Payroll Consultant

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

Payroll Consultant

This role is open for applications from candidates who are currently located and have the right to work in Romania and Poland. The successful candidate will remain in their current location/entity. There is no relocation or sponsorship support.  

Role purpose

This role will be responsible for the creation and implementation of lean transactional payroll operations and for the running of payroll operations activities in the region, its compliance, efficiency, and accuracy. This will include designing tools, processes and procedures to manage a methodical payroll administration, leveraging MyHR and ensuring successful partnering and integration with other platforms. The key focus is to review, analyse, recommend, and drive regional payroll operational and administrative models, ensuring excellent implementation in the deployment of payroll operational process and procedures. The role requires a systematic, integrated approach with a focus on continuous improvement.

Main accountabilities include but not limited to:

Leadership & Management

• Setting up and managing an efficient and effective payroll operations function.
• Support in the alignment of processes and platforms to achieve integration to other HR and non-HR processes and platforms.
• Support the continuous improvement of processes for better, faster and more customer focussed payroll operations.

Relationship & Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate with the People function to ensure a seamless employee experience from hire to retire.

Work in conjunction with the MSP to:

• Review employee data (new hires, changes, additional earnings) from MyHR to inform payroll run(s) and pre-empt any issue, if any. In some countries data may come from multiple sources which will need to be reconciled.
• Complete payroll calculations manually (through excel templates) or through a payroll system. 
• Make contributions to statutory bodies (pension, social security particularly).
• Ensure system generated pay slips are distributed to employees accurately and on a timely manner.
• Consolidate payroll register report and other payroll related reports and seek appropriate vetting and approvals for payroll processing. 

Case Management

• Attend to employee enquiries on payroll related issues via case management platform.
• Timely management of queries – respond daily to queries via C4C (case management ticketing system), in line with Service Level Agreements. 
• Strive to understand stakeholder queries and resolve tickets in a customer centric manner.

Records Management

• Maintain rigorous filing of all payroll related documentations (payslips and payroll reports especially). 
• Archive/ Destroy payroll records in line with data protection policies and practices in the country.
• Support audits where required.

Service Improvement

• Support continuous improvement initiatives. 
• Approach issues and roadblocks with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Contribute to outsourcing projects particularly at the stage of transition into business as usual.

Stakeholder Communication

• Proactively communicate with all approvers and key personnel to ensure effective coordination and approvals of payroll payments.
• Escalate issues to appropriate management levels in a timely manner to ensure fast resolution and risk mitigations are put in place.

Teamwork

• Proactively support and offer help to other team members when their workload requires additional support.
• Ask for help from management and team members where needed.
• Support change initiatives and be a change advocate particularly in outsourcing initiatives

Collaborate with other People function pillars

• Work collaboratively with other People function areas to support the initiatives undertaken for the business.
• Continuous feedback to other People function areas on change and/or issues faced by the payroll team to ensure the business has a single combined HR perspective

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Experience of reviewing and improving payroll operations processes and practices
• Experience of payroll operations across several countries in the region, including designing tools, processes and procedures.
• Has worked in a multinational organisation, with varied cultures and nationalities
• Experience leading payroll staff
• Proven ability in solving process and technical issues.
• Written and verbal proficiency in English is required

Desirable

• Knowledge of automation in payroll
• Experience in a shared service/ outsourcing environment
• Experience in people management or team leadership
• Professional HR or tax/payroll qualification

Important Information:

Locations: Warsaw, Poland and Bucharest, Romania

Contract type: Indefinite Contract

Basic Monthly Salary: PLN 8,200.00 (Poland) and RON 8,400.00 (Romania)

Closing Date: 31 December 2025, 22:59 UK time/ 23:59 South Africa time

British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service.  This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org