Payroll Specialist (Brazil Payroll)

About the role

At Pebl, you will manage end-to-end payroll operations for Brazil, ensuring all processing, validations, reconciliations, adjustments, and payroll close activities are completed accurately and on time. You will serve as a trusted subject matter expert, resolving complex payroll matters related to earnings, deductions, benefits, taxes, social contributions, garnishments, leaves, and terminations with a high standard of compliance. In this role, you will partner closely with internal teams, clients, external payroll providers, and in-country vendors to investigate issues and deliver coordinated payroll outcomes. You will spend the majority of your time (85% or more) focused on resolving intricate payroll scenarios and upholding the accuracy of Brazilian payroll services. Additionally, you will play a key role in strengthening our payroll operations by supporting process improvements and providing guidance to other Payroll team members. You will participate in testing payroll system enhancements, integrations, calculations, and regulatory updates to ensure ongoing reliability. Ultimately, your work will drive operational excellence and ensure that Pebl delivers compliant, timely, and precise payroll for Brazilian employees across our global platform.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Manage the complete Brazilian payroll lifecycle, including processing, validations, reconciliations, adjustments, and close activities.
• Review and resolve complex payroll matters involving earnings, deductions, benefits, taxes, social contributions, garnishments, leaves, and statutory payments.
• Validate and manage Brazilian payroll requirements such as INSS, FGTS, IRRF, 13th salary, vacation payments (férias), terminations (rescisões), and other statutory deductions.
• Support and validate statutory payroll reporting and filings, including eSocial and other applicable Brazilian government requirements.
• Ensure payroll processing complies with Brazilian labor, tax, social security, and payroll regulations, as well as internal policies and controls.
• Perform payroll reconciliations and investigate discrepancies among payroll results, funding, statutory liabilities, employee payments, and payroll records.
• Partner with internal teams, clients, external payroll providers, and in-country vendors to investigate and resolve complex payroll matters.
• Act as a subject matter expert and escalation point for Brazil payroll questions and complex employee or client inquiries.
• Support payroll implementations, process transitions, statutory changes, system enhancements, and operational rollouts.
• Participate in testing payroll system enhancements, integrations, calculations, and regulatory updates.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes through stronger controls, documentation, standardization, automation, and technology.
• Monitor payroll performance, SLAs, KPIs, and recurring issues, recommending corrective actions and process improvements.
• Provide guidance and support to Payroll Specialists and Payroll Administrators to promote accuracy, consistency, and continuity across payroll operations.
• Provide backup support to the Payroll Manager and assist with urgent payroll matters and escalations when needed.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of hands-on Brazilian payroll experience, preferably within a payroll service provider, multinational organization, accounting firm, BPO, or similar environment.
• Strong experience managing end-to-end payroll operations in Brazil, including payroll processing, validations, reconciliations, statutory filings, and compliance.
• Strong knowledge of Brazilian payroll and labor legislation, including INSS, FGTS, IRRF, eSocial, férias, 13th salary, terminations, statutory deductions, and other payroll obligations.
• Strong understanding of gross-to-net payroll calculations, taxable and non-taxable earnings, deductions, benefits, and employer/employee statutory contributions.
• Experience researching and resolving complex payroll discrepancies, retroactive adjustments, terminations, tax issues, and other payroll exceptions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret payroll data, identify root causes, and ensure accurate and compliant outcomes.
• Experience supporting payroll operations in a multi-client or multi-jurisdiction environment.
• Strong attention to detail and high standards for accuracy, timeliness, and confidentiality when handling sensitive payroll information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex payroll concepts to non-specialists.
• Proficiency with payroll systems and tools commonly used in Brazilian payroll environments.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to collaborate closely with compliance, finance, and HR teams to uphold regulatory and operational standards.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Pebl's platform and global payroll operations.
• Experience contributing to process improvements, automation, or documentation for payroll operations.

Practical notes

This is a full-time position based in Medellín, Colombia.

Hours: Full-time (standard work week).