Payroll Specialist

Descartes unites the people and technology that move the world. The need for efficient, secure, and agile supply chains and logistics operations has become ever more critical and complex. By combining innovative technology, powerful trade intelligence and the reach of our network, Descartes helps get goods, information, transportation assets, and people where they’re needed, when they’re needed.

As Payroll Specialist for our Northern Europe Hub, you will own the delivery of accurate, timely and compliant payroll for approximately 220 employees across Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Working closely with HR, Finance and our third-party payroll providers, you will ensure a reliable payroll experience for employees while strengthening processes and controls as Descartes continues to grow.

Outcomes & Key Responsibilities — What Success Looks Like

• Deliver accurate, timely payroll across five countries, owning the end-to-end monthly payroll cycle and consistently meeting all deadlines.
• Prepare and validate monthly payroll inputs, working closely with the HR team and third-party payroll providers to ensure employee changes are processed correctly.
• Complete payroll reconciliations and controls, analysing variances, investigating discrepancies and providing clear commentary before payroll approval.
• Validate payroll calculations, including salary pro-ration, sick pay and other pay components, using manual calculations where required to confirm accuracy.
• Manage the internal payroll approval process and maintain appropriate documentation and audit trails.
• Own payroll queries through to resolution, acting as the first point of contact for employees and working with HR, Finance and payroll providers when additional support is required.
• Maintain compliant and confidential payroll processes, ensuring activities align with relevant local legislation, collective agreements where applicable, and Descartes guidelines.
• Support payroll projects and continuous improvement, including payroll provider transitions, pension re-enrolment, audits, systems initiatives and process documentation.
• As Descartes grows, support additional countries and payrolls where required.

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies — How the Work Gets Done

• Proven experience managing end-to-end payroll processes, with the confidence to own a payroll cycle from inputs through reconciliation and approval.
• Strong payroll knowledge, including the ability to understand and manually validate calculations such as salary pro-ration and sick pay.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas and lookup functions, with the ability to use data to reconcile and investigate payroll information.
• Experience using HR and payroll systems; knowledge of SAP and SuccessFactors would be beneficial.
• Strong numerical, analytical and problem-solving skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to organise and prioritise multiple activities while delivering accurately against fixed payroll deadlines.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with a professional and service-focused approach to employee queries.
• Sound judgement and discretion when working with confidential employee and payroll information.
• Experience supporting multi-country European payrolls, particularly Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and/or the United Kingdom, would be an advantage.

Culture Add: TEAM Values

• We value team members who communicate with transparency, sharing information openly and building trust across functions.
• You bring excellence and expertise to your craft, holding a high bar for quality while continuously improving your skills.
• You demonstrate accountability by owning outcomes, following through on commitments, and taking responsibility for results.
• You are driven by metrics, using data and experimentation to inform decisions and deliver measurable impact.

Aptitudes

• Smart: Able to quickly understand complex systems, connect ideas, and make sound judgments.
• Curious: Actively seeks to understand customer problems, emerging technologies, and better ways of working.
• Coachable: Open to feedback, willing to adapt, and continuously improving through learning.

What’s in It for You

You will have meaningful ownership of a multi-country payroll operation within Descartes’ EMEA & APAC HR team, supporting a business of more than 1,000 employees across over 20 countries. The role offers autonomy over the payroll cycle, alongside close collaboration with HR, Finance, and external payroll partners. You will have opportunities to broaden your international payroll expertise, lead payroll improvement initiatives and support additional countries as the business grows. Most importantly, your work will directly impact our employees while helping Descartes build increasingly accurate, efficient, and scalable payroll processes.

Join us as we scale, looking for new doers, collaborators and innovators to join Descartes in uniting the people and technology that move the world as the Global Leader in Logistics and Supply Chain Technology. We’re entrepreneurial, hardworking, geeky-in-a-good way problem solvers. Guided by our values, we nurture a TEAM focused culture that invests in people and creates opportunities for advancement across a broad spectrum of career paths. We prioritize work-life balance and foster an environment with the space to take ownership, to be heard, and to carve a path for your individual accomplishments to help drive our success.

At Descartes, everyone has a voice and the best idea wins, regardless of who makes it. We offer competitive compensation, great benefits, remote and flexible work hours, and the opportunity to join a company on an awesome mission with a great existing team and trajectory.

We are an Equal Employment employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law.