Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Portfolio Group (Canada); Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 62,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent Benefits Package

Job summary

Portfolio Payroll in London offers a standalone Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist role responsible for UK & Ireland payroll and benefits, managing an in-house payroll for ~400 employees with a modified expat payroll, ensuring accuracy and compliance.

Reporting to Reward and Benefits Manager, you will drive monthly cycles, lead benefit renewals, automate processes, and collaborate with Finance and HR while delivering strong stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Hands-on ADP iHCM2 expertise required.
• Proven end-to-end UK Payroll & Benefits experience in-house.
• Ability to handle highly sensitive data with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end UK & Ireland in-house payroll cycles.
• Oversee compliance, auto-enrolment, and statutory submissions.
• Lead benefits administration and liaise with brokers.
• Drive payroll process automation and efficiency.
• Engage stakeholders and conduct new-starter inductions.

Job description

Payroll & Benefits Specialist
Location: Canary Wharf – (Hybrid)
Salary: £62,000 – £68,000 per annum + Excellent Benefits Package
Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time

About the Client

Portfolio Payroll is delighted to partner with a leading logistics powerhouse to recruit a standalone Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist for their regional headquarters in London. Known for their vibrant culture, operational excellence, and massive global footprint, this is an incredible opportunity for a skilled payroll professional looking to fully own an in-house function.

The Role

As the Senior Payroll Specialist, you will be the absolute subject matter expert and operational lead for all UK and Ireland payroll and benefits activity. Managing an in-house payroll for approximately 400 employees (including a modified expat payroll), you will ensure total accuracy, strict legislative compliance, and seamless vendor management.

Reporting directly to the Reward and Benefits Manager, you will balance core monthly cycles with high-impact projects, including benefit renewals, system automation, and cross-departmental collaboration with Finance and HR.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Payroll: Full ownership of start-to-finish in-house UK & Ireland monthly payroll cycles, ensuring accurate calculations, variance reporting, and general ledger/journal delivery to Finance.
• Compliance & Statutory Submissions: Manage all HMRC, Revenue, and statutory requirements, including auto-enrolment, NMW tracking, tax updates, P60s, P11Ds, and Gender Pay Gap reporting.
• Benefits & Pension Ownership: Act as the primary lead for benefit administration (enrolments, leavers, invoice auditing) and partner closely with external brokers to prepare data for annual renewals.
• Process Automation: Critically evaluate current payroll procedures to eliminate manual tasks and drive system efficiencies through automation.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the face of payroll across the business, managing the shared inbox, hosting new-starter inductions, and running open-door sessions to boost benefits engagement.

What We Are Looking For

The Absolute Essentials

• Hands-on expertise utilizing ADP iHCM2 software (candidates without this system experience cannot be considered).
• A strong track record of managing end-to-end UK Payroll & Benefits in-house.
• The capability to handle highly sensitive data with complete discretion and professional communication.

The Great-To-Haves

• A CIPP qualification (or equivalent industry experience).
• Prior exposure to running Irish payroll cycles.
• Familiarity with modified payrolls for expatriate/seconded workers.
• Strong proficiency with Google Workspace tools.

The Ideal Profile

You are a proactive self-starter who doesn’t just process data but genuinely understands the legislation behind it. You thrive in a collaborative HR & Reward ecosystem but are equally comfortable working autonomously to meet strict deadlines. A flexible mindset and an eye for process optimization will make you stand out.