EMEA Senior Payroll Specialist in London

The EMEA Payroll Specialist will have responsibility for payroll and benefits administration within the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. The role will be based in London, reporting to the EMEA Payroll Manager, and will be part of the EMEA Payroll Hub function which processes payroll for our major markets in the region in partnership with our outsourced payroll provider (UKG). The initial focus of the role will be managing payroll for our German operations.

Key Tasks

• Prepare monthly data input for all assigned payrolls in coordination with Morningstar’s payroll processing requirements.
• Prepare compensation elements, holiday accrual and other benefit calculations monthly.
• Review and process payroll outputs to ensure accuracy, in line with all monthly cut-off dates.
• Maintain payroll processes in line with current GDPR and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) requirements.
• Accurately maintain all pension and other third-party payroll requirements across the EMEA region as required.
• Prepare EMEA payroll review and validation documents for payroll approvers.
• Partnership and continuous communication with P&C (HR) Operations to ensure all payroll activities are executed timely and accurately while applying a continuous improvement mindset.
• Assist with all yearly EMEA Payroll legislative submissions outside the monthly payroll cycles.
• Manage and resolve employee-related queries submitted through ServiceNow in line with agreed SLA timelines.
• Support the wider EMEA Payroll Team with administrative project-related tasks for future and current payroll implementation activities.
• Provide general assistance with project work and administrative tasks, as and when required.
• Act as a partner to P&C (HR) when new benefits or payroll elements need to be established.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years’ EMEA regional payroll experience, processing multiple payrolls from start to finish.
• Experience with the following countries (strong preference): Germany and UK.
• Fundamental expertise on processing social security via payroll.
• Exceptional eye for detail as well as a proactive and methodical approach to payroll operations.
• Ability to adapt to change and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with Workday as an HRIS system, and UKG as a payroll vendor, would be an advantage.
• Understanding of payroll confidentiality, entry-level GDPR, and local payroll legislation requirements.
• Expert time-management skills.
• Numeracy and intermediate Excel skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary Compensation Range GBP 50,600 - 33,000. Bonus Target: 12.5% Annual. We expect the compensation and target bonus for this role to fall within the stated range. The specific compensation offered will depend on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and other job-related factors. Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we have found that we perform best when we are together regularly. In most locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

EEO Statement

Morningstar is strongly committed to creating and preserving equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. We make all employment decisions—including recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and other personnel matters—without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship, gender identity and expression, parental status, or other legally protected characteristics or conduct.