We’re looking for a Payroll Lead to join our People \& Culture team

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Lead to oversee the accurate and timely delivery of Santander’s payroll services. In this role you will manage payroll operations and ensure delivery of payroll services for our colleagues in Norway and Denmark (approx 800 employees)

You will be a key member of the People & Culture Operations team, reporting to Head of HR Operations and working closely with the wider People & Culture team, finance team, payroll vendor and tax partners.

This role will be part of our newly established payroll team and together with the Payroll Lead responsible for Sweden and Finland, your responsibility will be to deliver the overall agenda for Payroll, Time & Attendance and Expense Management.

Key accountabilities

• Oversee end-to-end payroll delivery for Norway and Denmark, ensuring smooth and compliant monthly payroll processing.
• Maintain accurate payroll records within HR systems (e.g., Workday, SAP GUI).
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of payroll data to external vendors.
• Validate payroll outputs to guarantee correctness and compliance.
• Ensure adherence to local legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Handle payroll-related inquiries via HR channels, providing prompt and professional support.
• Manage employee inquiries regarding the bank’s insurance and pension schemes.
• Assist in monthly and annual reporting, including salary reviews and pay gap analyses.
• Serve as a backup for payroll processing in Sweden and Finland when necessary.

Additional Contributions:

• Update and maintain the personal handbooks and HR SharePoint area.
• Collaborate with the Head of HR Operations on compensation and benefits initiatives.
• Participate in the annual review of pension and insurance schemes.
• Support payroll audits to ensure compliance and accuracy.
• Contribute to the development of the People & Culture function by streamlining processes, enhancing customer satisfaction, and fostering a positive work environment.

This role is for you with solid payroll experience, and who understand the complexities of payroll processes in a global organisation and are comfortable working in a structured yet evolving environment with many stakeholders.

We believe you have:

• Proven experience from running payroll within at least two Nordic countries. Demonstrating a good understanding of local payroll processes and regulations
• Good level of expertise to be our lead on payroll and take ownership as well as support your colleagues in exercising accurate payroll processes.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with advanced skills in Excel including vlookups & pivots.
• Work experience in SAP GUI and Workday is highly desirable. The same goes for expatriation payroll and declaration of shares delivery.
• Personal qualities: proactive, collaborative, service-minded, with a keen attention to detail and high accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills in English and at least one Nordic languate

We offer

• An opportunity to work in a large, high-performing international company, in a dynamic environment that is constantly changing
• A corporate culture that is professional, yet informal, customer and value driven
• Highly competent and dedicated co-workers with strong collaboration across the Nordics
• A high level of diversity and multi-cultural working atmosphere
• A strong focus on learning and development
• Multiple sports and social events

Santander strives for diversity in which our employees background, experience, knowledge and personalities enrich the business.

I nterested?

You’re welcome to apply for this position as soon as possible and no later than September 14th, 2025.

We perform background checks on all relevant candidates. For positions that require authorization and/or confirmation of suitability, a police certificate of good conduct and credit check must be presented. Background check is carried out with prior consent from the candidate.