People Systems & Payroll Specialist

About the Role

You will be responsible for managing the two critical components that ensure smooth organizational operations: the people systems (including HRIS, reporting, data integrity, and integrations) and payroll coordination across multiple group entities located in Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK, and Türkiye. The role’s workload is evenly divided between overseeing systems and managing payroll.

Payroll is processed via Deel in all countries in collaboration with internal accounting teams in each market. You are accountable for preparing the payroll inputs, validating the outputs, managing the payroll calendar, and ensuring accurate and timely payroll delivery. On the systems front, you serve as the global steward of Deel as the group HRIS and maintain the quality of employee data.

You will report directly to the Head of People Operations and collaborate closely with HR Operations Managers in each country and with the Finance team.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer Deel as the group HRIS, including configurations, workflow setups, access controls, and maintaining data accuracy.
• Produce and manage people analytics such as headcount, attrition rates, and organizational structure data.
• Handle integrations between Deel and other tools, ensuring flawless end-to-end employee data flows.
• Lead the advancement of the people systems roadmap by evaluating new tools, directing implementations and migrations, and automating manual tasks.
• Provide internal consultancy to HR Operations Managers on process improvements and optimal system usage.
• Oversee the entire monthly payroll lifecycle for all group companies by collecting and verifying inputs (compensation changes, absences, bonuses, new hires, terminations), processing payroll through Deel, and reviewing outputs before final approval.
• Collaborate effectively with in-country accounting teams to ensure smooth payroll processing.
• Manage the payroll calendar strictly to meet statutory deadlines across jurisdictions.
• Reconcile payroll data with Finance, support audits, and assist in year-end procedures.
• Continuously improve payroll procedures, controls, and documentation to minimize errors and reduce manual work.
• Provide occasional on-site support to the people operations team as needed, particularly when physical presence is required across different countries.

Requirements

• Between 2 to 4 years of experience in payroll and HR systems, with hands-on payroll execution or coordination responsibilities beyond tool administration.
• Proven experience managing multi-country payroll via a global payroll platform; familiarity with Deel is highly preferred.
• Strong expertise in HRIS administration, including configuring reports and workflows, ideally with Deel.
• Exceptional attention to detail and disciplined process management to proactively identify and rectify errors before payroll runs.
• Advanced skills in Excel or Google Sheets and competence in data cleaning and reconciliation tasks.
• Fluent English communication skills are essential; ability to work independently across multiple time zones and legal entities.
• Desirable qualifications include payroll certifications such as the Personalverrechnerprüfung (Austria) or equivalent certifications in Spain or Germany.
• Language skills in Spanish, German, or Italian are a plus.
• Experience with HRIS or payroll system implementations or migrations is advantageous.
• Background in handling multi-entity or mergers and acquisitions environments is beneficial.