Payroll Specialist

Role overview

Nesto Software GmbH is hiring a Payroll Specialist in Germany. The position sits at the intersection of payroll operations, customer advisory work, and product improvement. The role offers a salary range of €50,000 to €60,000 per year.

About Nesto

Nesto is an AI-driven workforce management platform created for restaurants and hospitality businesses. Built by engineers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, it supports more than 3,000 restaurant sites across Europe and helps manage scheduling, forecasting demand, HR workflows, and payroll preparation for over 100,000 employees every day. Its customer base includes McDonald's, L'Osteria, and Lagardère. After implementation, McDonald's European franchise operators reported a 9% drop in labour costs and a 22% increase in productivity.

The company expanded to more than €5M in annual recurring revenue without outside funding before raising an €11M growth equity round in April 2026, supported by Expedition Growth Capital. The new capital is intended to strengthen the commercial team and support expansion across DACH and wider Europe.

Mission

You will own payroll delivery for customers while also helping to shape how payroll is handled in the future. Alongside day-to-day payroll work, you will collaborate closely with product and development teams to simplify processes, cut down manual effort, and build modern technical solutions for recurring payroll challenges. As the first payroll specialist in the team, you will help establish this function from the ground up, with guidance from an experienced external payroll accounting partner.

Key responsibilities

• Manage recurring payroll processing for customers independently.
• Ensure payroll is accurate, technically correct, and completed on time.
• Serve as the go-to person for questions related to income tax and social security law.
• Handle communication with public authorities, health insurers, and other relevant institutions.
• Prepare for and support payroll tax and social security audits.
• Assist customers with complex payroll cases and questions.
• Provide advice on payroll tax, social insurance, and related payroll matters.
• Develop practical solutions for customer-specific payroll requirements.
• Review current payroll processes and identify opportunities for automation.
• Spot recurring special cases and turn them into standardized approaches.
• Work closely with the product and engineering teams to improve the platform.
• Translate payroll requirements into clear technical specifications.
• Contribute to interfaces, workflows, and digital process design.
• Support the rollout of AI-based solutions in the payroll space.
• Help build a scalable, modern payroll platform and associated AI capabilities.

What you need

• Several years of experience in payroll accounting.
• Strong knowledge of income tax law and social security legislation.
• Experience supporting audits or examinations.
• Confidence in consulting and client-facing work.
• Interest in digital products, process improvement, and automation.
• Ability to explain complex business needs clearly and work them through with developers.
• Curiosity about emerging technologies and AI use cases.
• An independent, practical, and solution-focused working style.

Why this role stands out

• You will be the first payroll expert in the team and have a major influence on how the function is built.
• Your work will go beyond operations and directly improve payroll processes.
• Your expertise will shape the development of systems and products.
• You will be supported by an experienced external payroll team.
• You will help define the future of payroll in a modern, technology-led environment.

Additional information

This role is based in Germany and is a full-time onsite position.