Payroll Specialist - #2184783

We are partnering with a global, market-leading healthcare and medical technology company in their search for a Payroll Specialist (UK Payroll). This is an initial 6-month temporary contract (covering an upcoming retirement, with the potential to extend or evaluate permanent opportunities), offering flexible working (fully remote with occasional office visits to their Liverpool office) and paying up to £260 per day via umbrella for the right candidate.

The Role

Operating in an autonomous, standalone capacity for the UK business, you will take ownership of the accurate and compliant delivery of the monthly UK payroll for approximately 250–260 employees across multiple sites and remote locations.

Acting as the key UK statutory subject matter expert, you will manage end-to-end data gathering, validate inputs/outputs with an outsourced managed payroll provider, and work closely with international HR and Finance stakeholders to ensure a seamless employee experience.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Payroll Management: Lead the monthly UK payroll cycle for ~250–260 employees, gathering overtime, deductions, sickness, and leave data, and transmitting fixed/variable files to the outsourced provider.
• Gross-to-Net Validation & Control: Reconcile and audit returned gross-to-net reports, investigate discrepancies, validate payroll interfaces, and manage BACS payment approvals.
• Statutory Compliance & Reporting: Ensure full adherence to UK revenue requirements and HMRC legislation, managing RTI submissions, statutory payments (SSP, SMP, SPP), and third-party disbursements.
• Pensions & Year-End: Oversee auto-enrolment assessments, pension file submissions, and year-end processes including P60s, P11Ds, and payrolled benefits reporting.
• Stakeholder Support & Query Resolution: Act as the primary contact for UK employee queries and partner cross-functionally with UK/Irish HR managers, Finance, and external vendors.

This role could be right for you if you have:

• Experience: 5+ years of end-to-end UK payroll experience, ideally within a multi-site or complex environment.
• UK Statutory Expertise: Deep, hands-on understanding of PAYE, NICs, RTI, auto-enrolment pensions, statutory deductions, and HMRC year-end compliance.
• Systems Exposure: Strong MS Excel skills; prior experience with outsourced bureau models and platforms such as ResourceLink / Zellis or Workday is nice to have but not essential.
• Qualifications: CIPP certification (or equivalent payroll qualification) is desirable, but qualified by experience is welcome.
• Soft Skills: High level of autonomy, proactive communication skills to liaise with cross-border stakeholders, and meticulous attention to detail.