Payroll Advisor in Rothwell

HR Operations is a key function within People Solutions, being the first point of contact for our Team Members who may have a query with any part of the HR and employee lifecycle - new starter process, onboarding, pay, benefits, personal development, or an employment issue. HR Operations is also responsible for ensuring the overall People Solutions function remains fully compliant and up to date with the most recent Employment contract law, Payroll legislative changes, Talent Acquisition and recruitment processes including Right to Work or visa and immigration support, and importantly that all our people data is kept secure and in line with GDPR legislation. Putting our team member experience first, the HR Operations function provides accurate, timely and detailed Administrative / Query Support Services to the business, ensuring that throughout the employee lifecycle, SLAs are maintained, and processes are refined in line with the overall business targets on team member experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively deliver a full range of payroll responsibilities in a professional, timely, and accurate manner to ensure consistent payroll excellence across the organisation.
• Provide strong support to the Payroll team and wider People Solutions function through project work and data analysis, including new acquisitions.
• Redundancy calculations.
• Data reporting and insights.
• Effectively manage workload to meet deadlines and maintain service quality.
• Stay fully up to date with HMRC legislation and apply this knowledge to all payroll processes.
• Maintain a solid understanding of Salary Sacrifice schemes (Pension, Holiday Purchase, Cycle to Work, Childcare Vouchers).
• Demonstrate knowledge of Benefits in Kind and HMRC reporting requirements (P11D), including data collation, system input, and issuing team member statements.
• Provide prompt, clear, and professional responses to payroll‑related queries from team members, third parties, and internal business functions.
• Support business stakeholders as needed, including communicating payroll process updates and ongoing changes.
• Lead and support the delivery of in‑house training sessions, business updates, and assigned payroll‑related projects.
• Ensure exceptional attention to detail and maintain 100% accuracy of all data entered into the HR system.
• Apply knowledge of pension legislation to ensure accurate processing and compliance.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of personal tax allowances, NIC rates, thresholds, and their application within payroll.

Qualifications

• Proven payroll experience within a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment, ideally working as part of a wider HR team.
• Confidence in communicating effectively and building strong working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise a diverse workload, meet tight deadlines and SLAs, and maintain exceptional attention to detail.
• A positive, resilient attitude, showing tenacity under pressure and the ability to adapt your communication style to suit different audiences and situations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office—particularly Excel and PowerPoint—and experience using HR and Payroll systems.
• Solid experience in processing statutory payments, including SSP, SMP, SPP, and related entitlements.
• Experience contributing to project work, with previous involvement in HRIS transformation initiatives being highly advantageous, as you will support these from the outset.
• A strong sense of confidentiality and professionalism, with a clear understanding of payroll governance, policies, and procedures.

We’re Committed to Inclusion

As a Cox Automotive team member, you'll have access to a wide range of benefits, including exclusive discounts, cashback offers and our brilliant peer‑to‑peer recognition scheme. And there's even more to enjoy:

• Option to buy additional holiday days
• Your birthday off every year — paid
• One annual Well‑Being Day for you to relax and recharge
• One paid Charity Day to give back and support a cause that matters to you
• Opportunities for career progression across the Cox Automotive network
• Competitive pension scheme