Payroll & Benefits Specialist in London

Overview

Connecting clients to markets – and talent to opportunity.

Connecting clients to markets – and talent to opportunity.

With 4,500+ employees and over 300,000 commercial, institutional, payments, and retail clients, we operate from more than 70 offices spread across six continents.

As a Fortune 100, Nasdaq-listed provider, we connect clients to the global markets – focusing on innovation, human connection, and providing world-class products and services to all types of investors.

Whether you want to forge a career connecting our retail clients to potential trading opportunities, or ingrain yourself in the world of institutional investing, Stone X Group is made up of four business segments that offer endless potential for progression and growth.

Business Segment Overview

Corporate

Engage in a deep variety of business-critical activities that keep our company running efficiently.

From strategic marketing and financial management to human resources and operational oversight, you’ll have the opportunity to optimize processes and implement game-changing policies.

Role Summary

As a Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you will play a key role in delivering accurate, timely, and compliant payroll and benefits administration for Stone X employees in the UK.

You will be responsible for processing end-to-end payroll activities, supporting employee benefits administration, and ensuring adherence to statutory requirements, company policies, and internal controls.

The successful candidate will have strong UK payroll experience, a high level of attention to detail, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

This role will also support wider EMEA payroll operations and work closely with HR, Finance, external providers, and employees to deliver an exceptional payroll and benefits service.

Key Responsibilities

• Payroll Administration
• Process end-to-end UK payroll accurately and on time using Oracle Payroll.
• Calculate and validate salaries, overtime, bonuses, commissions, statutory payments, and payroll adjustments.
• Ensure payroll deadlines are met, and payroll processing is completed in accordance with internal controls and procedures.
• Maintain and update employee payroll records, including personal details, tax codes, pension deductions, and other payroll-related data.
• Process statutory deductions, including PAYE, National Insurance, pension contributions, student loans, and other applicable deductions.
• Validate payroll data and perform payroll reconciliations to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Support month-end and year-end payroll activities, including reporting and compliance requirements.
• Assist with payroll audits and provide supporting documentation as required.
• Handle payroll-related queries from employees and stakeholders, providing clear, accurate, and timely resolutions.
• Maintain confidentiality and security of employee payroll information in line with data protection requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement within the payroll function by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, introduce automation and enhance operational efficiency.

Benefits Administration

• Administer employee benefits through the Mercer Darwin benefits platform.
• Manage benefits-related joiners, leavers, life events, and employee changes.
• Support annual benefits enrolment and renewal processes.
• Respond to employee queries relating to benefits, pension schemes, and taxable benefits.
• Liaise with external benefits providers to ensure accurate administration and issue resolution.
• Support ongoing benefits communications and employee engagement initiatives.
• Own the reconciliation of benefits invoices against employee population records, ensuring accurate charges, correct employee coverage and timely resolution of discrepancies.
• Compliance & Governance
• Ensure payroll activities comply with UK payroll legislation, HMRC regulations, pension auto-enrolment requirements, and company policies.
• Stay informed of changes in payroll, taxation, pension, and employment legislation.
• Support the implementation of legislative updates and process improvements.
• Assist in maintaining robust payroll controls, documentation, and audit trails.
• Stakeholder Management
• Partner closely with HR, Finance, and external payroll and benefits providers to ensure seamless processes and data integrity.
• Build positive working relationships across the business and provide a high level of customer service to employees.
• Support the Payroll Specialist and wider Payroll & Benefits team on projects and operational initiatives.
• EMEA Payroll Support
• Provide support to the Payroll Specialist with payroll processing and administration across all Stone X EMEA locations.
• Assist with payroll data validation, reporting, and compliance activities across multiple jurisdictions as required.

Qualifications

Skills, Knowledge & Experience Required

Essential

• Proven experience in a payroll role with responsibility for managing end-to-end UK payroll processes.
• Strong understanding of UK payroll legislation, tax regulations, statutory payments, and pension requirements.
• Experience processing payroll transactions and employee data within HRIS and payroll systems.
• Excellent attention to detail with a high level of accuracy and data integrity.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a team environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Ability to perform manual payroll calculations and investigate payroll discrepancies.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately.

Desirable

• Experience using Oracle Fusion Payroll.
• Experience using the Darwin (Mercer) benefits platform.
• Exposure to EMEA payrolls and international payroll administration.
• Multilingual skills, particularly European languages.
• Experience working within financial services or a multinational organisation.
• Key Competencies
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Focus
• Integrity and Confidentiality
• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Communication Skills
• Time Management
• Adaptability
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Prior experience in a payroll/HR organization, including managing multinational payrolls
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office Software is essential.
• Requires above average attention to detail, accuracy, and organizational, interpersonal and team building skills
• Experience of working and liaising with outsourced payroll providers in the preparation and running of payroll.
• Comfortable and experienced in processing workflow, transactions and data changes using HRIS systems
• Ability to promote and implement changes to current practices and processes
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and, organizational skills
• Proven track record of working within payroll function
• Knowledge of statutory requirements and the ability to complete manual calculations
• The ability to manage own time and workload, meeting deadlines

Working environment

• In office (4 days a week)
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