Payroll Specialist

Who you are

• Several years of hands-on experience running German payroll (Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung) end-to-end — genuinely producing payroll yourself, not coordinating an external provider
• Strong working knowledge of German labor, tax and social security law
• Fluent in German (required for authority and employee communication) and comfortable working in English (the group's working language)
• Comfortable selecting and setting up a payroll tool, and migrating data into it — this is a build-from-scratch project, not a handover of an existing system
• Experience running payroll across more than one legal entity is a strong plus
• Rigorous, detail-oriented and discreet — this role handles sensitive personal and financial data
• Comfortable owning a process end-to-end with limited local support, in a fast-moving, international, remote-collaborating environment
• Prior experience insourcing payroll from an external provider
• Experience with payroll software commonly used in Germany (e.g. DATEV, Personio, SD Worx, or similar)
• Experience in a fintech, banking or regulated environment

What the job involves

• Payroll for our two German entities (around 185 and 60 employees) is currently run by an external provider. We're hiring a Payroll Specialist, based in Berlin, to bring payroll in-house end-to-end: select and implement a payroll tool, migrate the data from the current provider, and then own German payroll production for both entities going forward
• This is a hands-on, individual-contributor role. You will personally run payroll from A to Z — this is not a vendor-oversight or coordination role, and it's not a system migration of existing tools either: you'll be setting up a new payroll tool from scratch and building the process around it
• Own end-to-end monthly payroll production for both German entities (~245 employees combined): salary, bonuses, benefits in kind, expenses and all statutory deductions
• Lead the insourcing project: evaluate and select a payroll software suited to multi-entity German payroll, and migrate employee and historical payroll data from the outgoing provider
• Design the new payroll process end-to-end — calendars, controls, approvals — so it runs reliably without an external provider
• Ensure full compliance with German labor, tax and social security law (Lohnsteuer, Sozialversicherung) and statutory reporting (DEÜV, ELStAM, and filings to Finanzamt, Krankenkassen, Berufsgenossenschaft and Bundesagentur für Arbeit)
• Manage payroll-relevant employee lifecycle events: starters, leavers, parental leave, sick leave (Lohnfortzahlung), contract changes and terminations, in close coordination with People/HR
• Prepare year-end and ad hoc statutory documents (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung, social security annual reports, audits)
• Act as the main point of contact for German payroll for employees, tax advisors (Steuerberater) and authorities
• Partner with Finance and People teams across the group (Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam) to keep payroll aligned with contracts, benefits and headcount planning
• Maintain accurate, GDPR-compliant payroll records and documentation

The application process

• We usually respond within a week
• Screening call — with our recruiter (30 min): technical background check and profile fit
• Technical interview — with Patrice Mahe, Director of Payroll
• Business case — short scenario to assess your payroll knowledge and autonomy in practice
• A team introduction, followed by a soft skills interview based on personality assessments to see how we can best support your growth at Shine

Benefits

• 👩‍💻 1 day of freelancing per month: The opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of our customers (with a free premium account!)
• 👪 8 weeks second parent leave + 3 days sick child leave
• 💚 Mutuelle: 100% health coverage for you and your family
• 🌏 Work from our Parisian offices or from your home (in France and in some European countries): Shine takes care of a furniture leasing to settle in well at home or a coworking space near you
• 🍱 Restaurant tickets: €9.05 per day for your lunches
• 🎶 Culture budget of €275 per year to buy books or listen to music
• 🤸 Sports pack: €300 per year to take care of yourself
• 🚴‍♂️ Bike + transport: Participation in transport costs, on folding seat or cycle path (Shine reimburses the kilometers made by bike!)
• ☀️ 8 to 10 days of RTT per year for all
• 🏝 1% holiday bonus paid in June