Payroll Project Specialist – AR

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local council in the UK is seeking two Payroll Project Specialists to support a crucial payroll system update. This role involves extensive experience in payroll, including manual calculations and a deep understanding of UK legislation. Candidates will test and configure systems for statutory absence payments and pension reporting. This position is hybrid, offering a daily rate of £148.88 PAYE or £193.782 Umbrella for a fixed term with potential extensions. Apply by January 5, 2026.

Qualifications

• Extensive payroll experience with attention to detail.
• Ability to manually calculate PAYE and National Insurance.
• Confidence in User Acceptance Testing and feedback.

Responsibilities

• Review and update payroll elements for accuracy and compliance.
• Configure and test statutory absence payment processes.
• Streamline reporting for Teachers’ Pension and Local Government Pension.

Skills

Extensive payroll experience

Manual calculation of PAYE and National Insurance

Understanding of UK legislation on statutory absence and payments

Experience with Local Government and Teachers’ Pensions

User Acceptance Testing

Oracle Fusion knowledge

Job description

Payroll Project Specialist x2
£148.88 PAYE / £193.782 Umbrella daily rate
Up To 6-Month Fixed Term (with potential extension)
Essex County Council – Hybrid working
Closing Date: Monday 5th January 2026
Interviews: W/C 12th January 2026.
Start Date: Mid-January 2026

Are you passionate about payroll and love getting into the details? Do you enjoy solving complex problems and making processes better? If so, we’d love you on our team!
We’re embarking on an exciting project to update absence and pension configurations, Teachers Pension MCR Reporting and LGPS Reporting in our payroll system—and we want your expertise to make it happen.

What You’ll Bring

• Extensive payroll experience and a keen eye for accuracy
• Ability to manually calculate PAYE and National Insurance
• Solid understanding of UK legislation on statutory absence and payments
• Experience with Local Government and Teachers’ Pensions (including assumed pensionable pay and deduction tiers) (preferred)
• Confidence in User Acceptance Testing and providing clear, detailed feedback
• Oracle Fusion knowledge

What You’ll Work On

• Element Updates & Testing: Review and update payroll elements with our software provider; test for accuracy in payroll entry and employee self-service.
• Statutory Absence: Configure and test improvements for accurate statutory and occupational absence payments, ensuring HMRC reporting compliance.
• Teachers’ Pension Reporting: Streamline reporting processes for service, salary, and contributions, ensuring accurate data and configuration.
• Local Government Pension Reporting: Transition to automated LGPS reporting by reviewing and testing processes to meet all monthly requirements.

Why Join Us?

You’ll play a key role in a project that impacts every employee, ensuring payroll runs smoothly and compliantly. This is your chance to make a real difference while working with a supportive team that values expertise and innovation.
Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.