Senior Payroll Specialist - UK, Kenya, Nordics in London

We’re hiring a Payroll Senior Specialist to support a growing international business operating across the UK, Kenya, and the Nordics. This is not a transactional payroll role. You’ll be owning payroll across multiple regions, working closely with Finance and Talent, and helping shape how payroll operates as the business scales into new markets. If you like complexity, accountability, and fixing things that don’t quite work yet, you’ll enjoy this.

What You’ll Do:

• Own end-to-end payroll across the UK, Kenya, and Nordics, working with external vendors to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Prepare and validate payroll inputs, including salary changes, bonuses, overtime, benefits, and deductions.
• Review payroll outputs from providers, challenge where needed, and ensure everything lands correctly.
• Manage multiple payroll cycles, including more complex schedules such as retail populations.
• Deliver month-end reporting, reconcile payroll accounts, and partner with Finance to resolve discrepancies.
• Handle payroll queries from employees and stakeholders, without hiding behind “that’s payroll’s job.”
• Manage statutory requirements such as P45s, PSA, and ongoing compliance with local regulations.
• Own integrations between systems like Workday and external payroll providers.
• Work with authorities, pension providers, and benefits partners across different regions.
• Collaborate with HR, Talent, and Total Rewards to improve how payroll connects to the wider people ecosystem.
• Set up payroll operations in new countries as the business expands.
• Drive process improvement, automation, and alignment with SOX controls.
• Run audits and ensure payroll data stands up to scrutiny.
• Manage equity and benefits reporting through payroll.
• Navigate more complex cases such as cross-border employment and relocations.

What You Bring:

• Demonstrable payroll experience, with strong UK expertise.
• Experience working across multiple countries is a bonus (Kenya, Nordics, or similar).
• Solid understanding of payroll legislation and best practice in the UK.
• Experience managing external payroll providers, not just passing files back and forth.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence working with data.
• High attention to detail, you spot issues before they become problems.
• Comfortable handling sensitive data and complex situations.
• Strong stakeholder management, you can push back when needed and still build trust.
• Experience with retail payroll populations is a big plus.
• Fluent in English, additional languages are useful but not essential.

Why This Role:

This is a role where payroll isn’t an afterthought. You’ll be working across regions, helping the business scale, and influencing how payroll is built for the future, not just maintaining what already exists. If you want to step beyond processing and actually own something, this is it.

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract with the chance to extend. If this sounds like you, apply here or message me directly. Let’s chat!