Pay and Benefits Specialist

Ashley Kate HR & Finance; Stafford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashley Kate HR & Finance is recruiting a Pay & Benefits Specialist to support payroll and employee benefits across multiple European countries. The role requires ownership of payroll coordination, benefits administration, and compliance within a growing international organisation.

You will be the main point of contact for payroll and benefits queries, coordinate with external providers, manage records, and produce audit-ready reports while improving processes and stakeholder relationships.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years' experience managing payroll and employee benefits operations.
• Strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation, employment taxes, and statutory processes.
• Experience with payroll systems, HRIS platforms, and advanced Excel functions including Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs.
• Excellent analytical, reconciliation, and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as the main point of contact for payroll and benefits queries across multiple European locations.
• Coordinate payroll processing with external payroll providers and internal finance, HR, and shared services teams.
• Manage employee payroll and benefits administration throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, contractual changes, and leavers.
• Ensure employee records are maintained accurately across HR and payroll systems.
• Administer benefit schemes, including enrolments, amendments, deductions, and reconciliations.
• Monitor leave, absence, and statutory entitlement records, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Produce payroll and benefits reports, reconciliations, and audit-ready documentation.
• Build strong relationships with payroll vendors, benefits providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, compliance, and employee experience.

Skills

Payroll & Benefits Operations

UK Payroll Legislation

HRIS Systems

Excel Pivot Tables

VLOOKUPs

Analytical Skills

Stakeholder Management

Payroll Software

HRIS Platforms

Tools

Payroll Systems

HRIS

Excel

Job description

Pay & Benefits Specialist

We are recruiting on behalf of our client for an experienced Pay & Benefits Specialist to support payroll and employee benefits operations across multiple European countries. This is a fantastic opportunity for a proactive and detail-oriented professional to take ownership of payroll coordination, benefits administration, compliance, and stakeholder management within a growing international organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the main point of contact for payroll and benefits queries across multiple European locations.
• Coordinate payroll processing with external payroll providers and internal finance, HR, and shared services teams.
• Manage employee payroll and benefits administration throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, contractual changes, and leavers.
• Ensure employee records are maintained accurately across HR and payroll systems.
• Administer benefit schemes, including enrolments, amendments, deductions, and reconciliations.
• Monitor leave, absence, and statutory entitlement records, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Produce payroll and benefits reports, reconciliations, and audit-ready documentation.
• Build strong relationships with payroll vendors, benefits providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, compliance, and employee experience.

About You

• At least 3 years' experience managing payroll and employee benefits operations.
• Strong understanding of UK payroll legislation, employment taxes, and statutory processes.
• Experience working with payroll systems, HRIS platforms, and advanced Excel functions including Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs.
• Excellent analytical, reconciliation, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organisational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Confident communicator with the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfortable working independently and taking ownership of key processes.

Desirable

• Experience supporting international or multi-country payroll operations.
• Knowledge of employee benefits administration within a multinational environment.
• Experience with payroll audits and compliance reviews.

This role would suit an experienced payroll and benefits professional looking to play a key role in a growing international organisation while driving operational excellence, compliance, and employee experience.

About Us

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. In line with our Diversity and Inclusion policy, we welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. As a Disability Confident Employer, and part of the Nicholas Associates Group, we are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities, and we're happy to discuss flexible working options.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of all our candidates and clients. If you choose to apply, your information will be processed in accordance with the Nicholas Associates Group of companies Privacy Notice.