Payroll Specialist - (1 year temporary contract)

H&M Group is a global company of strong fashion brands and ventures. Our goal is to prove that there is no compromise between exceptional design, affordable prices, and sustainable solutions. We want to liberate fashion for the many, and our customers are at the heart of every decision we make. 

We are made up of thousands of passionate and talented colleagues united by our shared culture and values. Together, we want to use our power, our scale, and our knowledge to push the fashion industry towards a more inclusive and sustainable future.

WHAT YOU’LL DO    

As a Payroll Specialist, you ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery for employees, while actively supporting the scaling and modernisation of payroll across the H&M Group.  

Together with the team, you manage payroll end-to-end — from data input to reporting — and contribute to harmonisation, automation, and process excellence. In a global shared services context, you act as a trusted partner to payroll, HR, IT and vendor teams across countries, offering expertise, support and service excellence to enable future-proofed payroll operations. 

Key Responsibilities:  

Payroll Delivery & Compliance 

• Execute end-to-end payroll processing for assigned markets, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with legislation, tax, and social security requirements. 
• Maintain high-quality master data and employee records in payroll systems, validating and reconciling transactions in line with governance. 
• Perform all month-end tasks including bank files, accounting files, AGI reporting, and statutory submissions. 
• Monitor and interpret the impact of laws, collective agreements, pensions, benefits, and time & attendance on payroll, adapting processes and routines accordingly. 
• Support audits, compliance checks, and respond to regulatory requirements. 

Global Collaboration & Advisory Support 

• Act as a reliable point of contact for global and regional HR, Finance, IT and payroll teams, offering operational support and guidance. 
• Collaborate with external payroll vendors to ensure service quality, compliance, and SLA fulfilment. 
• Contribute with knowledge sharing across countries to strengthen global payroll capability and consistency. 
• Support global payroll reporting and insights, assisting harmonisation and alignment across markets. 

Process Excellence, Automation & AI Enablement 

• Identify and suggest improvements with a focus on automation, digitalisation, and AI-supported workflows. 
• Collaborate with the Payroll Transformation & Enablement team to support implementation of scalable, intelligent payroll solutions. 
• Collaborate with the Payroll Transformation & Enablement team to support implementation of scalable, intelligent payroll solutions. 
• Assist in the optimisation of payroll processes, including pension and benefit routines, ensuring they are aligned with system capabilities. 

Knowledge Transfer & Service Excellence 

• Act as a go-to person for payroll-related queries and escalations, especially in areas such as pensions, benefits, and system setup. 
• Document and share payroll knowledge to strengthen team capability and resilience. 
• Support onboarding and upskilling of new team members, managers, and stakeholders. 
• Handle every colleague and customer interaction with care, recognising individual needs while striving for sustainable, group-wide solutions. 

Reporting & Analytics 

• Provide accurate payroll reporting and analytics, including KPIs such as accuracy, timeliness, error rate, and cost efficiency. 
• Support financial reconciliation and reporting for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Deliver insights on payroll trends to support planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement. 

WHO YOU ARE 

We are looking for people with… 

• Relevant education within payroll, finance, HR or equivalent field  
• Proven experience in payroll within a medium-to-large organisation, ideally with multi-country scope and shared services context. 
• Good knowledge of Swedish payroll legislation, collective agreements, pensions and benefits — with the ability to translate regulatory requirements into efficient processes, routines and system setups. 
• Experience working with payroll systems and vendors; familiarity with ServiceNow, SuccessFactors or similar HRIS is desirable. 
• Interest in process improvement and digital tools to enhance payroll efficiency and accuracy. 
• Strong customer service orientation and ability to handle sensitive matters with care and professionalism. 

And people who are… 

• Analytical mindset with a controller’s perspective — able to see the full picture, understand cost drivers, and contribute to financial awareness in payroll operations. 
• Excellent communicating in both Swedish and English (written and spoken), with the ability to collaborate across functions and geographies. 
• Committed to the values and service delivery model of a global People Services Centre, with a continuous improvement mindset. 
• Well-organised, self-driven, and confident in prioritising tasks independently. 

It’s a bonus if you also have any of the following...

• Authorisation as a Payroll Specialist (SRF or FAR). 
• Knowledge of specific collective agreements such as detaljhandelsavtalet or lager- och e-handelsavtalet. 
• Experience working with expatriates or international payroll. 
• Previous experience working with outsourced payroll, system integration or accounting. 

This is a 1 year contract based in Stockholm with start date as soon as possible.
If you feel that your experience, skills, and ambitions are right for this role, please send your resume in English (no need for a cover letter) as soon as possible.  
We will review applications and conduct interviews on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Our uniqueness comes from a combination of many things – our inclusive and collaborative culture, our strong values, and opportunities for growth. But most of all, it’s our people who make us who we are. 

Take the next step in your career together with us. The journey starts here. 

* We are committed to a recruitment process that is fair, equitable, and based on competency. We therefore kindly ask you to not attach a cover letter in your application.