German Payroll, Time & Benefits Specialist (fix term)
Wella Company · Darmstadt, Hessen ·
Role Purpose The German Payroll, Time & Benefits Expert is responsible for the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll, time & attendance, and benefits administration processes for Germany. The role serves as the subject matter expert on German payroll legislation, labor law, pension schemes, social insurance, and employee benefits, ensuring seamless service delivery to employees, managers, HR Business Partners, Finance, People Systems, and external vendors.
This position plays a critical role in maintaining compliance, delivering exceptional employee experience, supporting audits, driving process improvements, and contributing to HR transformation and automation initiatives.
Key Responsibilities Payroll Administration Manage end-to-end German payroll operations in partnership with external payroll providers. Review, validate, and approve payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, commissions, absence data, and overtime payments.
Validate payroll results and identify anomalies before payroll sign-off. Ensure accurate and timely salary payments. Reconcile payroll reports and support Finance with payroll accounting activities. Prepare payroll documentation and support year-end reporting activities.
Time & Attendance Administration Administer time management processes and systems across the company entities in Germany. Validate working time records, overtime, shift premiums, and leave balances. Support implementation and continuous improvement of time management solutions.
Benefits & Pension Administration Administer German employee benefit programs, including occupational pension plans (Betriebliche Altersvorsorge), insurance programs, health-related benefits, and mobility and wellness benefits.
Support annual benefits renewals and governance activities. Continuous Improvement & Projects Identify process improvement opportunities and automation use cases. Participate in payroll, HR technology, benefits, and Time & Attendance projects.
Required Qualifications Qualification in tax, payroll or office management (like Steuerfachangestellte:r or similar) or alternatively BSc in a related field At least five years of experience in German payroll administration.
Knowledge of German payroll legislation, payroll tax regulations, social insurance requirements, German labor law, occupational pension schemes, and employee benefits administration. Experience working with workers councils (Betriebsrat).
Advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capability. Experience working with HRIS and payroll systems like DP GlobalView, ADP Celergo, SAP HCM, SAP SuccessFactors and ServiceNow. Experience supporting HR digital transformation initiatives and AI.
German C2 and English B2/C1. Key Competencies Strong attention to detail and accuracy Customer-centric mindset Problem-solving and analytical thinking Stakeholder management Risk and compliance awareness Project and process improvement mindset Ability to work independently Strong communication skills Continuous learning orientation Language Requirements Fluent German (mandatory).
Professional English (mandatory). Success Measures Payroll accuracy and timeliness. Compliance with German statutory requirements. Employee satisfaction. Audit readiness. SLA achievement. Reduction of payroll and benefits defects.
Successful delivery of payroll, time, and benefits projects. Continuous improvement and automation outcomes. ROLE PROFILE This profile is designed for a senior expert role within a People Support Center, reflecting the complexity of German payroll, pension administration, benefits, labor law, compliance, and cross-functional service delivery.