Payroll Specialist

📍 Cardiff (Hybrid) | 💷 £45,000 - £55,000 + Benefits

We're partnering with a growing, multi-site organisation undergoing an exciting period of transformation and investment in its people, systems, and processes.

As Payroll Specialist, you'll play a key role in ensuring the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll while helping to drive continuous improvement across payroll systems, reporting, controls, and processes. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining hands-on payroll delivery with project work and system enhancement.

The Opportunity

Working closely with Finance, HR, and operational stakeholders, you'll take ownership of payroll activities from start to finish, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and an exceptional employee experience. Alongside payroll processing, you'll contribute to ongoing system optimisation, process improvement initiatives, and projects designed to improve efficiency and data quality.

This role would suit an experienced payroll professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and embraces technology, change, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing, ensuring accuracy and compliance with UK payroll legislation
• Complete payroll reconciliations, variance analysis, month-end and year-end activities
• Investigate and resolve complex payroll queries and discrepancies
• Support payroll controls, reporting, audit requirements, and statutory submissions
• Collaborate with Finance and HR teams to improve payroll processes and data accuracy
• Play a key role in payroll and HR systems enhancement projects, including testing, implementation support, and process optimisation
• Produce payroll reporting and insights to support business decision-making
• Identify opportunities for automation and continuous improvement

About You

We're interested in speaking with payroll professionals who can demonstrate:

✅ Significant end-to-end UK payroll experience

✅ Experience processing multiple payrolls within a complex, high-volume environment

✅ Strong understanding of payroll legislation, pensions, statutory payments, PAYE, and payroll controls

✅ Experience supporting month-end and year-end processes

✅ Excellent Excel and analytical skills

✅ Exposure to payroll, HR, workforce management, or time and attendance systems

✅ A passion for technology, digital transformation, and continuous improvement

✅ Experience contributing to a payroll or HR system implementation, upgrade, or optimisation project would be highly advantageous

Candidates from sectors such as hospitality, leisure, healthcare, logistics, education, retail, or other large multi-site environments are particularly encouraged to apply.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of £40,000 - £55,000 depending on experience
• Hybrid working (typically 3 days per week in the Cardiff office, with increased flexibility over time)
• Opportunity to join a business investing heavily in systems, processes, and people
• Varied role combining operational payroll and project-based improvement work
• Supportive and collaborative culture with genuine scope to influence change