Interim Payroll and Benefits Manager

Mackie Myers Ltd; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Part time

Job summary

Mackie Myers Ltd in London is recruiting a Payroll and Benefits Manager to own the payroll process and oversee employee benefits, including pensions. You will work closely with HR and finance to ensure accurate, on-time payments and a responsive benefits service.

The role combines technical payroll expertise with a practical, people‑focused approach, offering an opportunity to streamline processes and improve reporting while delivering a high-quality employee experience.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience managing payroll with attention to detail and ability to handle complex queries.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the payroll cycle from start to finish, check data, resolve queries, and coordinate with external providers.
• Manage administration of pensions and employee benefits, maintain relationships with providers, and support reviews or changes to the benefits offering.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, reporting and the employee experience.
• Work across HR and finance to build effective relationships and ensure reliable delivery.

Skills

Payroll management

Benefits administration

Pensions management

Stakeholder management

Job description

Summary:

Our Client is recruiting a Payroll and Benefits Manager to take ownership of the payroll process and oversee the delivery of employee benefits. This role would suit someone who combines strong technical payroll knowledge with a practical, energetic and people-focused approach.

Our Client

Our client is a growing and leading UK research charity working at the forefront of data science and artificial intelligence. They are seeking an experienced manager to ensure its employees are paid accurately and on time, while providing a clear and responsive benefits service. Working closely with colleagues across HR and finance, you will play a central role in making these processes run smoothly, reporting directly into the Deputy Director of Finance.

The Role

You will oversee the payroll cycle from start to finish, including checking data, resolving queries, coordinating with any external providers and ensuring deadlines are met. You will also manage the administration of pensions and employee benefits, maintain relationships with providers and support any reviews or changes to the benefits offering.

Alongside the day-to-day work, you will identify opportunities to improve processes, reporting and the employee experience.

The Successful Candidate

You will have substantial experience managing payroll, with the attention to detail and judgement needed to handle complex queries confidently.
You will be comfortable working across HR and finance, building effective relationships with colleagues and external providers.
Experience managing pensions and employee benefits is important, as is the ability to balance reliable delivery with practical improvements.

What's on offer?

An opportunity to take ownership of a key people function and make a visible difference to how payroll and benefits are delivered.

Hybrid, Based in Central London, opportunity to work 4 days a week, 6 month contract