EMEA Senior Payroll Specialist and Trainer

At Informa, no two days and no two people are the same, and you'll find the freedom, opportunity and support of a fantastic community to make a real impact.

We’re an international business that connects specialists with knowledge, helping them to learn more, know more and do more through live and on demand events, digital and data-driven services and academic research.

We are home to over 10,000 colleagues across 30 countries and are a member of the UK’s FTSE 100 group of leading public companies. We’re thrilled to have earned the #3 spot in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2025 UK list, a recognition based solely on reviews by those who know us best - our current and previous colleagues.

In Global Support, we provide expert guidance and hands-on support to the Informa Group and Informa’s many business teams. Across tech, finance, legal, corporate development, HR, communications, operations and many other areas, we work collaboratively and flexibly to help our brands serve their customers and help the company succeed.

This is a hybrid role, with a minimum of 3 days per week in person. Our office is located at 5 Howick Place, London.

Reporting to the Head of Payroll - EMEA, you will help manage the effective delivery of Informa payroll services, working with multiple external payroll providers for the EMEA region, which currently covers approximately 35 separate payrolls, across more than 12 countries, working within a team of five. This position must review and maintain payroll controls, compliance, and governance.

Informa takes the security and privacy of company, colleague, and customer data seriously; the role is responsible for ensuring that payroll activities are fully compliant with all data privacy laws and policies.

Key Responsibilities

The EMEA Senior Payroll Specialist and Trainer is expected to assume the following responsibilities plus any other reasonable duties as required:

Work with the EMEA Deputy Payroll Operations Manager as the Senior Specialist within the team to support and lead the team.

• Acts as a Subject Matter Expert on Payroll Processes and Systems
• Identify areas for concern/training
• Provision of ongoing initial new starter training and ongoing training on relevant HR systems and processes
• Produce and deliver monthly focused sessions to the EMEA Payroll team to enhance skillset and collaborative working
• Maintain and develop accurate and up to date payroll procedures ensuring all tasks and processes are fully documented. Lead on ensuring there are accurate and up to date processes, whilst engaging with the team to ensure payroll procedures within individuals portfolios are kept up to date
• Support Head of EMEA Payroll and EMEA Deputy Payroll Operations Manager to develop a plan for cross-training, work shadowing and rotation of responsibilities within team
• Work with the EMEA payroll Bureaus ensuring all payrolls are processed accurately and on time.
• Work with HR and the Benefits team to facilitate the smooth submission of people data to the relevant payroll bureau and be the main contact for any payroll related issues.
• Carry out Monthly payroll checks ensuring the payrolls are accurate, compliant and ready for approval.
• Prepare the monthly payroll analysis reports and payroll approval documentation to present to senior management for payroll approval.
• Ensure the payment of salaries and third-party payments through the relevant on-line banking platforms are processed accurately and on time, whilst also ensuring the accounts are sufficiently funded.
• Responsibility for month end payroll reporting; to include:
  • Running and reconciling the payroll journals and accurately uploading them into the finance system for reporting purposes.
  • Reconciling the HMRC payments made against the HMRC Government Gateway.
  • Prepare the pension and benefit reports for review and audit by the Benefits team.
  • Providing ad hoc reports to Finance, HR, and Managers regarding payroll costs.
  • Produce the monthly payroll KPI reports.

• Work with the finance team to help reconcile the payroll control accounts monthly. Work with the EMEA Deputy Payroll Operations Manager on more complex queries to support the key stakeholders.
• Oversee the year end payroll obligations regarding P11D and Class1A submission to the HMRC.
• Regularly review the company car data to ensure the Benefit in Kind (BIK) values are maintained on the payroll system for “payrolling of benefits”.
• Maintain and develop accurate and up to date payroll procedures ensuring all tasks and processes are fully documented.
• Take the initiative for continuous process improvement, proactively reviewing and looking to improve processes.
• Support employees with issues relating to pay, tax, national insurance, pensions and benefits processed through the payroll.
• Carry out regular audits to ensure the integrity of the payroll data is maintained.
• To provide system administration support e.g. resetting passwords as required.
• Promptly reply to all payroll enquires within the agreed timelines.
• Keep up to date with all current payroll statutory legislation and provide advice to the business on HMRC payroll related enquires.
• Ensure compliance with the General Data Processing Requirements (GDPR) when dealing with payroll data and records.

People Management Responsibilities

There are no direct people management responsibilities within this role, however, the following will apply:

• Motivate team to ensure performance metrics are hit
• Support communication structures and training initiatives across the team to ensure all key messages are communicated
• Provides coaching on both soft and technical skills within the team
• Participate in Recruitment & Selection processes
• Act as a role model to others
  
  

Skills and Abilities:

• 5 years Payroll experience in a complex organisation
• A payroll subject matter expert
• Experience of working on EMEA payrolls (desirable but not essential)
• Proven ability to work to stringent deadlines
• Highly organised, diligent, with attention to detail and the ability to maintain these skills whilst working under pressure
• Excellent relationship management skills
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Flexible and adaptable
• Excellent excel skills essential – vlookup/data analysis
• Self starter, self motivated and ‘can do’ attitude

Knowledge and Qualifications:

• IPPM Qualified (desirable)
• A sound knowledge of payroll statutory regulations, financial control principles and accounting practices
• Knowledge of pension schemes and AE
• Experience of administering flex benefits and salary sacrifice arrangements through payroll
• Experience of working with ADP using IHCM (preferable)
  
  

This advert will automatically unpublish on Tues 19th Aug.

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to say at LifeAt.Informa.com

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive and most of us balance time in the office with time working remotely
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• Personal benefits: a range to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover
• ShareMatch scheme: allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares
• Strong wellbeing support: EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more
• Awards: Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes
• Global collaboration: As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

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