Payroll Specialist

Who we are

We’re IAG Loyalty - one organisation with two ambitious, growing divisions across Loyalty and Holidays. Each has its own goals, strategy and team, but together we’re united by a shared vision to create a more rewarding world of travel and experiences. Our Loyalty division is home to Avios, the global loyalty currency, enabling millions of members to collect and spend rewards across travel, retail and financial services. Our Holidays division including British Airways Holidays and Iberia Vacaciones, brings together trusted brands, connecting customers to thousands of destinations worldwide through seamless, end-to-end travel experiences. We’re on an exciting journey of growth and transformation – we’re going places.

The opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced Payroll Specialist to take ownership of our end-to-end payroll delivery, ensuring our colleagues receive an accurate, timely and dependable payroll experience. Sitting within our People & communications team, you’ll be responsible for making sure payroll runs smoothly and compliantly, from our regular payroll cycles through to statutory, quarterly and year-end activities. You’ll combine strong technical payroll knowledge with great attention to detail, using your judgement to resolve issues, manage risk and maintain robust controls. You’ll also play an important role in how we evolve our payroll service. Working closely with our Workday experts, People and Finance teams, you’ll identify opportunities to improve processes, make better use of our systems and reduce unnecessary manual activity - while maintaining the accuracy and control that great payroll depends on. Alongside your hands-on payroll responsibilities, you’ll supervise the payroll team, providing day-to-day direction, sharing your expertise and helping create clear and effective ways of working.

What you’ll be doing

• Own the end-to-end delivery of payroll, ensuring it is accurate, compliant and delivered on time.
• Lead regular payroll cycles alongside quarterly, annual and year-end payroll activities, ensuring statutory requirements and internal controls are met.
• Supervise the payroll team, setting clear priorities and providing day-to-day guidance to ensure work is delivered accurately and efficiently.
• Maintain robust payroll controls, reporting and audit requirements, identifying and managing risks and escalating significant issues where appropriate.
• Investigate payroll queries and issues, identifying root causes and taking practical action to resolve them.
• Apply your knowledge of UK payroll legislation and statutory requirements to ensure our payroll processes remain compliant and up to date.
• Work closely with Workday experts to translate payroll requirements into effective system and process solutions.
• Partner with People & communications and Finance colleagues to deliver a joined-up and dependable payroll service.
• Identify recurring issues and opportunities to simplify processes, strengthen controls and reduce unnecessary manual activity.
• Produce accurate payroll reporting and provide clear information and insight to relevant stakeholders.
• Build capability within the payroll team through day-to-day coaching, guidance and knowledge-sharing.
• Work with auditors, payroll providers and other third parties where required to support payroll delivery and compliance.

What we need from you

• Strong payroll experience gained within a medium to large organisation, with experience delivering an accurate, compliant and timely payroll service.
• Strong practical knowledge of end-to-end UK payroll, including payroll cycles, statutory requirements, year-end activities, controls, reporting and audit requirements.
• The confidence to take ownership of payroll delivery, prioritise effectively and make sound decisions within agreed controls.
• Experience supervising or providing day-to-day guidance to payroll colleagues would be highly beneficial.
• Experience using Workday or a similar payroll/HR system, with the ability to work effectively with system specialists to improve payroll processes.
• A strong understanding of UK payroll legislation and the ability to apply that knowledge confidently in day-to-day payroll operations.
• Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to identify discrepancies, investigate issues and maintain high standards of accuracy.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to look beyond an immediate issue, understand root causes and identify practical improvements.
• An organised and dependable approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities and time‑critical payroll deadlines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to explain complex payroll matters clearly and constructively challenge where needed.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with an interest in using systems and technology to simplify processes and reduce unnecessary manual work.

You might not be right for you if: You only want to focus on your to-do list; we’re a small, high‑performing team, we help each other to succeed. You value perfection over fast iteration and progress; IAG Loyalty moves fast, we learn and iterate as we go; our environment isn’t right for everyone. You’re looking to create but not build; this is an end‑to‑end role, you need to be comfortable owning your space, from ideation through to delivery and review.

The Blend

This role will work as part of our Loyalty Division and is based out of our London office. We call our approach to hybrid working The Blend - it’s about giving you the flexibility to choose where you do your best work, while staying connected with your team and the wider business. This means you will be required to spend at least two days per week in the office, with the rest of the time working from home. You may also be required to work from one of our other office or partner locations, based on your role and 'to do' list.

Diversity and Inclusion

Our vision is to create a more rewarding world of travel and experiences. Delivering that requires diverse thinking and inclusive leadership. We are committed to building a workplace where people feel they belong and are valued for their perspective. Inclusion drives better decisions, stronger performance and more innovative outcomes. We actively encourage applications from people with different experiences and backgrounds, and are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is fair, inclusive and accessible. At IAG Loyalty we boast two ambitious and growing divisions in Loyalty and Holidays, and together we create a more rewarding world of travel and experiences. Through Avios, our global loyalty currency, we help millions of members turn everyday spend into travel, retail and financial service rewards. And through our Holidays division, including British Airways Holidays and Iberia Vacaciones, we connect customers to thousands of destinations worldwide with seamless, end-to-end travel experiences. It’s all made possible by our teams, bringing together data, expertise and innovation to power unforgettable journeys and experiences. And in return, a one‑of‑a‑kind culture where a love of travel connects us all. A business that's going places, and careers that are, too.

This is our vision, it gives us direction in where we’re heading and our values show us how we’ll get there. Our values outline how we show up when we’re firing on all cylinders. From our Contact Centre to Madrid and Head Office colleagues, they outline the expectations we have for each other and what it means to work in our Club.