Payroll Specialist - Project Lead in London

About Us

At Medius, we believe managing finance should be about strategy, not stress. That same mindset shapes not only the solutions we build, but also the culture we create for our people. We remove complexity, embrace innovation, and give our teams the freedom to focus on what truly matters — whether that’s transforming the future of finance with AI or finding balance to go home on time.

Founded in Sweden in 2001, Medius has grown from a local startup into a global leader in cloud-based spend management solutions. Today, thousands of organizations worldwide trust us to simplify accounts payable and spend management processes. Our journey has been driven by continuous innovation, a passion for technology, and above all — the people who make it happen.

We’re more than a software company. We’re a team of problem-solvers, innovators and collaborators working together to reinvent the category of accounts payable. Our solutions use Artificial Intelligence to eliminate manual work, bring clarity, confidence, and control, and empower finance teams of the future.

At Medius, our values guide how we work and grow together:

• Connect – We believe in the power of people—individually and collectively—and our success depends on understanding and respecting each other.
• Question – We enjoy the challenge of our work and the thrill of collaboration. We are not afraid to question ourselves and each other because we believe diverse perspectives can lead to better outcomes.
• Own – We are thorough, thoughtful, and decisive. We anticipate what’s next, what a customer might need, and then we deliver.

At Medius, you’ll join a diverse, global community where curiosity is celebrated, ideas matter, and innovation never stops. If you’re passionate about technology, eager to make an impact, and ready to grow alongside a team that lives its values, Medius is where you can do your best work — your impact is global.

Job Overview

• Department: People Services
• Reports to: VP People Services
• Team: Global Payroll Manager and Payroll Specialist
• Location: Remote – UK
• Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract

About the Role

Payroll across 14 countries currently operates through five delivery models: Deel (standard and EOR), Arpi in Poland, ADP as a PEO in the US, and an in-house payroll in Tunisia. The process depends on a small number of named individuals, with limited documented processes and trained backup. We're looking for a Payroll Specialist – Project Lead to address this and establish a sustainable global payroll operating model. This is a build role, not solely a processing role. Over 12 months, you'll document how payroll operates in each country, establish and train a primary and backup owner for every country, move all payroll onto a global operating model, and hand over the result to a permanent team, supported by a costed recommendation on how that team should be structured.

What You'll Be Responsible For

• Global Payroll Operating Model: Lead the move of all 14 countries onto the global payroll operating model.
• Process Documentation & Assessment: Document processes, calendars, cut-offs, approvals, provider interfaces and controls for each country, starting with the five priority countries.
• Ownership & Continuity: Establish a named primary owner and a trained backup for every country.
• Payroll Operations: Ensure accurate, timely and compliant payroll processing, reconciliations, audits and issue resolution alongside the existing team.
• Capability Building: Upskill colleagues where required on the documented model.
• Controls & Governance: Build documented approvals and independent reviews into each country process.
• Provider Management: Produce a single view of how each country operates and what each provider does.
• Automation & Self-Service: Specify self-service and automation use cases for Luna, HiBob, HR Hub and Jira ticketing systems.
• Payroll Onboarding Playbook: Produce a standard payroll onboarding playbook.
• Benefits Ways of Working: Support the move of benefits administration individual HR Operations and payroll owners to a global operating model.
• Reporting & Analytics: Establish reporting on payroll corrections and off-cycle payments.
• Permanent Structure & Handover: Provide the as-is, the to-be and the full cost, with a recommendation on the permanent payroll structure.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Act as the payroll SME and collaborate across HR Operations, HRBPs, Finance, Legal, IT, country payroll owners and providers.

Your First 12 Months

The role has a clear delivery roadmap, with a focus on building the operating model before taking full ownership of payroll operations.

• Months 1–3 | Capture the As-Is: Document processes, calendars, cut-offs, approvals, provider interfaces and controls for Australia, Norway, Poland, Tunisia and France.
• Months 4–8 | Move to the Model: Work with the VP People Services to implement workflows between HR Operations, Finance and HRBPs.
• Months 9–12 | Extend & Hand Over: Extend the model to the remaining countries.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of payroll experience in a complex, multi-country environment.
• 2+ years leading payroll projects or process improvements.
• Demonstrated experience running payroll across multiple countries and delivery models.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations and tax requirements.
• Experience with payroll systems, ideally ADP, Deel and HiBob.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

Nice to Have

• CPP, FPC, PMP, Agile, or similar certifications.
• Merger and acquisition or new-country payroll onboarding experience.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Payroll Administration
• Operating Model Design & Documentation
• Project Management
• Process Improvement
• Multi-Country & Provider Management
• Capability Building & Handover
• Stakeholder Management
• Compliance, Controls & Risk Management
• Data Analysis & Reporting

What Success Looks Like

By the end of the 12-month contract, success will mean:

• 14 out of 14 countries have a documented payroll manual and are aligned with the global operating model.
• 14 out of 14 countries have a named primary owner and a trained backup.
• Workflows between HR Operations, Finance and HRBPs are live, with a service catalogue in use.
• Payroll accuracy and timeliness are maintained throughout the transition.

Medius is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The estimated base salary range for this role is £80,000 - £90,000/year. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills, experience, qualifications, certifications, internal equity, and geographic location.

Medius is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees.