Senior Payroll Specialist (m/f/d) – Germany

About Rippling Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system. Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 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, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes. We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @ Rippling.com addresses. About the Role We are looking for an experienced and dedicated Senior Payroll Specialist (m/f/d) to join our payroll team in Germany. In this role, you will independently manage and run payroll for a defined client portfolio and act as the primary point of contact for your clients. You will also partner cross-functionally with Product and Engineering teams to deliver a high-quality managed payroll service and contribute to the development of compliant and scalable global payroll processes. What you will do Independent payroll processing: You run accurate and on-time payroll for your client portfolio in Germany, including all upstream and downstream activities. Client support: You are the central point of contact for your clients, both in our written ticketing system and in direct client calls. Advisory: You competently advise clients on questions relating to German labor, social security, and tax law, and find pragmatic, legally compliant solutions. Compliance checks: You carry out regular compliance reviews, identify risks early on, and ensure that all statutory requirements are met. System contribution: You actively contribute to the further development of our payroll system, share feedback from day-to-day operations, test new features, and help automate and improve processes. Global collaboration: You work closely with our international payroll teams and are willing to occasionally provide support outside standard German business hours. What you will need Professional experience: 3–5 years of relevant experience in German payroll, ideally in a tax advisory, consulting, or multi-client environment. Subject expertise: In-depth understanding of German labor, social security, and tax law, as well as confident handling of related payroll topics. Client orientation: Strong service mindset and excellent communication skills; you are equally comfortable in direct client conversations and in written communication via ticketing systems. Independence: Structured, self-directed way of working and the ability to confidently manage multiple clients in parallel. System affinity: Strong affinity for payroll software and tools; you enjoy contributing to the further development of systems and processes. Languages: Business-fluent German and English skills for collaboration with international teams and customers. Flexibility: Willingness to occasionally be available outside of regular German business hours to support our internal stakeholders and customers. Experience with Google Suite or Microsoft Office, especially Docs/Sheets/Excel, for data analysis and task organisation; familiarity with Salesforce queues, JIRA, and Confluence a plus! What We Offer A role with a high level of responsibility and significant scope to shape outcomes in a growing, international environment Direct influence on the further development of our payroll product and processes An experienced, collegial team with short decision-making paths Flexible working models and modern tools Attractive compensation package and learning & development opportunities Additional