Specialist Payroll Officer in St Albans

Job Description A well-established international business is looking to appoint an experienced Senior Payroll Specialist to take ownership of payroll activity across a number of UK and international entities. This is a broad, hands-on role sitting within Finance and would suit someone who enjoys having real ownership of payroll rather than simply working on one part of the process. You will work closely with Finance, HR and external payroll providers, ensuring payrolls are delivered accurately and on time while also taking responsibility for the financial controls, reconciliations and reporting that sit around them. The role offers a good mix of payroll operations, accounting, compliance and process improvement, with exposure across multiple countries. The role You will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing payroll activity across the UK and a number of overseas locations, working with third-party payroll providers and internal stakeholders. Managing the end-to-end payroll process across multiple entities and countries Reviewing payroll outputs and ensuring accuracy before submission Managing relationships with outsourced payroll providers Preparing and posting payroll journals Completing payroll reconciliations and resolving discrepancies Supporting month-end reporting and payroll-related accruals Managing PAYE, National Insurance, pensions and other UK payroll requirements Supporting P11D, PSA and other statutory payroll processes Maintaining strong payroll controls and approval processes Supporting payroll audits and ensuring appropriate documentation is maintained Reviewing payroll data and identifying anomalies or variances Supporting bonus and other variable-pay processes Improving payroll processes, controls and reporting Helping to standardise procedures across different locations Supporting payroll system changes, new entities and wider Finance projects What we're looking for This role would suit an experienced payroll professional who is comfortable working across both payroll operations and payroll accounting. Strong UK payroll knowledge Experience working with multi-country or international payrolls Experience managing outsourced payroll providers Good knowledge of PAYE, National Insurance and pensions Experience preparing payroll journals and reconciliations Strong Excel skills Strong attention to detail and a good understanding of financial controls Experience with payroll systems, ERP platforms or payroll transformation projects would be useful, although the business is open-minded on specific systems. The opportunity This is a good opportunity for someone who wants broader ownership than a traditional payroll processing role. You will have visibility across a number of international payrolls, work closely with senior Finance and HR stakeholders and have the opportunity to improve how payroll processes operate across the business. Please note that this position is fully office-based in Hertfordshire, five days per week