Payroll Specialist

Are you a payroll professional with a passion for international taxation and a sharp eye for detail? Do you thrive in a dynamic, multicultural environment where no two days are the same? If so, this could be the perfect opportunity for you! 

About the Role 

As a Payroll Specialist at Swiss Re, you will play a key role in ensuring the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll across multiple European countries. You will be at the heart of complex, cross-border payroll operations — collaborating with a wide network of internal and external stakeholders to deliver excellence in every payroll cycle. This is a role where your expertise truly makes an impact, and where you will continuously grow your knowledge in one of the most technically rich areas of HR. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Manage end-to-end payroll processes for Switzerland and various European countries, including all year-end duties 

• Process social insurance contributions and reporting accurately and on time 

• Handle share plan processing within the payroll system 

• Conduct thorough plausibility and data quality checks before submitting data to the external payroll provider, making necessary adjustments 

• Review monthly and annual calculated results received from the external provider to ensure accuracy and compliance 

• Oversee the correct delivery of monthly payroll files from the provider to relevant third parties 

• Produce statistics and reports on demand for internal and external stakeholders, including Finance, Pension Fund, Health Insurer, and AHV 

• Specify business requirements for systems and interfaces, conduct testing, and support HR Operations and IT teams throughout change management processes 

• Coordinate international taxation topics for local employees, international transferees, and assignees across multiple countries 

• Manage shadow and split payroll for international assignees and local international transferees 

• Ensure proper handling of special payroll cases with precision and care 

• Continuously improve and document processes to ensure legal and internal compliance 

About the Team 

You will be joining a dedicated and collaborative international payroll team of seven specialists based in Zurich. Together, the team is responsible for delivering accurate, compliant, and timely payroll services across nine different countries, navigating the complexities of diverse legal, tax, and social security frameworks. The team works in close partnership with external payroll providers, HR, Finance, Tax, and International Mobility teams to ensure a seamless payroll experience for employees across the organisation. 

About You 

You are a detail-oriented and proactive payroll professional who enjoys solving complex problems in an international setting. You bring a structured, can-do attitude to your work, manage competing priorities with ease, and communicate confidently across teams and borders. You are comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, and you take pride in delivering accurate, compliant results every time. 

We are looking for candidates who meet these requirements: 

• 3 to 5 years of payroll experience in an international environment, with solid hands-on expertise 

• Profound knowledge of Swiss payroll legislation, including social security, labour law, local taxation, and international double taxation agreements 

• Experienced SAP Payroll Module user with the ability to navigate and manage complex payroll configurations 

• Strong MS Excel skills, including the ability to build, analyse, and validate complex data sets 

• Fluency in both German and English (mandatory), as these are the primary working languages of the team 

These are additional nice to haves: 

• Knowledge of European social security, labour law, local tax, and international double taxation agreements across multiple countries 

• Further education or certification in Social Security, International Assignment Management, and/or HR Outsourcing 

• Proficiency in an additional European language such as French, Spanish, Italian, or Danish 

• Commercial or technical educational background in a relevant field 

• Experience with shadow and split payroll for internationally mobile employee populations 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and resolve discrepancies efficiently 

• Proven ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-volume environment 

For Slovakia the base salary range for this position is between EUR 1,800 and EUR 3,000 per month (for a fulltime role). The specific salary offered considers:

• the requirements, scope, complexity and responsibilities of the role,
• the applicant’s own profile including education/qualifications, expertise, specialization, skills and experience. 

In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for additional rewards and benefits including an attractive performance-based bonus.

We provide feedback to all candidates via email. If you have not heard back from us, please check your spam folder.