Payroll Assistant

Reed; Essex; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Predominantly remote

Flexible working

Migration project

Supportive team

Long-term opportunity

Job summary

Reed is seeking an experienced Payroll Assistant to join a busy payroll team in Southend-on-Sea, predominantly remote with minimal on-site visits. You will support end-to-end payroll for around 900 employees and assist with a migration from Sage 50 Payroll to IRIS.

The role requires strong Excel and payroll reporting skills, with flexible working days and two office visits per month. You will ensure HMRC compliance and accurate payroll data during the migration.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a payroll role handling high-volume payrolls.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processes.
• Experience calculating overtime, additional hours, statutory payments and payroll adjustments.
• Knowledge of workplace pensions, including auto-enrolment and refunds.
• Confident handling payroll queries from employees and managers.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Assist with end-to-end processing of three payrolls for ~900 employees.
• Process starters, leavers, changes and contractual amendments.
• Calculate overtime, additional hours, sickness, statutory payments and deductions.
• Administer pension schemes including enrolments, opt-ins and refunds where required.
• Process salary adjustments, retro payments and payroll corrections.
• Maintain payroll data accurately and update in a timely manner.
• Support Payroll Manager with checks, reconciliations and reporting.
• Liaise with employees and managers to resolve payroll queries.

Skills

End-to-end payroll

High-volume payroll processing

Excel

Payroll reporting

Remote work

Independent working

UK payroll regulations

Tools

Sage 50 Payroll

IRIS Payroll

Job description

Payroll Assistant

Location: Southend-on-Sea (Predominantly Remote) Salary: Competitive (dependent on experience) Hours: 8:30am - 5:00pm, Monday to Friday (30-minute unpaid lunch) Working Pattern: Flexible on working days with only two office visits per month required.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Assistant to join a busy payroll team, working closely alongside the Payroll Manager to support the end-to-end processing of three payrolls covering approximately 900 employees.

This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll professional who can confidently manage all aspects of payroll administration and processing, while supporting an upcoming system migration from Sage 50 Payroll to an IRIS payroll platform in February.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with the end-to-end processing of three payrolls for approximately 900 employees.
• Accurately process starters, leavers, employee changes and contractual amendments.
• Calculate and process overtime, additional hours, sickness, statutory payments and deductions.
• Administer pension schemes, including enrolments, opt-ins, opt-outs and pension refunds where required.
• Process salary adjustments, retro payments and payroll corrections.
• Ensure payroll data is maintained accurately and updated in a timely manner.
• Support the Payroll Manager with payroll checks, reconciliations and reporting.
• Liaise with employees and managers to resolve payroll-related queries.
• Assist with year-end procedures and statutory reporting requirements.
• Support the transition from Sage 50 Payroll to the new IRIS payroll system, helping to ensure a smooth implementation.
• Maintain compliance with HMRC legislation, pension regulations and company policies.
• Produce payroll reports and assist with audit requests when required.

Person Specification

Essential Skills & Experience

• Previous experience working within a payroll position processing high-volume payrolls.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processes.
• Experience calculating overtime, additional hours, statutory payments and payroll adjustments.
• Knowledge of workplace pensions, including pension refunds and auto-enrolment requirements.
• Confident handling payroll queries from employees and managers.
• Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and payroll reporting.

Desirable

• Experience using Sage 50 Payroll.
• Experience with IRIS Payroll software.
• Previous involvement in payroll system implementations or migrations.
• Understanding of HMRC legislation and payroll compliance.

What's on Offer?

• Predominantly remote working with only two office visits per month.
• Flexible working arrangement.
• Opportunity to be involved in an exciting payroll system migration project.
• Work within a supportive and collaborative payroll team.
• Long-term opportunity with a well-established organisation.

This role would suit a hands-on Payroll Assistant who is comfortable managing payroll processes from start to finish and enjoys working in a flexible, largely remote environment.