Payroll Specialist / Payroll Administrator

Contract: 6-month temporary contract initially

Location: Theale Rate: £17.50-£19.00 per hour + holiday pay

Working pattern: Hybrid - 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home

Start date: Immediate

The Opportunity:

We are recruiting an experienced Payroll Specialist / Payroll Administrator to join a growing business on an initial 6-month temporary contract.

This is a hands-on role managing end-to-end monthly payroll for internal employees, working closely with senior stakeholders across Finance and HR to ensure payroll is processed accurately and efficiently.

The successful candidate will have experience handling complex commission structures, bonuses and variable pay, alongside a strong understanding of UK payroll legislation and compliance. You will also play a key role in supporting a payroll software migration and improving existing processes to ensure payroll information is collected, checked and processed effectively.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident payroll professional who enjoys taking ownership of the payroll function, improving processes and working closely with stakeholders across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end monthly payroll process, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.

• Process starters, leavers, salary changes, statutory payments, pensions, benefits and other payroll adjustments.

• Work closely with senior stakeholders to ensure commissions, bonuses and guarantees are accurately calculated and processed.

• Interpret and administer complex commission structures, including varying thresholds, rates, guarantees and adjustments.

• Complete payroll reconciliations and prepare reports for review and approval.

• Ensure PAYE, National Insurance, pension contributions and statutory payroll submissions are completed accurately and within deadlines.

• Act as the main point of contact for employee payroll queries, resolving issues promptly and confidentially.

• Support the migration to a new payroll system, including data preparation, validation, testing and parallel payroll runs.

• Work alongside HR to improve processes relating to starters, leavers, contractual changes and payroll deadlines.

• Provide ad hoc finance support and assist with process improvement projects.

• Maintain accurate payroll records, procedures and controls to ensure consistency and a smooth handover of information.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven experience independently managing end-to-end UK payroll.

• Strong knowledge of PAYE, National Insurance, statutory payments and pension auto-enrolment.

• Experience processing complex commission structures, bonuses and other variable pay.

• Previous experience supporting a payroll system implementation or migration.

• Confident using payroll software and Excel for data checking, reconciliations and reporting.

• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage deadlines effectively.

• Strong communication skills, with the confidence to liaise with employees, Finance, HR and senior stakeholders.

• A proactive approach to problem-solving and improving existing processes.

• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience working within a commission-based environment.

• A broader finance or accounting background, with experience supporting a finance team.

Additional Information:

• Initial 6-month temporary contract.

• £17.50-£19.00 per hour, depending on experience, plus holiday pay.

• Hybrid working, with 3 - 4 days per week in the Theale office and 2 days working from home.

• Immediate start required.

Robert Half Ltd acts as an employment business for temporary positions and an employment agency for permanent positions. Robert Half is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Suitable candidates with equivalent qualifications and more or less experience can apply. Rates of pay and salary ranges are dependent upon your experience, qualifications and training. If you wish to apply, please read our Privacy Notice describing how we may process, disclose and store your personal data: