Finance & Payroll Assistant

Michael Taylor Search & Selection; City Of London; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Taylor Search & Selection is seeking a Finance & Payroll Assistant to support daily financial operations, with a focus on contractor payroll, invoicing and credit control. This hands-on role operates within a growing recruitment business and offers clear progression as the company expands.

You will process timesheets, validate rates, liaise with payroll providers and help maintain accuracy across contractor records. Strong Excel skills and attention to detail are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in finance, payroll, accounts administration or a similar role.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence working with high volumes of data.
• Good Excel skills with formulas, lookups and reconciliations.
• Strong communication and organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Recruitment agency, contractor payroll or timesheet-driven business experience would be advantageous.
• Experience with umbrella payroll, CIS, PSC workers, Xero or Timesheet Portal would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Process and check weekly contractor timesheets using Timesheet Portal.
• Validate pay rates, charge rates, hours and margins before payroll and invoicing.
• Liaise with outsourced payroll providers to ensure contractors are paid accurately and on time.
• Resolve payroll, timesheet and payment queries from contractors, consultants and suppliers.
• Maintain accurate contractor records across umbrella, CIS and PSC arrangements.
• Generate and review weekly client invoices and self-bill invoices.
• Reconcile timesheets, contractor pay and client billing, investigating any discrepancies.
• Support credit control, including chasing overdue invoices, monitoring aged debt and resolving client queries.
• Assist with cash allocation, reconciliations and weekly/monthly margin checks.
• Support month-end processes including revenue reconciliation and contractor pay versus invoice analysis.
• Identify and flag margin leakage, incorrect rates or other financial anomalies.
• Support new contractor onboarding, including pay setup, client terms, RTW documentation and PSC insurance records.
• Maintain accurate financial records and help improve processes and controls as the business grows.

Skills

Attention to detail

Excel proficiency

Data reconciliation

Communication skills

Payroll experience

High data volumes

Tools

Xero

Timesheet Portal

Job description

Finance & Payroll Assistant

Overview

Michael Taylor Search & Selection is a growing recruitment business specialising in permanent and contract placements across the construction and built environment sectors.

With a rapidly expanding contractor book and strong year-on-year growth, we are looking for a Finance & Payroll Assistant to support our day-to-day financial operations, with a particular focus on contractor payroll, invoicing, credit control and financial administration.

This is a hands‑on role within a fast‑paced recruitment business and offers excellent progression as the company continues to grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Process and check weekly contractor timesheets using Timesheet Portal.
• Validate pay rates, charge rates, hours and margins before payroll and invoicing.
• Liaise with outsourced payroll providers to ensure contractors are paid accurately and on time.
• Resolve payroll, timesheet and payment queries from contractors, consultants and suppliers.
• Maintain accurate contractor records across umbrella, CIS and PSC arrangements.
• Generate and review weekly client invoices and self‑bill invoices.
• Reconcile timesheets, contractor pay and client billing, investigating any discrepancies.
• Support credit control, including chasing overdue invoices, monitoring aged debt and resolving client queries.
• Assist with cash allocation, reconciliations and weekly/monthly margin checks.
• Support month‑end processes including revenue reconciliation and contractor pay versus invoice analysis.
• Identify and flag margin leakage, incorrect rates or other financial anomalies.
• Support new contractor onboarding, including pay setup, client terms, RTW documentation and PSC insurance records.
• Maintain accurate financial records and help improve processes and controls as the business grows.

Skills & Experience

• Previous experience in finance, payroll, accounts administration or a similar role.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence working with high volumes of data.
• Good Excel skills with the ability to use formulas, lookups and perform reconciliations.
• Strong communication and organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Recruitment agency, contractor payroll or timesheet‑driven business experience would be advantageous.
• Experience with umbrella payroll, CIS, PSC workers, Xero or Timesheet Portal would be beneficial.

What We Offer

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing recruitment business where you can take ownership of key finance processes and develop your career. Longer‑term progression could include Senior Finance Assistant or Finance Analyst, with increasing responsibility for margins, reporting and commercial performance.