Payroll Specialist

Our purpose 

Inspiring and empowering our people to create a positive difference for themselves, our clients and the planet.

Sustainable Energy First is an energy and sustainability consultancy, founded to solve energy management problems in very large, complex commercial estates.

This remains the core of our business driven by a commitment to sustainability and the goal of reducing our clients’ carbon footprint.

The Role in a Nutshell ️

Join SE First as a Payroll Specialist and take ownership of delivering seamless, end-to-end payroll across a dynamic and growing organisation. This role is at the heart of ensuring accuracy, compliance, and data integrity, while introducing strong controls that reduce risk and elevate payroll operations. With increasing scale and complexity, you’ll play a key role in shaping a consistent, auditable process and delivering an outstanding experience for every employee.

Payroll Delivery

Take full ownership of end-to-end payroll processing across multiple payroll cycles

Ensure all payroll inputs are accurate, approved, and delivered on time

Manage complex calculations including salary changes, bonuses, commissions, statutory payments, and deductions

Oversee all employee lifecycle changes, including starters, leavers, and amendments

Lead year-end processes, ensuring accurate delivery of P60s, P11Ds, and benefit reporting

Compliance & Governance

Champion compliance with UK payroll legislation, including PAYE, NIC, and statutory requirements (SSP, SMP, SPP, etc.)

Own all HMRC reporting (RTI submissions, FPS/EPS), ensuring accuracy and timeliness

Maintain audit-ready processes with clear documentation and strong controls

Stay ahead of legislative changes, embedding best practice across payroll operations

Support internal and external audits with confidence and precision

Data, Systems & Insight

Maintain high-quality payroll data across HRIS (HiBob) and payroll systems

Reconcile payroll with People and Finance data, ensuring consistency and accuracy

Proactively identify and resolve discrepancies

Deliver reliable payroll data to support finance reporting and people insights

Quality & Risk Management

Perform rigorous end-to-end payroll checks before final sign-off

Embed and maintain strong controls to drive accuracy and minimise risk

Quickly investigate and resolve payroll queries and issues

Ensure consistent oversight across the payroll cycle to protect business operations

Stakeholder Collaboration

Act as the go-to expert for payroll queries, providing clear and timely guidance

Build strong relationships with employees, managers, and key stakeholders

Manage external payroll providers, ensuring high service standards and accuracy

Collaborate closely with People Operations and Finance teams

Benefits & Pensions

Manage pension contributions and ensure compliance with auto-enrolment requirements

Support payroll-related benefits administration, including salary sacrifice schemes

Reconcile deductions, manage third-party payments, and ensure accurate reporting

Continuous Improvement

Identify opportunities to enhance payroll efficiency, accuracy, and experience

Support system improvements and HRIS/payroll integration initiatives

Contribute to wider People Operations improvement projects

Play an active role in key initiatives such as system implementations, TUPE transfers, and policy changes

Salary: £35,000

Holidays: 25 days + bank holidays + your birthday off, increasing to 30 days on length of service

Hybrid working (at least 2 days per week working from our Fulwood, Preston office)

⌛Flexible working - including the ability to bank up to to 5 extra days off per year

⛹ Gym contribution

Long service awards

Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced paternity/non-pregnant colleague and maternity/pregnant colleague leave

Simply Health scheme

EV Scheme

Inclusion and Belonging

We believe that diversity is more than a commitment, it’s at the heart of who we are. We aim to create an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work.

We celebrate different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences because we know they make us stronger, bolder and more imaginative, which link to our core values. By fostering a culture of belonging, we aim to provide a workplace where every voice is heard, and every individual can thrive.

Our culture has been set up to bring the best out of our people. If we sound like the kind of business where you’re ready to take the next step, then we look forward to hearing from you!