Senior Payroll Administrator

Cobb & Jones Recruitment Limited; West Malling; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Cobb & Jones Recruitment Limited is seeking a Senior Payroll Administrator for a Kings Hill hybrid role (2 days in the office). You will lead payroll activities, oversee end-to-end processing and mentor a payroll team, while collaborating with senior stakeholders.

The role requires strong knowledge of payroll processes, HMRC FPS/EPS submissions, and experience with multi-site payroll. Hybrid working and a focus on process improvements are core to the position.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a payroll role with potential leadership or mentoring exposure.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end payroll processing including HMRC FPS/EPS submissions.
• Experience with multi-site or multi-company payroll is a plus.
• Confident using payroll systems.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end payroll cycle, including hands-on processing when required.
• Review regular payroll runs for accuracy and perform first-line checks.
• Assist with HMRC communications and FPS/EPS submissions.
• Mentor and develop the payroll team and provide cover as needed.
• Maintain payroll calendars and monitor monthly reconciliations.
• Liaise with on-site teams to ensure timely and accurate payroll information.
• Identify risks and implement improvements to payroll controls.

Skills

Payroll processing

Team leadership

HMRC submissions

Payroll systems

Job description

Senior Payroll Administrator Kings Hill, Hybrid (2 days in the office) Paying up to £37k DOE

Cobb & Jones are working with a large business based in Kings Hill, they are looking for an experienced Senior Payroll Administrator to support the smooth running of the end-to-end payroll cycle, while helping to develop and support a busy payroll team.

This is a hands-on leadership role, ideal for someone who enjoys both the technical detail of payroll processing and the people side of managing and mentoring a team, all while working closely with senior stakeholders across the business.

Key Responsibilities

Day to Day:

• Support the end-to-end payroll cycle, including hands-on processing where required.
• Review regular payroll runs to ensure accuracy (first-line checks).
• Support system-wide calculations within the pay cycle, including transfers between payroll companies and payroll number allocation for re-hired employees.
• Identify and report any over- or underpayments, providing sufficient supporting evidence.
• Complete manual system backups in line with the agreed schedule.
• Support with HMRC communications, including tax code downloads, FPS and EPS submissions.
• Assist with closing payroll cycles and report running.
• Support the Payroll Manager with outstanding requests and escalations within the payroll portal.

Team & People:

• Mentor and support the team, assisting with training and continued professional development.
• Identify and elevate performance issues or training needs to the Payroll Manager.
• Recognise and report strong performers, and provide positive feedback to the team where warranted.
• Carry out weekly one-to-ones with team members.
• Provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence and critical processing.
• Keep up to date with changes to payroll legislation.

Communication:

• Develop and maintain relationships with on-site teams to ensure information flows are reliable, accurate and timely.
• Monitor the payroll portal, responding to and resolving requests in line with agreed Service Level Agreements.
• Support stakeholders via telephone, ensuring all requests are logged and handled professionally.
• Review central email inboxes to ensure timely completion of requests.

Strategy & Improvement:

• Work with the Payroll Manager to maintain and review payroll calendars, planning resource and monitoring payroll cycles.
• Review existing controls, recommending improvements and identifying areas of risk.
• Work with senior colleagues across the business to manage expectations, communication and issue resolution.
• Support the implementation of new systems and processes, providing training to the team where required.
• Complete monthly control account reconciliations.

Role Requirements

• Proven experience in a payroll role, ideally with some experience leading, mentoring or supervising others.
• Strong working knowledge of end-to-end payroll processing, including HMRC requirements such as FPS and EPS submissions.
• Experience with multi-site or multi-company payroll would be an advantage, given the complexity of this payroll function.
• Confident using payroll systems.