Benefits & Payroll Advisor (UK + Germany)

Baird Careers; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Baird Careers is seeking an experienced Benefits Advisor to join the Europe HR team and deliver benefits programmes across the UK and Germany. You will coordinate German payroll and London benefit-related payroll inputs, support pension administration, and handle employee queries with clear guidance.

This role requires ownership, cross-team collaboration and the ability to turn complex information into dependable support. 5+ years in benefits/payroll/HR ops preferred.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in benefits administration, payroll or HR operations, ideally supporting UK or European employee populations.
• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Solid understanding of benefits administration, with exposure to payroll and pension processes.
• Experience working with external vendors and service providers.
• Experience using HR systems such as Workday.
• Strong Excel skills, including data validation, reconciliation and reporting.
• Microsoft Copilot proficiency, with the ability to leverage AI tools appropriately to improve efficiency and work quality.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a commitment to handling sensitive employee data accurately and confidentially.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate discrepancies, identify root causes and recommend practical solutions.
• Sound judgement, strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities, recurring deadlines and established processes with minimal supervision.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and build collaborative relationships across HR, Finance, HR Technology, Total Rewards and external providers

Responsibilities

• Administer benefits programmes across the UK and Germany, ensuring employee enrolments, changes and leaver activity are processed accurately in Workday.
• Maintain reliable benefits records through regular data reviews, reconciliations and validation.
• Coordinate monthly German payroll activity with the external payroll provider and Finance, preparing and reviewing payroll inputs and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate benefit-related payroll inputs for London in partnership with the Payroll team.
• Support monthly UK pension assessments, enrolments and contribution processes, identifying discrepancies and escalating exceptions where appropriate.
• Respond to employee and stakeholder enquiries relating to benefits, payroll and pensions, providing clear guidance and escalating more complex matters.
• Partner with Total Rewards and HR Communications to maintain accurate benefits materials and deliver employee education activities.
• Work closely with HR Technology and external providers to resolve system or service issues and support effective delivery.
• Use reporting and root-cause analysis to identify discrepancies, recurring issues and opportunities to improve processes and workflows.
• Support audit, tax-reporting and compliance activities by preparing accurate data, documentation and reconciliations, while maintaining controlled and audit-ready processes

Skills

Benefits admin

Payroll coordination

HR operations

Workday

Excel

Data reconciliation

Data reporting

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Communication

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Workday

Job description

Baird Careers is seeking an experienced Benefits Advisor to join the Europe HR team and deliver benefits programmes across the UK and Germany. You will coordinate German payroll and London benefit-related payroll inputs, support pension administration, and handle employee queries with clear guidance.

This role requires ownership, cross-team collaboration and the ability to turn complex information into dependable support. 5+ years in benefits/payroll/HR ops preferred.