Interim Payroll Operations Specialist

Houlihan Lokey; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment bank is seeking an Interim Payroll Operations specialist in the UK to assist with payroll processing across international offices. The role involves administrative support, data entry, and payroll tasks to ensure compliance with UK payroll standards. Candidates should have 3-5 years of payroll processing experience, strong knowledge of UK legislation, and proficiency in Microsoft Excel. This position requires excellent communication and organizational skills, thriving in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in a payroll processing role.
• Strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation and HMRC requirements.
• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Respond to payroll-related ServiceNow tickets.
• Review and process ad hoc payroll requests.
• Validate address and tax setup for new hires.

Skills

Knowledge of UK payroll processing

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel

Tools

Workday

Job description

Business Unit

Human Capital Group

Industry

No Industry

Overview

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital solutions, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. Houlihan Lokey serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia‑Pacific region. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of the firm’s commitment to client success across its advisory services. The firm is the No. 1 investment bank for all global M&A transactions for the past two years, the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past 10 years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past 11 years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 25 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by LSEG.

Scope

We are seeking a UK‑based Interim Payroll Operations specialist to assist with day‑to‑day payroll processing across our International offices. This role will provide first‑level administrative support, data entry, and payroll processing tasks to ensure accuracy and compliance. The ideal candidate will have experience in full‑scope UK payroll operations at the very least, and will thrive in a fast‑paced environment.

Responsibilities

• ServiceNow Case Management:
  • Respond to payroll‑related ServiceNow tickets and escalates as needed.
• Payroll Processing:
  • Review and process ad hoc payroll requests.
  • Enter data into Workday and international payroll systems.
• New Hire Payroll Setup:
  • Validate address, tax setup, and banking details.
  • Follow up with employees for missing information.
• Benefits Coordination:
  • Partner with Benefits team to resolve retroactive benefit issues.
  • Partner with Benefits team to resolve Leave of absence queries.
• Urgent Payroll Change Notices:
  • Escalate urgent changes (terminations, off‑cycle bonuses, etc.).
• Reconciliations:
  • Perform payroll account reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.
• Banking Follow‑Up:
  • Contact employees for banking issues and update details.

Basic Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in a payroll processing role.
• Strong knowledge of UK payroll processing, legislation and HMRC requirements (e.g. tax, earnings, deductions, time off).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Excellent organizational skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Workday (preferred but not essential).
• Experience with France and/or Germany payroll processing will be considered a plus.
• CIPP qualification will be considered favorably.
• Experience working in the Financial Service sector, preferably Investment banking, or professional services.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.