information about our recruitment process xplor.com/recruitment-faqs/.

Interview Recording and Background Checks

As part of our hiring process, successful candidates will be asked to complete background and identity verification checks. Many of our roles are remote, and to protect both candidates and our business from recruitment fraud, we may record video interviews via Microsoft Teams during the process. We keep any recordings and related data only for as long as the hiring process is active and do not retain them afterwards.

EEO and Artificial Intelligence

We believe in transparent hiring. We use an applicant tracking system with artificial intelligence-enabled features to support our recruitment process, but our recruitment team makes all hiring decisions after human review. We do not rely on artificial intelligence to make final hiring decisions. Find our Candidate AI Usage guidelines here.

Xplor is dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. We encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

We make it a priority to respond to every applicant.