Regional People Ops & Payroll Lead - Northern Europe

About the role

As the lead for Northern Europe, you'll shape how a team of eight operates across Germany, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium turning complexity into clarity and manual work into automation. This is a role where you will bring structure, automation, and clear ownership to a function that's built to scale.

What you'll do

• Lead and develop a team of eight People Ops and Payroll partners, consolidating two distinct functions into one integrated, accountable regional team
• Map, redesign, and scale core processes across the full employee lifecycle — from onboarding through to offboarding — ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency across all markets
• Identify and implement automation opportunities using no-code and low-code tools, reducing manual effort and setting a new standard for how the team works
• Build a success measurement framework covering SLAs, error rates, and processing times — and report on this regularly to senior stakeholders
• Partner with Finance, People Partners, Legal, and Compliance to ensure payroll accuracy and regulatory alignment across Germany, the UK, and beyond

What you'll need

• Proven leadership experience in multi-country People Ops, with Germany as a core market and exposure to the UK, Ireland, or the Netherlands
• Strong knowledge of German employment law and HR compliance requirements, with the ability to navigate complex legal scenarios confidently across the employee lifecycle
• A solid understanding of payroll processes across EU markets, with UK employment law knowledge considered a strong plus
• A clear track record of delivering process improvements and automation initiatives, with concrete examples of efficiency gains and time saved
• Hands-on experience with AI-powered or no-code tools such as Make or n8n, alongside advanced Excel skills and a data-driven approach to decision making
• Comfort leading through change and ambiguity, with the stakeholder management skills to build trust while restructuring how a team operates

What they offer

• Virtual Stock Option programme: you will own a stake in SumUp's future success
• A dedicated annual L&D budget of €2000 for your individual development
• A corporate pension scheme where we match up to 20% of your contributions
• Generous time off: enjoy 28 days of paid leave plus public holidays and special leave days
• Break4me: 1-month sabbatical after 3 years of service
• Urban Sports Club subsidy, Kita placement assistance, subsidised office lunches