Payroll Specialist

About the company

LG Chem Europe GmbH is part of the international LG Chem group, whose business spans advanced materials, life sciences, and petrochemicals. From its European sales office in Frankfurt, the company serves the aesthetic industry and technical plastics market across Europe. LG Chem’s global headquarters are in Seoul, South Korea, and the wider organization employs more than 19,500 people worldwide. The LG Group, of which LG Chem is a part, includes 63 corporate units and around 280,000 employees globally.

To support the Human Resources function, the Frankfurt office is seeking a Payroll Specialist (m/f/d) who can join as soon as possible.

Role overview

In this position, you will take ownership of payroll activities across several EMEA countries and act as a dependable contact for employees, managers, and internal stakeholders. The role combines hands-on payroll processing, compliance, accounting coordination, data administration, and support for audits and process improvements.

Key responsibilities

• Take charge of preparing and checking monthly payroll runs for several EMEA countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, and Hungary.
• Validate payroll results, confirm correctness and legal compliance, and handle accounting tasks after salary payment.
• Respond to payroll-related queries from employees and managers, covering pay, deductions, benefits, and tax matters.
• Assist with monthly and yearly closing work connected to payroll and personnel expenses.
• Work with outside payroll vendors, tax offices, and social security bodies whenever needed.
• Maintain employee master data and help manage the digital personnel file.
• Allocate payroll-related invoices and personnel costs to the correct accounts, and reconcile payroll and clearing accounts.
• Support internal and external audits, including payroll reviews and tax inspections.
• Ensure payroll operations meet statutory, tax, and internal control requirements.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and external HR service providers on day-to-day topics and payroll improvement projects.
• Help streamline and harmonize payroll processes across the EMEA region.
• Maintain strict GDPR compliance and safeguard payroll and employee data with complete confidentiality.
• Process and verify all statutory and company leave types in line with local law, including holiday, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, and termination pay.
• Review and support unemployment certificate requests and related paperwork while ensuring legal accuracy.
• Assist in preparing income tax declarations for expatriates.

Required competencies

• A completed academic degree or vocational qualification in a relevant area is preferred, such as payroll accounting, tax advisory, or personnel administration.
• At least 3 years of practical payroll accounting experience, ideally in a corporate or international setting.
• Strong understanding of German tax and social insurance rules; familiarity with payroll requirements across EMEA is an advantage.
• Confident use of MS Excel and other Microsoft Office tools such as Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors (Employee Central / Payroll) or similar HRIS platforms is desirable.
• Very good business-level German and English skills, both written and spoken.
• Well-developed time management and organization skills with the ability to meet deadlines accurately.
• Careful, dependable, and committed to confidentiality.
• Strong awareness of data protection, GDPR compliance, and payroll confidentiality standards.
• Proven analytical and critical thinking skills for spotting discrepancies, evaluating complex payroll information, and resolving issues efficiently.
• A reliable team-oriented approach with strong communication and interpersonal skills.

What the company offers

• A collaborative workplace with room to act independently and make decisions.
• Flexible working hours.
• Performance-based compensation linked to success.
• Travel allowance or, where available, a parking space.
• A modern office environment with ergonomic workstations.
• Laptop and company mobile phone.
• Training and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Fitness benefit through FITSEVENELEVEN.
• Corporate benefits program.
• Team-building events.
• Convenient access by car and public transport.

Application note

Applicants are asked to submit complete application documents in English, along with salary expectations and their earliest possible start date.