Payroll & Finance Officer

Smarts; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Smarts in Belfast is seeking a Payroll & Finance Officer to own payroll, pensions, and project financial support across Smarts NI, MSQ Partners Europe BV, and Smarts US. You will be the bridge between Finance and HR, ensuring monthly payroll runs smoothly while staying compliant with regulatory changes across jurisdictions.

With 3+ years of UK payroll experience, you will manage pension schemes, data privacy, and monthly reconciliations, working closely with project leads and external bureaus.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' UK payroll experience.
• Strong knowledge of tax, NI and pension regulations.
• Experience with payroll year-end procedures and reconciliations.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Excellent data accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage monthly payroll instructions for multiple entities across Smarts group.
• Reconcile payroll ledgers, pensions, PAYE and net pay.
• Administer UK and NL pension schemes with regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate with HR and external payroll bureaus for timely payments.
• Stay updated on payroll legislation and salary-sacrifice rules.
• Document payroll procedures and maintain process controls.
• Prepare data for year-end audits and PSA/P11D submissions.
• Support ad hoc finance projects as needed.

Skills

Payroll processing

Tax & NI regulations

Pension administration

Data privacy

Attention to detail

Time management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Job description

Payroll & Finance Officer | Belfast | Smarts

Smartsis on the hunt for a Payroll & Finance Officer to join our Finance team in Belfast. We're a creative, fast-paced agency working across brilliant brands and big ideas. This is a brilliant opportunity for a payroll and finance professional who thrives on accuracy, loves a good spreadsheet, and wants to be part of a genuinely creative, people-first business.

The Role

Reporting to the Financial Controller, you'll take ownership of payroll, pensions, and project financial support across our group companies, Smarts NI, MSQ Partners Europe BV, and Smarts US. You'll be the trusted link between Finance, HR, and the wider business, keeping our monthly payroll and pensions processes running like clockwork while staying on top of ever-changing regulations across multiple jurisdictions. You'll also work closely with project leads across our hundreds of live projects, helping verify monthly closures and keeping the agency's finances sharp.

If you love variety, enjoy problem-solving, and take pride in getting the details right, this role offers a genuinely varied and rewarding mix of payroll expertise and finance partnering.

What You'll Be Doing

• Managing monthly payroll instructions and reconciliations for Smarts NI, MSQ Partners Europe BV and Smarts US, liaising with external payroll bureaus and group entities
• Handling monthly payroll and pension recharges across Smarts and wider MSQ Group agencies
• Completing monthly and year-end payroll ledger, pension, PAYE, and net wages reconciliations
• Administering UK and NL pension schemes, ensuring accurate, timely payments and full regulatory compliance
• Staying ahead of payroll and pension legislation, including salary sacrifice arrangements
• Keeping departmental payroll and pension procedures current and well documented
• Preparing payroll and pension information for year-end audits, P11D, and PSA submissions
• Analysing freelancer costs across the group, working closely with HR and Purchase Ledger
• Partnering with project leads and Finance Managers to review and approve monthly job closures (budgets, billing, supplier invoices)
• Completing statutory surveys (ONS, Quarterly Business Surveys, International Trade in Services)
• Supporting the Financial Controller and Finance Managers with ad hoc projects and day-to-day finance operations
• Acting as a key point of contact for HR, MSQ Group HR, HMRC, pension providers, The Pensions Regulator and ONS

What You'll Bring

• At least 3 years' experience across UK payroll, tax regulations, and pension administration
• Solid understanding of statutory deductions, including income tax and NI contributions
• Strong grasp of data protection and confidentiality requirements when handling employee information
• A continuous-learning mindset, you keep pace with payroll and pension regulation changes
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Great time management and organisational skills — you can juggle multiple payrolls and deadlines with ease
• A methodical, focused approach and the ability to work well under pressure
• Strong analytical and logical problem-solving abilities
• The confidence to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team
• Clear, confident communication skills, both written and verbal

Why Smarts?

Join a creative agency environment where finance isn't just back-office, it's a genuine partner to the business. You'll work alongside talented, friendly people across PR, creative content.

Location

Location: Belfast