Overview of the Role
This role will be responsible for the preparation and accurate delivery of the London payroll and expat payroll for international employees on assignment to London, as well as producing associated reports and fulfilling HMRC obligations.
This role works closely with all members of the London Finance team, the London Human Resources team and the global Payroll and Mobility teams.
Key Roles & Responsibilities
Payroll Administration
- Maintain and administer the day to day running of one monthly UK payroll and one shadow payroll
- Inputting all changes into the ADP Freedom system, including calculations for new joiners, family leaves, leavers, salary changes, etc.
- Work with the wider Finance team to reconcile payroll ledger accounts and prepare manual journals
- Reconcile and pay all UK tax, national insurance and statutory payments to HMRC
- Complete tax year end and submit all HMRC required reports, including but not limited to P60s, P11Ds, Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 records
- Collate and calculate annual PAYE Settlement Agreement tax and NI
- Responsible for EDI and RTI processes
- Respond to all payroll related correspondence and queries from HMRC and other relevant authorities
- Work closely with the global payroll team and training key members of the US team on UK payroll requirements
- Reconcile retirement payments, personal disbursements, as well as other ad hoc general ledger accounts
- Generating reports from ADP Freedom and uploading information to the firm’s benefits site
- General payroll and office administration
Pension and Benefits Administration
- Upload all monthly changes to the Scottish Widows pension site
- Understand and implement annual statutory changes, e.g. Auto Enrolment
- Provide advice during the firm’s benefit renewal process to the Human Resources team
- Work closely with the Human Resources team, providing first class support and advice on payroll, pension and benefit related issues
Qualifications & Skills
- Relevant, in-depth UK and expatriate payroll experience ideally gained in a law firm or professional services environment. Able to be sole person responsible for the London payroll
- In-depth experience of UK tax legislation, international tax, NI, statutory payments and HMRC regulations
- Able to work with the global payroll team with a basic understanding of international payroll processes
- Hard-working and enthusiastic, have a high level of initiative and a willingness to learn. Used to working in an international environment, multi-tasking and juggling deadlines from a number of key stakeholders simultaneously
- Strong oral and written communication skills and an ability to effectively communicate with people at all levels. Able to work in a fast-paced environment and manage suppliers and external parties
- Where necessary, confidence to escalate issues to the Global Payroll Manager and/or Director of Finance, London and Asia, and ensure successful resolution
- Advanced IT skills including Excel, Word, PowerPoint. Experience using ADP Freedom is highly desirable
- Meticulous attention to detail to ensure the delivery of high quality work. Self motivated, highly organised, accurate and able to work with minimal supervision
This job description is not exhaustive and the job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time.
Our Firm & Office
Ropes & Gray in a global law firm that operates across 17 time zones and has more than 1,400 lawyers based in the United States, Europe and Asia who collaborate seamlessly to provide clients with high-quality representation in innovative industries that shape the global economy. Our clients include private equity firms, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, financial institutions, mutual funds, hospital systems, and more. Client by client, we’ve built a reputation for first-class work, a pragmatic approach, and impeccable standards of service and ethics. We count many of the world’s most respected companies and institutions as longtime clients, and serve organizations at all stages of development. Clients trust us with their most important matters because they know we understand their businesses and deliver the results they need.
Our deeply rooted culture of teamwork means that our lawyers work closely with colleagues around the world to provide support to clients. This collaborative approach encourages our lawyers to work alongside partners and clients on sophisticated matters. We work as a team to support a range of leading legal practices, including private equity, M&A, capital markets, finance, asset management, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, data, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.
Ropes & Gray London is one of the largest offices in the Ropes & Gray network, and the hub of the firm’s EMEA network and set up in London in 2010. While we are now an established presence in the UK, we’ve retained all the buzz of our start-up years. It makes us a little bit different: it means we have the stature and resources of a major international law firm combined with the pace, inclusivity and career progression of a specialist firm. Our clients like to work with us. We are, of course, always professional, but we are personal, and personable with it. As a group, we’re international, diverse and our team is always professional, but uniquely personable. With around 31 partners, 110+ fee earners and a trainee intake of 13, everybody in the office knows everyone else. That means that every hire we make is an important investment for the firm, because each team member has a distinct role to play in delivering excellent service to our clients.