Payroll Specialist - 12 Month FTC

Optiver is looking for a Payroll Specialist to join the Human Resources team in our London office on a fixed-term 12-month contract. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced payroll professional with strong knowledge of UK statutory benefits and leave administration who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. In this role, you will take full ownership of UK payroll while supporting benefits and statutory compliance activities that are critical to the employee experience. We are seeking someone who is detail oriented, proactive, and confident operating independently, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while delivering accurate and compliant payroll and benefits support.

What You’ll Do

• Full ownership of the monthly UK payroll process, including preparation, validation, submission, and post payroll reconciliation.
• Act as the primary point of contact for payroll matters, coordinating with external vendors and internal stakeholders across HR, Finance, and Tax.
• Ensuring payroll compliance with UK tax, statutory, and employment requirements.
• Partner with overseas and in-country HR, Finance, and Tax teams to manage UK payroll obligations for internationally mobile employees.
• Managing payroll inputs and data accuracy within Workday and connected payroll systems.
• Supporting payroll audits and responding to internal and external audit requests.
• Partner with HR Advisory and People Operations colleagues to support payroll-related aspects of the employee lifecycle.
• Support benefits initiatives, including annual renewals and employee communications.
• Support UK benefits and statutory leave administration activities, including payroll deductions, enrollments, and coordination with relevant stakeholders and vendors.
• Manage benefits initiatives, including annual renewals and employee communications.
• Support HR compliance reporting and governance activities while championing GDPR compliance within payroll and HR data processes.
• Monitoring UK statutory leave and pay legislation to ensure ongoing compliance, proactively identifying regulatory changes and assessing organisational impact.
• Conducting periodic reviews of existing leave and benefits administration practices to ensure alignment with current legislation and internal policy.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources or Administration, or equivalent experience.
• Strong working knowledge of UK payroll, statutory benefits administration, and associated UK employment law.
• UK statutory leave and pay regulations, including the ability to interpret legislative updates and assess operational impact.
• Working knowledge of systems including implementation such as Workday, ADP Celergo, Greenhouse would be advantageous.
• Demonstrated experience supporting statutory leave administration within payroll, ensuring accurate pay calculations and compliance.
• Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with a collaborative, service-oriented approach.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Strong understanding of HMRC reporting requirements including year end processes and statutory submissions.
• Experience collaborating with colleagues in complex business models across multiple countries and jurisdictions would be desirable.
• CIPP qualification preferred.

What You’ll Get

• 27 paid vacation days plus all UK public holidays.
• Daily breakfast and lunch, along with support on commuting expenses.
• Private medical insurance, pension scheme, and ClassPass fitness membership.
• Training and continuous learning opportunities, including access to conferences and tech events.

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.