Senior Payroll Specialist

Posted 1ds ago

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Job Description

Senior Payroll Specialist owning Portuguese payroll for Oyster, a global employment platform. Managing compliance, payroll systems, reconciliations, reporting, and complex client escalations remotely from Portugal.

Responsibilities:

  • Own and run the complete Portuguese payroll cycle in-house accurately, compliantly, and on time
  • Validate payroll master data for hires, terminations, salary changes, variable pay, benefits, absences, and garnishments
  • Perform pre- and post-payroll validations, investigate discrepancies, and implement corrective actions
  • Manage statutory filings and government accesses, including IRS, DMR, Modelo 10, and reimbursement claims
  • Configure and maintain the in-house payroll system, test legislative updates, troubleshoot issues, and improve automation with Product
  • Advise stakeholders on Portuguese tax, social security, labor law, and collective bargaining agreement interpretation
  • Oversee payroll journals, GL mappings, Finance reconciliations, and data integrity
  • Handle complex client payroll escalations with a customer-first approach
  • Prepare statutory and ad-hoc reports, including pay transparency, works council pay assessments, and GDPR compliance documentation
  • Support internal and external audits with structured data and documentation
  • Improve processes, coach junior specialists, support Regional Managers, and maintain payroll playbooks and SOPs

Requirements:

  • 5+ years running the complete native in-house payroll process for Portugal
  • Experience independently handling a high volume of Portuguese payslips per month
  • Advanced hands-on experience with Cegid (Primavera or PHC) and/or Sendys is essential
  • Completed recognized accounting/payroll qualification, such as Contabilista Certificado, and/or dedicated payroll processing certification
  • Deep, current knowledge of Portuguese wage tax, social insurance, and labor law
  • Ability to advise stakeholders directly on Portuguese payroll-related legislation
  • Portuguese at C1/C2 level
  • Fluent English for collaboration with an asynchronous global team
  • Experience handling complex and sensitive client escalations
  • Analytical, productivity-focused, automation-oriented mindset
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity and driving cross-functional change
  • Experience coaching or mentoring less experienced colleagues
  • Comfort working asynchronously in a fast-paced, remote-first environment
  • Must be based in Portugal
  • Must have the right to work in Portugal
  • Broader accounting background or qualification, such as Revisor Oficial de Contas, is desirable
  • Experience delivering cross-functional HR/payroll projects is desirable
  • Hands-on AI tools experience for optimizing payroll or operations workflows is desirable
  • Strong data transformation skills and practical data analytics platform experience are desirable

Benefits:

  • Offers Equity
  • Work from anywhere, subject to authorization and role/location requirements
  • 40 days off per year including holidays and vacation, or more if required locally
  • Mental health support through Plumm
  • Monthly wellbeing allowance through the ThanksBen wallet
  • At least three months’ paid parental leave for all new parents
  • Job protection for up to 12 months or as required locally
  • WFH stipend for laptop and home office equipment
  • Asynchronous, collaborative work environment
  • Inclusive global workplace and reasonable accommodations during recruitment