Payroll and Benefits Specialist

 

Company Overview

Offering a complete ecosystem of maritime services, including broking, finance, port services and research, Clarksons is at the heart of global shipping. Our unrivalled reach, expertise, and depth of experience, combined with leading research, enables us to partner with clients across every sector to meet the demands of the world’s rapidly evolving maritime, offshore, trade and energy markets. Building on our unique heritage and harnessing our insights to see further, faster, we work with our clients and communities to create strategies that have a positive impact on the industry and the world around us. Dedicated to excellence, it’s our people that drive success for our clients. To understand more including day-to-day life at Clarksons, visit us at

 

Role Summary

The Payroll & Benefits Specialist will play a key role in ensuring the successful delivery of payroll, compensation and benefits services across the Clarksons Group. Working closely with the Payroll Manager, Compensation & Benefits Manager, HR, Finance, Tax and external payroll providers, the role is responsible for coordinating payroll operations, managing stakeholder relationships, producing management information and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. This role focuses on payroll service delivery, governance and operational excellence, whilst also supporting compensation and benefits activities. The successful candidate will act as a trusted partner to internal stakeholders and outsourced payroll providers, helping to ensure payroll services are delivered accurately, efficiently and in line with agreed service levels. The successful candidate will have demonstrable experience in payroll operations or payroll service delivery within a multinational environment, with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships and contribute to the continuous development of payroll, compensation and benefits services. The role supports the delivery of payroll services across approximately 9 countries, 1200 employees and multiple outsourced payroll providers, utilising systems including Zellis ResourceLink, ADP Celergo & SAP SuccessFactors, and Microsoft Excel. 

 

What you’ll be doing
• Coordinate the operational delivery of multiple UK and international payrolls, ensuring payroll calendars and service level agreements are achieved.
• Act as the primary day-to-day contact for external payroll providers, managing service delivery, escalations and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with HR, Finance, Tax, Reward and business stakeholders across the Group.
• Develop and deliver payroll reporting, management information, reconciliations, KPI dashboards and operational insights for senior stakeholders.
• Support payroll governance activities, ensuring robust controls, reconciliations and compliance processes are maintained.
• Own the coordination and resolution of payroll queries, ensuring timely and effective outcomes for employees, stakeholders and outsourced payroll providers.
• Support annual audit requirements and maintain payroll process documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Assist with payroll projects, including new country implementations, payroll transitions, systems enhancements and process improvement initiatives.
• Support benefits administration and assist with the coordination of annual benefits activities where required.
• Support the annual salary and bonus review process by coordinating payroll inputs and ensuring approved changes are accurately communicated to payroll providers.
• Support annual salary benchmarking exercises and compensation analysis where required.
• Produce compensation and reward-related management information and reporting to support business decision making.
• Assist with the coordination of bonus and incentive payment processes, ensuring approved changes are accurately communicated to payroll providers.
• Produce payroll cost analysis, journals and on-cost reporting to support Finance and business stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, controls, reporting and overall service delivery.
• Drive operational excellence across the payroll function and support strategic payroll transformation initiatives, working closely with the Payroll Manager to continuously improve service delivery, governance and employee experience.
• Deliver accurate and timely payroll services across all assigned jurisdictions, ensuring agreed service levels are consistently achieved.
• Build and maintain strong service relationships with payroll providers, HR, Finance, Tax and other key business stakeholders
• Additional / ad hoc duties as required to meet the needs of the business.

 

What we’re looking for
We welcome applications from candidates who share our Company Values and key attributes, as follows:
• Integrity and respect – acting thoughtfully and ethically to do the right thing in accordance with Conduct Rules, and to promote and foster a respectful work environment for all.
• Drive – self-motivation and the desire and commitment to succeed, deliver excellence and make positive change.
• Relationship building – excellent communicator to effectively build strong, long-lasting relationships with colleagues, clients and others.
• Collaboration – working well with others across diverse backgrounds to share information, develop skills and deliver results.
• Resilience - persisting and adapting to changing or difficult situations and adopting a positive and focused approach.
• Smart - problem-solving and analytical abilities, with a curious and inquisitive mind, and an openness to new ideas.

Other requirements
• Demonstrable experience within payroll operations or payroll service delivery, ideally within a multinational environment.
• Experience working with outsourced payroll providers, ideally across multiple countries.
• Experience using payroll systems such as Zellis ResourceLink, ADP Celergo or equivalent outsourced payroll solutions would be advantageous.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent analytical skills with advanced Microsoft Excel capability.
• Experience producing payroll reporting, reconciliations and management information.
• Strong understanding of payroll governance, controls and compliance.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and coordinate activities across several payrolls simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills with confidence engaging stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
• Proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach.
• Experience supporting compensation, benefits or reward activities would be advantageous.
• Clarksons is committed to supporting ongoing professional development and encourages employees to pursue relevant payroll, reward and professional qualifications.
• Experience supporting payroll projects or system implementations