Senior Payroll Specialist

Sona; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Share options

35 days annual leave

Extra day per year of service

Pension matched 5%

Enhanced parental leave

Childcare scheme

Team retreats

MacBook & home office budget

Unlimited books

Job summary

Sona in the United Kingdom is seeking Senior Payroll Specialists to own payroll processing and client relationships for a portfolio of frontline customers. This startup-style bureau emphasizes moving quickly, building processes, and applying AI where it genuinely adds value.

You will handle end-to-end payrolls across multiple cycles, stay compliant with UK rules, and collaborate with Implementation, Product and Customer Success to improve how we work.

Qualifications

• Hands-on bureau payroll experience across multiple clients.
• Strong knowledge of UK PAYE, RTI, pension auto-enrolment and statutory payments.
• Capable of managing multiple concurrent payrolls and cycles.
• Trusted advisor to clients on payroll matters.
• Curious, self-sufficient, and proactive in process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Run end-to-end payrolls for a growing portfolio with complex requirements.
• Own client relationships as the primary contact for our service.
• Identify and implement improvements, including AI-enabled solutions.
• Support sales by explaining how the bureau operates and benefits.
• Collaborate across departments—Implementation, Product, Customer Success, and Support.
• Develop knowledge of our HR/WFM platform and payroll integrations.
• Monitor KPIs, SLAs and compliance to maintain service quality.
• Stay updated on legislation and trends shaping payroll.

Skills

Bureau payroll

UK payroll rules

Client relationships

AI in payroll

Research & initiative

Startup environment

Education

CIPP qualification (preferred)

Tools

HR/WFM platform

Job description

About The Role

We’re growing our payroll bureau fast, and hiring Senior Payroll Specialists to own payroll processing and the customer relationship end-to-end for a portfolio of Sona’s frontline customers.

This isn’t a conventional bureau role. We’re a fast-moving startup where everyone has a hand in building our processes, tools, and ways of working, and we’re already more AI-forward in how we run payroll than any other bureau we know. You’ll help push that further, not just keep up with it.

If you want a highly structured environment with the playbook already written, this likely isn’t the fit. If you’re energized by building, and by figuring out where AI genuinely helps rather than just following a process, you’ll have real ownership and real opportunity as the bureau scales.

Responsibilities

• Run end-to-end payrolls for a growing portfolio of enterprise customers with complex requirements, spanning hourly rates, overtime, and weekly, fortnightly or monthly cycles
• Own your client relationships as their primary point of contact, giving them confidence in our service
• Identify opportunities to improve how we work, including where AI can help, and help put those improvements into practice
• Act as a payroll expert in support of sales, helping prospective customers understand how our bureau operates
• Collaborate across Sona, from Implementation and Product to Customer Success and Support
• Develop a strong working knowledge of our HR and WFM platform and how it connects to payroll
• Monitor KPIs, SLAs and compliance to ensure we deliver the highest standard of service
• Stay current on the legislation, tools and trends that shape how we run payroll

Requirements

• Hands‑on bureau payroll experience, processing for multiple clients rather than running a single in‑house payroll
• Strong working knowledge of UK payroll legislation: PAYE, RTI, pension auto‑enrolment, and statutory payments
• Comfortable managing multiple concurrent payrolls at volume and across different pay cycles
• Assured and expert with clients, operating as a trusted advisor on payroll matters
• Genuinely curious and self‑sufficient: you research, question inefficiencies, and bring ideas rather than needing a playbook handed to you
• Genuinely motivated by a startup environment where you help build the processes, not just follow them
• Bonus: CIPP qualified (or working towards it), high‑volume or multi‑sector bureau experience, and any experience building or improving payroll tools and processes, including with AI. A little Ireland payroll exposure is a nice‑to‑have, not a requirement.

Benefits

• Hybrid working – 2+ days/week in our London office (Soho)
• Share options
• 35 days annual leave (25 days standard plus 10 flexible public holiday days)
• Extra day of leave for every year of service
• Pension contributions matched up to 5%
• Enhanced parental leave & pay
• Salary sacrifice childcare scheme (Workplace Nursery)
• Annual all‑expenses‑paid team retreats
• The latest MacBook and equipment budget for your home office
• Unlimited free books

Note: this represents a typical benefits package for a UK-based, full‑time employee. Exact details may vary based on location and employment type but we try to be as fair as possible to all of our team members. Please ask your contact in the Talent team to clarify the available benefits for you.