Payroll Officer

Navantiauk; West of England; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

33 days holiday

Job summary

NavantiaUK is seeking a skilled payroll professional to manage end-to-end monthly payroll delivery across UK sites, including NI, Scotland and England. You will own data integration with Time & Attendance systems and drive automation of legacy Excel processes.

The role requires at least 5 years' experience in high-volume UK payroll, with strong knowledge of PAYE, NI, auto-enrolment, and expatriate payroll where applicable. A proactive, compliant, and collaborative approach is essential.

Qualifications

• CIPP qualification or equivalent payroll accreditation is essential.
• 5+ years' end-to-end monthly payroll delivery in multi-site UK environments.
• Experience handling white- and blue-collar workforces with complex pay rules.
• Experience with expatriate payroll administration is beneficial.
• Knowledge of UK/Northern Ireland payroll legislation and auto-enrolment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end monthly payrolls for UK sites including NI, Scotland, England.
• Reconcile and import timesheets, shift differentials, overtime, and bonuses.
• Calculate statutory payments and deductions under UK/NI law.
• Support expatriate payroll requirements where applicable.
• Submit RTI, year-end filings, and statutory returns to HMRC/DWP.
• Drive digitisation and automation of Excel-based processes.
• Mentor payroll admins and coordinate with HR and Finance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder communication

Attention to detail

Confidential data handling

Education

CIPP qualification or equivalent

Tools

Staffology Payroll

Excel (advanced)

Time & Attendance integration

Job description

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Deliver the end-to-end preparation, processing, and delivery of accurate, timely, and compliant monthly payrolls across payroll administered from the UK (including our sites in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England). Act as the technical and operational subject matter expert (SME), taking ownership of time and attendance data integration. Build and continually improve the modernisation, automation, and digitisation of legacy, immature Excel-based processes into robust, scalable workflows while upholding rigorous internal audit controls, statutory compliance, and high service standards.

Monthly Payroll Operations & Delivery

• Manage and process end-to-end monthly payrolls for salaried white-collar staff and hourly/shift-based blue-collar personnel across Northern Ireland and the wider UK.
• Review, reconcile, and import high-volume timesheets, shift differentials, overtime, site allowances, project hours, and discretionary bonuses, ensuring seamless data flow between Time & Attendance (T&A) systems and payroll.
• Accurately calculate complex statutory payments and deductions under UK and NI legislation, including SSP, SMP, SPP, holiday pay (including 52-week reference period / rolled-up / average calculations), Court Orders/DEAs, and student loans.
• Support expatriate payroll requirements where applicable (e.g., modified schemes, shadow payrolls, and cross-border worker compliance).
• Manage starters, leavers, off-cycle adjustments, payroll advances, and prompt issuance of P45s and P60s.
• Prepare and submit all statutory returns to HMRC, DWP, and relevant agencies, including Real Time Information (RTI: FPS/EPS) and tax year-end filings.

Digitisation, Automation & Process Improvement

• Actively eliminate manual, immature, and error-prone Excel-based workarounds by re-engineering and automating routines into modern, auditable workflows.
• Drive system capability, adoption, and best practices within cloud payroll software (ideally Staffology), utilising automated rules, API connections, and digital employee self-service.
• Standardise and secure timesheet submission and data import templates across all operational sites.

Compliance, Governance & Audit

• Execute strict pre- and post-payroll internal audit procedures and variance reconciliations to ensure consistent first-time-right accuracy.
• Maintain up-to-date compliance with HMRC, employment regulations, National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage rules, and statutory reporting standards.
• Administer workplace pension schemes, overseeing monthly auto-enrolment assessments, contribution schedules, and regulatory filings.
• Facilitate internal and external audits, collaborate on finance reconciliations, and produce accurate monthly payroll journal reports for Finance.

Stakeholder Engagement & Mentorship

• Serve as the primary point of contact for complex payroll queries, resolving employee and management inquiries in a timely, professional manner.
• Partner effectively with HR, Site Operations, and Finance to ensure consistent application of terms, conditions, and company policies.
• Provide technical guidance, peer review, and coaching to payroll administrators and officers to strengthen overall team resilience.

Qualifications

CIPP qualification (Certificate, Diploma, or Foundation Degree in Payroll Practice) or equivalent demonstrably relevant professional payroll accreditation is essential.

Payroll Experience: Minimum of 5 years' demonstrable experience managing end-to-end monthly payroll delivery within fast-paced UK multi-site environments.

Workforce Expertise: Proven track record handling both white-collar (salaried/head office) and blue-collar (operational, engineering, shipyard, manufacturing, or construction) workforces, with specific experience managing high-volume timesheets, shift premiums, and complex site agreements.

Expatriate Payrolls: Prior experience with or working knowledge of expatriate payroll administration (inbound/outbound assignees, modified payrolls, tax equalisation) is beneficial.

Legislative Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of UK and Northern Ireland statutory payroll legislation, PAYE, National Insurance, statutory leaves, auto-enrolment, and holiday pay case law.

Systems & Modernisation

• Hands-on experience with modern payroll solutions; working proficiency with Staffology Payroll (or equivalent modern API-enabled cloud payroll platform) is strongly advantageous.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (nested logic, XLOOKUP, pivot tables, data modelling) combined with a proven background in de-risking and replacing manual spreadsheets with automated system-driven workflows.
• Practical experience interfacing Time & Attendance (T&A) software directly with payroll engines.

Attributes

Strong analytical and numerical capabilities, high attention to detail, strong stakeholder communication, and a disciplined approach to confidential data management.

• Competitive base pay
• Company pension
• 33 days holiday
• Life as