EPI-USE
Payroll Operations and Transition Specialist
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The Role
The Payroll Operations & Transitions Specialist within the EMS Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Payroll team is responsible for supporting the onboarding and transition of new clients into the BPO payroll service, whilst also supporting payroll operations for assigned clients where required.
Working under the direction of the Payroll Operations & Transitions Manager, the role supports onboarding activities including payroll process reviews, payroll setup activities, knowledge transfer, payroll validation, testing, and activities leading up to the first live payroll run. The role works closely with Payroll Operations, AMS, IT, clients, and third-party providers to help ensure onboarding activities are completed accurately and in line with agreed timelines.
The Payroll Operations & Transitions Specialist works closely with the Payroll Operations & Testing team to support payroll testing activities, including payroll validation, parallel runs, reconciliations, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT), helping to ensure payroll changes and new client implementations are ready before moving into the live payroll environment.
The role requires strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation, excellent organisational and analytical skills, attention to detail, and experience in end-to-end payroll processing. Knowledge of other European payrolls is desirable.
The Payroll Operations & Transitions Specialist must always maintain confidentiality, comply with data protection (GDPR) legislation, carry out reasonable duties as requested by line management, and support continuous improvement across payroll operations, client onboarding activities, and service delivery.
Payroll Management
- Process end to end payroll activities for assigned clients, ensuring accuracy and compliance with UK tax, National Insurance, Pension Auto Enrolment, and other statutory requirements.
- Reconcile payroll data, investigate discrepancies, and support their resolution prior to payroll sign-off.
- Address employee and client payroll queries, escalating complex issues where appropriate.
- Support the onboarding and transition of new clients into the BPO payroll service, including payroll process reviews, payroll requirement gathering, payroll setup activities, and knowledge transfer.
- Support payroll validation activities, payroll comparisons or parallel payroll runs, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for onboarding activities and payroll changes.
- Maintain client payroll calendars, task schedules, onboarding activity logs, and client-specific Statement of Procedure (SoP) documentation.
- Support activities leading up to the first live payroll run and provide post-go-live support where required.
- Provide support to the BAU payroll team during periods of increased workload and share knowledge with colleagues where appropriate.
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Compliance & Risk Management
- Support Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and contingency arrangements for payroll services.
- Support the testing, maintenance, and implementation of the BPO Payroll Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
- Ensure payroll activities comply with legal, regulatory, client, and company requirements.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR, data protection requirements, and company information security policies.
Client Onboarding & Transition Management
- Act as a key contact for clients throughout onboarding activities, providing updates, responding to queries, and managing expectations.
- Build effective working relationships with clients, Payroll, AMS, IT, and third-party providers.
- Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of onboarding activities for new payroll clients.
- Coordinate onboarding actions between internal teams and clients, ensuring agreed activities are completed within required timescales.
- Communicate effectively with clients and internal teams, ensuring issues, concerns, and actions are resolved promptly.
- Support knowledge transfer activities and assist with the handover of clients into Business as Usual (BAU) payroll operations.
- Work closely with the AMS team to resolve payroll-related system issues arising during onboarding activities.
- Ensure onboarding documentation, client approvals, payroll procedures, and handover requirements are completed before clients move into BAU payroll operations.
- Escalate risks, issues, and delays to the Payroll Operations & Transitions Manager where appropriate.
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Compliance & Reporting
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of UK payroll legislation and statutory requirements relevant to assigned clients.
- Prepare and support payroll reporting activities, including RTI submissions and year-end processing requirements.
- Maintain onboarding records, approvals, and handover documentation in line with audit and control requirements.
Process Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve payroll, onboarding, and client handover processes.
- Support the development and standardisation of onboarding templates, documentation, checklists, and working practices.
- Contribute to lessons learned reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Work with payroll colleagues to improve efficiency, consistency, and service quality across the payroll operation.
Professional Development
- Maintain an up-to-date CPD record and demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional development.
- Develop and broaden knowledge of UK and EMEA payroll legislation, payroll systems, payroll operations, and client onboarding activities.
- Keep informed of legislative, regulatory, and industry developments and apply this knowledge to support service delivery and compliance.
- Identify opportunities to develop technical and operational skills to support personal and business objectives.
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