Job Description:
Job Title
Payroll Specialist (m/f/d)
Location / Employment Type / Department
- Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Full-time
- Human Resources — Payroll
About the Company
Our client is a global chemical group with business areas spanning Advanced Materials, Life Science and Petrochemicals. The Frankfurt office serves as the European sales base for aesthetic-industry and technical plastics products, part of a group headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
Responsibilities
- Independently prepare and validate monthly payroll processing for multiple EMEA countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, and Hungary
- Review payroll outputs, ensure accuracy and compliance, and manage post-payroll accounting activities
- Serve as key point of contact for employees and managers on payroll-related questions (salary payments, deductions, benefits, tax topics)
- Support monthly and annual closing activities related to payroll and personnel costs
- Collaborate with external payroll providers, tax authorities, and social security institutions
- Create and maintain personnel master data and support the digital personnel file
- Perform account allocation of payroll-related invoices and personnel costs, including account reconciliation
- Support internal and external audits, including payroll audits and payroll tax inspections
- Ensure payroll processes comply with statutory, tax, and internal control requirements
- Work closely with HR, Finance, and external HR service providers on operational and project topics
- Contribute to optimization and standardization of payroll processes across the EMEA region
- Ensure full GDPR compliance and confidentiality of payroll and employee data
- Process and validate statutory and company leave types (holiday, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, termination payments)
- Review unemployment certificate requests and related documentation
- Support preparation of income tax declarations for expatriates
- Solid knowledge of German tax and social insurance legislation; EMEA payroll knowledge is a plus
Requirements
- Degree or vocational training in a relevant field (payroll accountant, tax consultant, HR) preferred
- Minimum 3 years of hands-on payroll accounting experience, ideally international/corporate environment
- Solid knowledge of German tax and social insurance legislation; EMEA payroll knowledge is a plus
- Proficient in MS Excel and Microsoft Office
- Experience with SAP SuccessFactors (Employee Central / Payroll) or similar HRIS is desirable
- Very good business fluency in German and English (written and spoken)
- Strong time-management and organizational skills
- Detail-oriented, reliable, and committed to confidentiality
- Strong data protection / GDPR awareness
- Analytical and critical thinking, able to resolve payroll discrepancies
- Reliable team player with strong communication skills
Benefits
- Flexible working hours
- Competitive, performance-based compensation
- Travel allowance or parking space (if available)
- Modern office with ergonomic workstation
- Laptop and company mobile phone
- Training and development opportunities
- Fitness benefit and corporate benefit program
- Team-building events
- Good connection by car and public transport