Payroll Specialist

This is a payroll role that actually has some bite to it. If you’re the sort of person who can take 5,000 employees, multiple payrolls, a stack of statutory obligations, a sprinkle of IR35, and still sleep at night… you’re not just “good with payroll” and you’re probably mildly underappreciated. This is a real opportunity to improve how things are done, not just tick boxes and hope nobody notices the month-end panic. The role: You’ll be running end-to-end payroll across multiple payrolls for around 5,000 people. That means starters, leavers, adjustments, pensions, benefits, and the occasional “why is this different this month?” conversation that turns out to have a very long answer. You’ll also be involved in: * Supporting payroll migrations across different business units (yes, systems changes… everyone’s favourite) * Managing IR35 and third-party payments without breaking a sweat * Handling HMRC submissions and statutory reporting accurately the first time (imagine that) * Liaising with external providers who will all have “just one quick question” * Keeping benefits and pensions aligned, compliant, and not on fire What you’ll need (besides patience): * Proper, hands-on payroll experience across multiple payrolls * The ability to think in gross-to-net without reaching for a calculator every time * Strong Excel skills (not “I can do a SUM”, actual Excel competence) * Familiarity with statutory payments (SMP, SSP, the usual alphabet soup) * Understanding of IR35, pensions auto-enrolment, salary sacrifice, and all the other things that make payroll “fun” * A detail obsession that others might describe as “slightly intense” * The judgement to know when to escalate, and when to quietly fix it before anyone asks What’s in it for you? * An annual salary of up to £37k (depending on experience) * Hybrid working (1 day in the Leeds office) * 25 days annual leave + bank holidays Click “apply now” to find out more