Payroll & Benefit Specialist in Huntingdon

At Jensten Group, we’re continuing our exciting journey of expansion, and we’re looking for a Payroll & Benefits Specialist to help keep our people processes running smoothly, accurately, and compliantly. As our Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you’ll play a central role in delivering a seamless end‑to‑end payroll service each month while also acting as the go‑to contact for benefit administration across the Group. Your work will directly help shape employee experience, operational excellence, and the success of our People & Culture function. This role sits within our busy HR team — working closely with HR Operations, Talent Acquisition and L&D — and collaborating daily with the wider People & Culture team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full monthly and annual payroll cycle, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and adherence to regulatory changes.
• Review and verify payroll reports including salaries, deductions, and tax.
• Administer and maintain our UK payroll system, ensuring pay elements are correct, effective, and compliant.
• Work across UK Payroll, Flex Benefits (Avantis), and our HiBob HRIS with strong attention to detail and clear audit trails.
• Collaborate with IT and external vendors to troubleshoot issues and implement system enhancements.
• Manage and resolve payroll queries from employees and relevant authorities.
• Calculate payments for more complex scenarios such as zero‑hours holiday pay and sick leave.
• Take personal accountability for payroll accuracy, KPIs, and partnering with Finance on payments, including out‑of‑cycle requirements.

Benefits & Annual Activities

• Lead annual payroll activities including P60s and P11Ds, ensuring future actions are planned in the Payroll Calendar.
• Manage Group pension administration and ensure compliance with relevant regulations.
• Handle employee communication relating to benefits and stay up‑to‑date with market trends to recommend improvements.
• Ensure all payroll and benefits processes are documented, maintained, and continuously improved.
• Prepare and submit payroll‑related reports to statutory bodies.

M&A & Project Support

• Act as the payroll and benefits lead on M&A activity, including harmonising benefits and transferring payroll processes.
• Support wider People & Culture projects such as National Living Wage updates, performance year‑end processes and bonus administration.
• Contribute to ad‑hoc HR change initiatives and continuous improvement activities.

About You

As our Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you’ll be someone who takes pride in accuracy, process excellence, and delivering a great experience for colleagues. You’ll thrive in a fast‑paced environment and bring a proactive approach to improving the way we work. You’ll also be or have:

• Strong end‑to‑end payroll experience, ideally across multi‑entity or growing organisations.
• Excellent attention to detail, organisation, and time‑management skills.
• Confident communication skills — able to support colleagues at all levels with payroll and benefits queries.
• Proficient IT skills, including Excel, payroll software, and HRIS platforms.
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of payroll legislation, statutory payments, pensions, and HMRC regulations.
• Experience working with benefits administration and/or flexible benefits platforms (highly desirable).
• Experience within M&A or transformation environments (beneficial, but not essential).

Rewards & Benefits

When you join us, you can expect a supportive culture and an attractive range of rewards and benefits which include:

• Competitive salary with an annual pay review and bonus scheme.
• 27 days annual leave (includes a day off for your birthday and another for a religious holiday of your choice) plus bank holidays.
• Auto enrolment into our excellent pension scheme (5% employer matched contribution).
• Flex-benefits - A range of flexible benefits to choose from, that are most important to you.
• Group Life Assurance cover.
• 3 months Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave all fully paid.
• Professional qualification study support relevant to your role and career.
• Perks at work - amazing discounts on cinema tickets, meals out, luxury items etc.
• Holiday purchase scheme - up to 5 days annually.

About Us

Launched in 2018, Jensten is one of the UK's largest independent broking groups. Growing organically and through strategic acquisition, we now place over £600m GWP into the market via our retail insurance broking, Lloyd's and London Market broking, and specialist underwriting arms. We fill the void in the market between a consolidator and a provincial broker. We have the scale, ambition and expertise to stand out, but the people, culture and entrepreneurial DNA to maintain our client focus. Our goal is to have people in our Group that enjoy being part of one team with the shared commitment to delivering insurance distribution excellence. A big part of how we do this is by listening and then acting on what we hear. Our EVP work is key to maintaining and enhancing our culture and making Jensten Group a fantastic place to work, learn and grow.