Global Payroll Operations Specialist

About Rippling

Rippling is the first way for businesses to manage all of their HR & IT—payroll, benefits, computers, apps, and more—in one unified workforce platform.

By connecting every business system to one source of truth for employee data, businesses can automate all of the manual work they normally need to do to make employee changes. Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can just click a button and set up a new employees’ payroll, health insurance, work computer, and third-party apps—like Slack, Zoom, and Office 365—all within 90 seconds.

Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B from the world's top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Bedrock, and Greenoaks—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes (#12 out of 500)

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Global Payroll Operations Specialist to join our Global Payroll Operations team—with a primary focus on the independent and reliable processing of payroll for our international and domestic clients. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that payroll for our clients is executed smoothly, on time, and in full compliance with applicable regulations. You will serve as the central point of contact for all payroll-related matters.

A key part of your role will also be the management of statutory notifications and certificate issuance for our clients. This includes the timely and accurate preparation and submission of all statutory notifications and certificates (such as employment certificates, social security notifications, and tax certificates) in accordance with legal requirements.

As Rippling continues to grow internationally, your expertise will be crucial in ensuring a seamless payroll service for clients across various countries and industries, always maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance.

Fluency in both German and English (written and verbal) is a mandatory requirement for this position.

What you will do 

• End-to-end payroll processing: Independently manage the entire payroll process for international and domestic clients—from data collection and validation to payroll calculations and final payroll runs.
• Statutory notifications & certificate issuance: Responsible for the preparation and submission of all statutory notifications and certificates (e.g., employment certificates, social security notifications, tax certificates) for our clients.
• Correspondence and collaboration with various external parties such as tax advisors, social security institutions, and authorities to ensure smooth and accurate payroll processing as needed.
• Statutory filings & compliance: Ensure timely and accurate submission of all statutory filings and payments (social security, taxes, etc.) in accordance with German and international requirements.
• Client advisory & support: Advise and support our clients on best practices, compliance questions, and process optimization—especially for international clients unfamiliar with the German payroll system.
• Issue resolution & corrections: Identify, analyze, and resolve payroll discrepancies (e.g., overpayments, corrections, adjustments) in close coordination with clients
• Employee lifecycle management: Ensure that all payroll-relevant data for onboarding, offboarding, and employee changes are accurately and promptly reflected in payroll.
• Process optimization: Continuously review and improve payroll processes, leveraging automation and best practices to increase efficiency and accuracy.
• Internal collaboration: Share payroll expertise with internal teams, provide training on payroll processes, and actively contribute to product and process improvements.

What you will need

• In-depth payroll expertise: Excellent knowledge of German payroll, social security, tax, and labor law, ideally with experience supporting international clients.
• Client-facing experience: At least 3 years of practical experience in payroll processing, preferably in external payroll processing for different customers or a SaaS environment.
• Analytical & problem-solving skills: Confident handling of payroll systems, data analysis, and issue resolution.
• Exceptional communication and project management skills: Ability to clearly explain complex payroll topics, effectively manage multiple payroll cycles and deadlines, handle client escalations with professionalism, and succeed in a highly cross-functional organization that requires frequent collaboration across different teams and stakeholders.
• Technical proficiency: Experience with payroll software and external providers; willingness to actively support process automation and system improvements.

Fluency in both German and English (written and spoken) is essential.

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