Payroll Specialist - German Speaker

Job Description

Job Description “Associate Specialist Payroll Accounting”

Join our dynamic payroll team supporting Germany in an international environment, with a strong focus on accuracy, collaboration, and continuous improvement. At our company, we are committed to delivering innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. As Associate Specialist Payroll Accounting, you will be based in Prague and support payroll operations for Germany in an outsourced payroll environment. You will prepare and validate payroll input for the external payroll provider, review outputs for accuracy, and serve as a key contact for payroll-related coordination across HR Service Delivery, Compensation & Benefits Administrators, HR Business Partners, Tax, and Finance. You will help ensure data quality, compliance, and a smooth payroll process while partnering across teams to drive continuous improvement.

You will report to the DACH Service Delivery Lead and you will have the below responsibilites:

• Prepare, validate, and submit payroll input for German entities in line with local laws and regulations.
• Maintain payroll-related data and review personnel and compensation changes to ensure accurate input.
• Coordinate expatriate and commuter payroll topics with Global Mobility and the payroll provider.
• Review payroll outputs and supporting documentation for accuracy and completeness before finalization.
• Manage payroll controls and audit support for payroll-related bank payments.
• Act as the main contact for payroll-related questions, issue resolution, and process coordination between internal stakeholders and the payroll provider.
• Support payroll policies, documentation, and process optimization initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with HR Service Delivery, Compensation & Benefits Administrators, HR Business Partners, and other stakeholders.
• Participate in projects and continuous improvement initiatives across Payroll and Benefits Administration.
• Prepare and review payroll reports and coordinate distribution with the HR Shared Service team as required.
• Stay current on payroll best practices, regulatory requirements, and relevant systems and tools.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, or a related field, or an equivalent payroll qualification.
• At least 3 years of experience in a multinational environment, ideally with exposure to payroll across multiple entities; HR experience is an advantage.
• Experience with outsourced payroll models, HR systems such as Workday or SAP and ticketing systems such as Service Now.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• High discretion, personal integrity, and care in handling confidential information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; fluency in German and English is required.
• A collaborative working style and the ability to build strong partnerships across international teams and functions.

What we offer:

• Exciting work in a great team, global projects, international environment
• Opportunity to learn and grow professionally within the company globally
• Hybrid working model, flexible role pattern
• Pension and health insurance contributions
• Internal reward system plus referral program
• 5 weeks annual leave, 5 sick days, 15 days of certified sick leave paid above statutory requirements annually, 40 paid hours annually for volunteering activities, 12 weeks of parental contribution
• Cafeteria for tax free benefits according to your choice (meal vouchers, sport, culture, health, travel, etc.), Multisport Card
• Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank, Foodora, and other discount programs
• Up-to-date laptop and iPhone
• Parking in the garage for drivers or showers for bikers
• Competitive salary, incentive pay, and many more

Required Skills:

Accounting Payroll, Equity Compensation, HR Service Delivery, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), International Payroll, Payroll Analysis, Payroll Benefits, Payroll Compliance, Payroll Management, Payroll Queries

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
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:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

NA

Job Posting End Date:

07/25/2026

*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.