Senior Payroll Specialist (Europe)

Are you a payroll professional with a passion for precision and a drive for digital transformation? We are looking for a senior payroll specialist to join our team and oversee the end-to-end payroll operations for six countries across Central Europe. In this role, you will be the bridge between our internal functions and external partners, ensuring our people are paid accurately and on time while helping us build the "plug-and-play" payroll model of the future.

We operate in an inspiring and evolving business environment as a global leader in renewable fuels.

We contribute to Neste’s success by living our values every day: we care, we have courage, we cooperate.

We prioritize safety at all times and in every location. We strive to create a positive and impactful work environment.
Transformation brings new possibilities and fosters our courage and curiosity. As a global company, we support personal development with versatile learning and career opportunities. Collaboration is key, and we believe in flexible, smart ways of working.

As a key member of our Payroll Services team, you will:

Drive operational excellence by acting as the primary contact for our managed service providers across 6 countries, ensuring data integrity and strict adherence to SLAs. You will champion the transition from manual, legacy processes to automated "plug-and-play" workflows and robotics, effectively eliminating waste. By bridging the gap between HR, Finance, and external vendors, you will safeguard statutory compliance while helping to shape the digital transformation of our global payroll infrastructure.

Your journey with us:

• Focus on operational stability and ensuring business continuity across all six countries.
• Execute regional standardization initiatives and automate manual data inputs to drive efficiency.
• Enhance the employee experience through error-free service that supports business growth and retention.

• Serve as the primary contact for managed service providers across 6 European countries, fostering partnerships to ensure seamless service delivery and 100% adherence to strict SLAs and operational timelines.
• Monitor and audit the integrity of masterdata, salary, benefit, and tax data to guarantee accuracy while eliminating redundancies and helping optimize the payroll service delivery.
• Support the transition from legacy manual processes to automated, "plug-and-play" payroll models and robotics, reducing human error and building a scalability for Neste growth.
• Resolve employee and stakeholder queries in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, providing proactive findings and data-driven insights to prevent recurring issues.
• Drive a collaborative way of working by participating in process-improvement initiatives and managing essential data entry, ensuring internal workflows remain agile and aligned with global standards.

The best combination of experiences, skills and background is:

• Experienced: You have at least 5 years of payroll management experience, within a multinational environment.
• Educated: You hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, or HR.
• Tech-Savvy: You have a strong interest in robotics, automation, and HRIS/Time & Attendance integrations.
• Multilingual: You are fluent in Dutch and English. Proficiency in German is a significant plus.
• Expert Communicator: You can navigate complex escalations with stakeholders ranging from tax agencies and benefit brokers to internal Finance and IT teams.
• You can independently validate payroll data, enforce vendor SLAs, and resolve complex compliance inquiries with a high degree of autonomy.
• You are goal oriented, result driven and you are confident and able to stand your ground when needed;
• Flexibility to travel from time to other company locations within The Netherlands.

Based on these criteria, the defined job grade for the position is job grade N5.

• We offer a competitive salary, holiday allowance, and a company bonus plan
• We offer a company pension plan - no employee contribution
• A work environment where people Care, Cooperate and have Courage;
• A company that cares for your work-life balance by offering options to work from home;
• A manager that supports and empowers you, and helps you to develop yourself in your professional career.