Payroll Project Specialist

Minerva Recruitment; Braintree; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is seeking a Payroll Project Specialist to join Essex County Council for a crucial payroll transformation project. This hybrid role requires extensive payroll experience, strong understanding of statutory payroll legislation, and investigative skills in testing payroll data. You will be responsible for refining processes and improving reporting accuracy. This position offers competitive pay and the potential for contract extension, making it an excellent opportunity for seasoned payroll professionals.

Benefits

Competitive daily rates

Hybrid working arrangement

Opportunity to work on high-impact projects

Potential contract extension

Qualifications

• Extensive payroll experience with attention to detail.
• Proven ability to calculate PAYE and National Insurance.
• Solid knowledge of UK payroll legislation and statutory payments.
• Experience with Local Government and Teachers' Pensions is desirable.
• Confidence in UAT environments with system enhancements.
• Experience with Oracle Fusion payroll systems is a plus.
• Proactive analytical approach with problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Review and test payroll elements with the software provider.
• Carry out detailed testing of payroll entry and self-service.
• Configure statutory absence payments for accuracy.
• Support Teachers' Pension reporting improvements.
• Assist with automated LGPS reporting transition.
• Participate in User Acceptance Testing and provide feedback.

Skills

Attention to detail

Manual calculation of PAYE and National Insurance

Knowledge of UK payroll legislation

Experience with Local Government

Confidence in UAT environments

Experience using Oracle Fusion payroll systems

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Job description

Payroll Project Specialist

Rate: £148.88 PAYE

Contract Type: Fixed Term - up to 6 months (with potential extension)

Location: Essex (Hybrid Working)

Start Date: Mid-January 2026

Minerva Recruitment is recruiting on behalf of Essex County Council for two Payroll Project Specialists to support a key payroll transformation project on a fixed-term basis.

This is an excellent opportunity for experienced payroll professionals who enjoy detailed, project-based work and have a strong understanding of statutory payroll, pensions, and systems testing.

The Role

You will play a critical role in delivering enhancements to payroll processes, with a particular focus on absence and pension configurations, Teachers' Pension MCR reporting, and LGPS reporting within the payroll system. The role requires a high level of accuracy, investigative capability, and confidence working with complex payroll data.

Key Responsibilities

• Review, update, and test payroll elements in collaboration with the software provider
• Carry out detailed testing of payroll entry and employee self-service functionality
• Configure and test statutory and occupational absence payments to ensure accuracy and HMRC compliance
• Support improvements to Teachers' Pension reporting, including service, salary, and contribution data
• Assist with the transition to automated LGPS reporting by reviewing, configuring, and testing monthly processes
• Participate in User Acceptance Testing (UAT), providing clear, structured, and detailed feedback

What We're Looking For

• Extensive experience in payroll with strong attention to detail
• Proven ability to manually calculate PAYE and National Insurance
• Solid knowledge of UK payroll legislation, including statutory absence and payments
• Experience working with Local Government and/or Teachers' Pensions (including assumed pensionable pay and deduction tiers) - highly desirable
• Confidence working in UAT environments and supporting system enhancements
• Experience using Oracle Fusion payroll systems
• A proactive, analytical approach with strong problem-solving skills

Why Apply?

• Competitive daily rates
• Hybrid working arrangement
• Opportunity to work on a high-impact payroll improvement project
• Potential contract extension

To apply or for further information, please contact Minerva Recruitment. We welcome applications from experienced payroll professionals seeking a challenging and rewarding project role.