Payroll Analyst (maternity cover)

Disney Parks and Resorts; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading family entertainment company is seeking a Payroll Processing Specialist for a fixed-term contract in London. You will oversee payroll activities for EMEA countries, ensuring accuracy and compliance with statutory obligations. The ideal candidate has excellent Excel skills, strong attention to detail, and experience with payroll processes in a multinational environment. This position includes perks like medical insurance and park entry discounts.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance & dental care

Free Park Entry

Disney Discounts

Excellent parental and guardian leave

Qualifications

• Proven experience reviewing and developing payroll procedures and policies.
• Good working knowledge of employee taxes and benefit programs.
• Organized and consistently accurate, especially when operating under time-sensitive requirements.

Responsibilities

• Perform payroll processing activities for assigned EMEA countries.
• Ensure employees receive accurate remuneration on pay dates.
• Collaborate with third-party payroll provider to ensure timely inputs.

Skills

Experience with vendor supported payroll processes

Excellent interpersonal skills

High attention to detail

Advanced Excel skills

Strong customer service focus

Job description

Overview

Job Summary: This is a fixed-term contract position for 12 months covering leave of absence in the team.

You will perform payroll processing activities in support of assigned EMEA countries. Ensure employees receive accurate remuneration on established pay dates, thereby ensuring the company meets its obligations. Ensure company meets all statutory, payroll-related obligations, including the processing of legislative deductions/payments. Support special project efforts as required.

What You Will Do

• Ensure all fixed and variable payroll-related data (from multiple upstream data sources) is incorporated into payroll vendor processes and systems via interface and/or standard input template (i.e., new hires, leavers, time, bonuses, etc.).
• Ensure payroll inputs (including employee data elements) are provided to the payroll vendor accurately, consistently, and ahead of established cutoff dates in the required format.
• Collaborate with representatives from third-party payroll provider and Disney internal stakeholders to ensure timely and accurate inputs to the payroll process, escalating issues to Payroll leadership when necessary.
• Gather payroll information (data, process flows, policies, etc.) from in-scope legal entities to facilitate payroll knowledge transfer to the EMEA Payroll Hub.
• Ensure all required historical data is maintained in accordance with local laws.
• Process all tax-related input and ensure that all statutory and tax forms are processed accurately and timely.
• Review and approve completeness and accuracy of vendor payroll calculation outputs.
• Manage and align local calendars and deadlines with stakeholders and payroll vendor.
• Approve monthly, quarterly, annual and other periodic reports to the management of the company, local authorities and other recipients; provide client ad hoc reporting support, as necessary.
• Review, upload and approve banking files for salary and third-party statutory payments.
• Review, approve and upload monthly payroll general ledger journal entries to SAP.
• Resolve all assigned payroll-related queries from employees and legal entity stakeholders in a professional and timely manner, escalating as necessary.
• Resolve legal entity concerns about the payroll process provided by the payroll provider.
• Perform and validate manual calculations for partial pay period or retroactive payments, where applicable.
• Calculate manual / out-of-cycle payments where required, ensuring that the payment is correctly accounted for in the next regular pay period.
• Analyze and validate the variance report in conjunction with other pay period controls.
• Actively participate in team events (i.e., meetings, training, etc.) and consistently demonstrate positive, can-do behavior.
• Ensure payroll procedures are kept up to date; identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Support payroll audit activity and general projects, as required.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Experience with vendor supported payroll processes.
• Proven experience reviewing and developing payroll procedures and policies.
• Good working knowledge of employee taxes and benefit programs.
• Prior experience working as part of a multi-national company is a plus.
• Experience processing payroll for multiple EMEA countries, including Germany and Italy, is a strong preference.
• A team player with the ability to take initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills - treats people with respect; is approachable, open and direct; develops effective working relationships with staff at all levels.
• Demonstrates resilience and determination.
• High attention to detail with good analytical and mathematical skills.
• Organized and consistently accurate, especially when operating under time-sensitive requirements.
• High degree of computer literacy with advanced Excel skills (Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs).
• Flexible approach to work, responsibilities and deadlines.
• Strong customer service focus.
• Unquestionably diplomatic and discreet, with the ability to regularly handle confidential information.
• Able to function and build relationships successfully in an environment remote from key stakeholders and clients.
• Excellent time management skills with an ability to effectively prioritize work.

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups - WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

About The Walt Disney Company (Corporate):

At Disney Corporate you can see how the businesses behind the Company's powerful brands come together to create the most innovative, far-reaching and admired entertainment company in the world. As a member of a corporate team, you\'ll work with world-class leaders driving the strategies that keep The Walt Disney Company at the leading edge of entertainment. See and be seen by other innovative thinkers as you enable the greatest storytellers in the world to create memories for millions of families around the globe.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney\'s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with The Walt Disney Company Limited, which is part of a business we call The Walt Disney Company (Corporate).

The Walt Disney Company Limited is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, colour, religion or belief, sex, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, disability or pregnancy or maternity. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.