Payroll and Benefits Manager in City of London

A 6 month FTC role based in Central London, offering a salary of £100,000 plus benefits. Candidates need to be available to start within 2 weeks.

Role Purpose

The Compensation & Benefits Partner is responsible for the design, delivery, and governance of compensation and benefits programmes, focusing on managing third-party payroll and benefits providers and ensuring accurate, timely integration between benefits and payroll data and systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Global Payroll and Benefit Process and Model: Review current Global model, payroll providers, and internal processes. Establish a Group approach and payroll model that can be easily maintained and reduce exposure to risks. Manage third-party payroll providers across the Group accurately, on time, and within cost parameters whilst ensuring statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
• Payroll & Benefits Vendor Management: Relationship owner for third-party payroll and benefits providers, ensuring service delivery aligns with contractual obligations and agreed SLAs with regular check-ins. Manage day-to-day operational performance of providers, including issue resolution, escalation management, and continuous improvement. Lead vendor governance activities, including service reviews, audits, and performance reporting. Support selection, onboarding, and transition of payroll and benefits providers when needed. Document internal processes to enable business continuity. Verify process documentation held by third parties to ensure alignment with internal process changes.
• Payroll and Benefits Integration & Data Management: Own the end-to-end connection between benefits administration and payroll to ensure accurate benefit deductions, contributions, and taxation. Oversee data flows between HR, benefits, and payroll systems, ensuring timely, complete, and validated data transfers. Partner with providers and internal stakeholders to resolve data discrepancies and prevent future payroll errors. Define and maintain governance frameworks to ensure data accuracy, reconciliation, and audit readiness.
• Compensation & Benefits Operations: Manage and continually improve processes that deliver benefits programmes such as signups, leavers, changes, and value increases. Monitor benefit policies and eligibility rules to ensure correct implementation and maintenance. Support the annual compensation cycle, including salary reviews, bonus payments, and renewals.
• Reporting, Controls & Compliance: Develop and maintain rigorous checks for payroll and benefit input and payroll reporting for internal, financial, and legislative purposes. Produce and validate management information, reconciliations, and variance analysis across payroll and benefits data. Ensure compliance with UK payroll, tax, and benefits legislation. Support internal and external audits by providing documentation, controls evidence, and action planning for any issues identified.

Skills & Experience

• Essential: Significant experience in compensation and benefits with hands-on exposure to managing changes affecting payroll. Proven experience managing third-party payroll and benefits providers, providing challenge and driving efficiencies. Strong understanding of benefit interaction with payroll, tax, and reporting requirements. High attention to detail with a strong control and data-accuracy mindset. Excellent stakeholder management and vendor-management skills. Experience in multi-country or complex organisational environments.
• Desirable: Experience working with HRIS, payroll, and benefits platforms and managing system integrations. Knowledge of UK statutory payroll and benefits frameworks. Experience supporting system implementations or provider transitions. Background in reporting, reconciliations, or financial controls.

Personal Attributes

• Analytical, structured, and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels.
• Strong communicator, able to explain technical concepts clearly.
• Proactive and resilient in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.