Payroll Compliance Specialist

Responsibilities

• Process correct and timely salary payments to designated payroll areas across our 100 clients and provide a specialist payroll service to the same.
• Provide specialist payroll subject‑matter support and advice to the broader payroll department, including understanding the impact of legislation changes and completing manual payroll calculations with comprehensive, detailed pay‑slip explanations.
• Manage central payroll function processes to support payroll team members and key payroll service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regional legislation for all payment processing, income tax, National Insurance/Social Insurance, pensions and National Minimum Wage/National Living Wage.
• Ensure payroll compliance and governance in line with Group and business audit controls, local business controls and UK & Ireland legislative frameworks.
• Identify weaknesses or inconsistencies in payroll and system processes and recommend improvements.
• Work closely with Project Teams to create client‑facing Test Strategies and Test Cases.
• Oversee scheduled and ad‑hoc functional and regression testing of new and existing core functionality to ensure high quality standards for all software releases.
• Ensure payrolls are completed accurately and timely following checks and balances, and obtain approval before exiting.
• Accurately process payroll reversals when required, including results‑table analysis.
• Ensure exception and/or error reports are fit for purpose and maintained in line with payroll compliance and regulatory legislation.
• Understand various pension schemes within the Group and their impact on pay‑slips, including Workplace Pensions Auto‑Enrolment legislation and associated reconciliations.
• Manage appropriate approval levels, with supporting evidence, and ensure sign‑off before BACS payments are arranged for submission.
• Process and validate all tax and National Insurance/Social Insurance documentation in accordance with local legislation, including P6, P9, P45 and New Starter Declarations.
• Reconcile and submit monthly Real‑Time Information data to HMRC and resolve any arising queries.
• Attend regular team meetings/huddles to maintain an acceptable standard of service delivery.
• House‑keep data storage and paperwork in line with client audit and business controls.

• Prior experience in a payroll software testing role or a similar position.
• Good knowledge of SAP Testing Platforms.
• Passion for driving new ideas, processes and standardising.
• Self‑motivated with initiative.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to meet deadlines under pressure.
• Communicative with high standards of reading and writing skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products (particularly Excel).
• Highly motivated people person.
• Professional outlook and strong personality.
• Ability to work to strict and tight deadlines.
• Autonomous working style with strong commitment to team and department.
• Strong collaboration with other teams and departments.
• High levels of confidentiality, honesty and integrity.
• Ability to organize work and prioritise with limited supervision.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Awareness of implications of information laws such as the Data Protection Act.

• Thorough grasp of quality procedures and techniques.
• Working knowledge of control measures principles.
• Basic understanding of specific change management processes.

• Understanding of process performance measurement, reporting and tracking requirements.
• Working knowledge of risk mitigation practices to identify and manage risks and liabilities.
• Ability to generate accurate reports and highlight issues.

• Broad understanding of complaint handling guidelines, procedures, client business and key metrics.
• Able to enhance own process effectiveness.
• Interacts with key influencers inside and outside the organization to build relationships and achieve objectives.
• Maintains extensive knowledge of key influencers and uses social networks effectively.
• Demonstrates knowledge of work area and appreciates others’ concerns to build credibility and influence others.
• Identifies areas of agreement, respects stakeholder views and leverages data to build strong negotiation cases.

• Integrates data from multiple sources.
• Builds cause‑effect linkages to determine key issues.
• Assesses pros and cons of alternatives to arrive at optimal solutions.
• Seeks new thinking and ideas from the team.
• Drives and supports learning goal establishment.
• Creates opportunities for the team to pilot new ideas to completion.

• Assesses target audience needs, prepares and practices a logical flow.
• Articulates own view based on assessment of multiple viewpoints.