Payroll Project Manager/3 months
Amsterdam (HQ), North Holland
HR – Payroll /
Full-Time /
Hybrid
ABOUT THE BRAND
At Karl Lagerfeld, we are driven by Karl’s mantra: “Embrace the present and invent the future.”
Always contemporary and forward-looking, the House of KARL LAGERFELD shares the creative vision and design aesthetic of its iconic founder, Karl Lagerfeld.
We are the only fashion house that carries Karl’s name on its door and we strive to live up to this responsibility in everything we do, every day, with the utmost joy and passion.
Our headquarters in Paris and in Amsterdam are home to a highly diverse and driven team of KARL family members that hail from over 35 countries. Together, we aim to create meaningful stories and product concepts that connect to Karl’s world and iconic attributes.
Women’s & Men's ready-to-wear, bags, small leather goods, swimwear and underwear are managed directly from our Amsterdam headquarters, while other categories, including footwear, fragrances, eyewear and more, are developed with best-in-class licensing partners.
We connect with our consumers on multiple levels, ensuring that our online and offline approach goes hand in hand. We thrive to maximize consumer engagement via more than 200 KL stores worldwide, our premium wholesale partners, and our strong digital footprint, spearheaded by our karllagerfeld.com and 35 countries. Our digital channels currently represent more than 30% of our overall full-price business.
We are a dynamic, fast-growing and inclusive company built on professionalism and strong values. At KARL LAGERFELD we’re committed to working toward the highest standards of sustainability and integrity across all areas of our business,. In 2019, KARL LAGERFELD joined as a founding member of the Fashion Pact, a global sustainability initiative seeking to transform the fashion industry through objectives in three areas: climate, biodiversity and ocean protection.
THE ROLE
The Payroll Project Manager will lead and coordinate strategic payroll transformation initiatives across our EMEA region, supporting employees in 11 European countries. This role is responsible for planning, coordinating, and delivering payroll-related projects while ensuring business continuity and compliance throughout implementation. Working closely with Payroll, HR, IT, Finance, external vendors, and business stakeholders, the Payroll Project Manager will play a critical role in shaping the future of our payroll landscape.
This role reports directly to the Sr. Manager Payroll & HR Operations and works closely with the Payroll team, HR Specialists, HR Interns, IT, Finance, and external payroll providers.
This is an exciting time to join our team. We are currently driving several strategic transformation projects across Europe, including:
· Implementing a new Human Capital Management (HCM) system.
· Integrating newly acquired brands into our HR and payroll processes.
· Transitioning to new payroll vendors in France and Italy.
· Implementing a time and attendance system
The Payroll Project Manager will lead and coordinate these initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with minimal disruption to employees and the business.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead payroll transformation projects across multiple European countries from planning through implementation and post-go-live support.
- Manage the integration of newly acquired brands into existing HR and payroll processes, ensuring a seamless employee transition.
- Coordinate the transition to new payroll vendors in France and Italy, including planning, testing, parallel runs, cutover activities, and hyper care support.
- Support the implementation of the new Human Capital Management (HCM) system and payroll modules, working closely with HR, IT, vendors, and project teams.
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, risk registers, and project documentation.
- Coordinate cross-functional project teams and facilitate collaboration between HR, Payroll, Retail Operations, Finance, IT, Legal, and external vendors.
- Manage project governance by tracking milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, and project budgets where applicable.
- Coordinate payroll data migration, validation, testing (UAT), and reconciliation activities to ensure data quality and payroll accuracy.
- Ensure payroll compliance throughout all project phases by partnering with local payroll providers and internal subject matter experts.
- Support change management activities, including communication, stakeholder engagement, documentation, and user training.
- Identify opportunities to standardize, simplify, and improve payroll processes across Europe.
- Support the Payroll team during project implementation while ensuring continuity of payroll operations.
- Processing payroll together with the team
- Bonus and commission calculation
- Manage relationships with external implementation partners and payroll vendors, monitoring project deliverables and service quality.
- Provide regular project status updates to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
- Support the implementation of future payroll solutions, country rollouts, and payroll setup for new business entities as required.
THE PROFILE
- Minimum 5–8 years of experience in international payroll and project management
- Proven experience leading payroll implementations, payroll vendor transitions, HRIS/HCM implementations, or large-scale payroll transformation projects
- Experience managing cross-functional projects involving HR, Payroll, IT, Finance, and external vendors
- Strong understanding of European payroll processes and payroll compliance; knowledge of Italian and/or French payroll is a significant advantage
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders simultaneously
- Experience with project planning methodologies, testing, data migration, and change management
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all organizational levels
- Highly organized, structured, and detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Proactive, hands-on, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, changing environment.
- Create, perform and review SOX related controls
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with project management tools is an advantage
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent higher education qualification
- Fluent in English; additional European languages are considered a plus
- Comfortable working in an international and multicultural environment
- Strong understanding of GDPR and the importance of confidentiality when handling employee data
Why #TEAMKARL? (HQ)
· Learning and development courses/training
· Opportunity to make an impact
· Remote working arrangements
· Relocation allowance
· Bonus holidays
· Working in the heart of Amsterdam
· Brand discounts
· And exclusive sample sales only for #TEAMKARL
JOIN #TEAMKARL
The collective vision of KARL LAGERFELD is to be the most connected global designer brand, inspiring consumers through luxury collections and immersing them in the World of KARL. If you are interested in joining #TEAMKARL, we invite you to submit your application today.
At #TEAMKARL, everyone can give their opinion, grow in their career, and be part of a genuinely caring and inclusive team. We welcome people from all backgrounds, with different perspectives, ideas, and experiences to work with us.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING JOB POSTINGS
Please be advised that all legitimate job opportunities at KARL LAGERFELD are published exclusively on our official careers page and on selected partner platforms that redirect directly to our career site.
We strongly recommend that applicants only apply through our verified channels and remain vigilant against unofficial job offers.
KARL LAGERFELD will never request any form of payment during the recruitment process.
If you come across suspicious job postings or receive unexpected communication about a position, please contact us immediately at [email protected]
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
