Senior People Operations & Payroll Manager (f/m/x)

Your mission

IONITY is building the backbone of electric mobility in Europe. Founded by leading automotive manufacturers, we operate Europe’s largest high-power charging network across 24 countries, enabling seamless long-distance travel for EV drivers. With thousands of charging points already in operation and significant expansion ahead, IONITY is evolving beyond charging infrastructure into a broader mobility, energy and digital platform.

As  Senior People Ops & Payroll Manager , you'll ensure IONITY's People Operations and payroll run accurately, on time and with care across our multi-country European setup. This is a hands-on role for someone who knows payroll inside out, enjoys making processes cleaner and more scalable, and wants the admin side of work to feel effortless for employees.

You'll own the payroll cycle end to end, keep our employee data and lifecycle processes in great shape, and be the go-to partner for our external payroll providers, People Partners and employees.

What you'll do

• Own the monthly payroll process across countries, including preparatory payroll accounting, inputs, handovers and sign-off with external payroll providers.
• Keep employee master data in Personio & Deel accurate, compliant and audit-ready .
• Manage core lifecycle processes (onboarding, leave, offboarding), including work time accounts, eAU administration and work certificates.
• Act as a main contact for payroll providers, tax advisors and auditors, and resolve issues quickly and professionally.
• Spot friction in processes, systems and workflows, then fix it, using automation and exploring AI where they add real value.
• Support the alignment of employee benefits across countries while respecting local requirements.
• Partner closely with People Partners and Finance so payroll, reporting and People processes join up.
• Answer employee questions on pay and HR admin with clarity and discretion.
• Guide or mentor junior team members, own larger process and system projects, and act as a sparring partner to People leadership.

Your profile

• 5 years of experience in payroll and People / HR Operations, ideally including German payroll.
• Experience coordinating payroll across multiple countries, working with external providers.
• Strong knowledge of relevant labor law, tax and social security requirements, with a willingness to learn new countries.
• Hands-on experience with Deel & Personio is a strong plus.
• A structured, reliable and discreet way of working, with a real eye for detail and deadlines.
• A pragmatic, improvement-minded approach: you like clean processes, but not bureaucracy for its own sake.
• Curiosity about how systems, automation and AI can make work better.
• Fluent English and German; another European language is a bonus.
• Proven ownership of multi-country payroll and experience leading process or system improvements, or guiding others.