Payroll Specialist

Job Description

In this role, you will have the responsibility of overseeing & supervising the Payroll for Nordics & Baltics (a specific market or multiple countries in EMEA). Your expertise in EMEA payroll will be crucial in ensuring a seamless and efficient payroll process, as well as being instrumental in our payroll transformation. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and understanding of payroll throughout the region. A strong regional team will be available to provide support and assistance in all aspects of your role. The main office will be in Prague.

For all activities, the Payroll Specialist demonstrates a continuous improvement mind-set to have issues solved at root cause as well as experience and a passion for delivering successful results with an inclusive team ethic.

Responsibilities:

• Supporting and guiding a team delivering payroll work within Nordics & Baltics; managing work to meet set service level agreements and ensuring consistent processes across the market, aligning with other EMEA markets

• Collaborating closely with external payroll providers and internal HR teams to define and lead the accurate, consistent, and compliant end-to-end delivery of payroll services for employees

• Ensuring accuracy and productivity in payroll functions, including vendor relations, internal control monitoring, and the development and maintenance of high-quality efficiency standards

• Responding to all internal and external inquiries related to payroll, social insurance, and taxation

• Ensuring accurate and timely execution of monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes, including the reconciliation of payroll-related balances

• Processing expat and commuter payroll, consulting on international remuneration with EY & Global Mobility

• Maintaining all payroll control for SOX and other audits, both internal and external, to ensure compliance and accuracy

• Compiling all necessary approvals for Citibank payments

• Leading the development and implementation of payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls

• Leading process improvement projects to standardize Payroll & Benefit Administration processes across sites, leverage best practices, and reduce complexity, identifying opportunities for improvement to ensure global standards and efficient operational delivery

• Handling and submitting mid-year tax reconciliations to the relevant authorities

• Maintaining accurate filing and documentation of all relevant payroll data

• Processing monthly Tax & Social Security payments using E-filing

• Staying up to date with legislative changes within EMEA Payroll, ensuring adherence to all legal requirements

• Participating and leading local and regional projects and working groups to further enhance payroll operations

• Vendor Management: Work closely with external payroll vendors to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing. Collaborate with vendors to resolve any payroll-related issues and manage service level agreements

Requirements:

• Experience in payroll administration or a similar role, within a multi-national environment

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, HR, or related field is beneficial

• Sound knowledge and experience of multi-country payroll delivery and governance is a plus

• Strong knowledge of Tax & Social Security regulations and experience with E-filing is a plus

• Attention to detail and exceptional analytical skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to meet tight timelines

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is crucial, proficiency in some of Nordics & Baltics languages is nice to have but not needed

Required Skills:

Global Payroll, HR Payroll, Payroll, Payroll Administration, Payroll Calculation, Payroll Laws, Payroll Processing, Payroll Services, Payroll Software, Payroll Support

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Remote

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

03/3/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.