Payroll Administrator Virtual Assistant

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly organised, proactive and detail-oriented Payroll Administrator to support the efficient delivery of our weekly temporary workforce payroll operations.

This is a fast-paced, deadline-driven role requiring exceptional attention to detail, strong communication skills and the ability to work accurately and efficiently across multiple internal systems and external client portals.

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring temporary workers are paid accurately and on time, maintaining effective communication with candidates, clients and internal teams, and proactively managing timesheet submissions, approvals, assignment extensions and payroll queries.

The role requires someone who can take ownership of their responsibilities, prioritise effectively and operate with a strong sense of urgency while maintaining consistently high standards of accuracy and customer service.
Key Responsibilities

1. Payroll Administration & Timesheet Management

• Manage and monitor the central payroll inbox, ensuring all incoming correspondence, queries and requests are acknowledged, prioritised and actioned promptly.
• Process and upload weekly hours submitted by temporary workers onto the company’s internal payroll systems.
• Accurately upload and submit timesheets and working hours onto external client portals and Managed Service Provider (MSP) systems.
• Ensure all timesheet submissions are completed within the required weekly payroll deadlines.
• Identify missing, incomplete or inaccurate timesheets and proactively follow up with the relevant parties.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and ensure information is consistent across internal and external systems.

2. Timesheet Monitoring, Approvals & Reporting

• Monitor weekly timesheet submissions across all relevant payroll platforms.
• Produce and circulate regular submission reports to internal recruitment teams, highlighting outstanding timesheets and required actions.
• Track timesheet approvals and identify any outstanding or delayed authorisations.
• Provide timely approval reports to internal teams to support follow-up activity.
• Proactively liaise with candidates, clients and consultants to resolve outstanding submissions or approvals before payroll cut-off.
• Escalate potential payroll delays or risks to the Payroll Manager at the earliest opportunity.

3. Assignment Extensions & Workforce Coordination

• Proactively monitor temporary worker assignment end dates to identify upcoming extensions.
• Raise and process assignment extensions within the required timescales, ensuring continuity of assignments and payroll arrangements.
• Liaise directly with clients to confirm extension details, authorisations and relevant contractual information.
• Communicate confirmed assignment extensions to temporary workers clearly and promptly.
• Ensure all extensions are accurately recorded and updated across relevant internal systems and external portals.
• Work closely with recruitment consultants to identify and resolve any outstanding extension requirements.
• Maintain a proactive approach to preventing assignment lapses, payroll interruptions or administrative delays.

4. Payroll Queries & Customer Service

• Act as a key point of contact for temporary workers, clients and internal colleagues regarding payroll-related queries.
• Investigate and resolve timesheet discrepancies, missing hours, payment queries and other payroll-related issues.
• Provide clear, professional and solution-focused communication throughout the resolution process.
• Take ownership of queries, ensuring they are followed through to a satisfactory resolution.
• Escalate complex or sensitive payroll issues appropriately while maintaining clear communication with those affected.
• Deliver a consistently high standard of customer service, recognising the importance of accurate and timely payment to our temporary workforce.

5. Umbrella Company Preferred Supplier List (PSL) Management

• Maintain and manage the company’s approved umbrella company Preferred Supplier List.
• Conduct weekly checks to ensure all required umbrella company accreditations remain valid and up to date.
• Maintain accurate records of accreditation status and supporting documentation.
• Proactively identify upcoming accreditation expiries, missing documentation or compliance concerns.
• Liaise with umbrella providers to obtain updated accreditation evidence and resolve outstanding requirements.
• Obtain umbrella company payslips and supporting documentation when required for internal, external or client audits.
• Escalate any identified compliance risks promptly to the appropriate manager.

6. Workforce Communications

• Prepare and distribute weekly payroll communications and reminders to the temporary workforce.
• Ensure workers are clearly informed of timesheet submission deadlines, approval requirements and relevant payroll processes.
• Proactively communicate changes to payroll arrangements, deadlines or processes where required.
• Maintain professional, consistent and helpful communication with workers, clients and internal teams.

7. Expenses Administration

• Receive, review and process expenses submitted by temporary workers.
• Accurately upload approved expenses onto the appropriate internal payroll systems and external client portals.
• Ensure expenses are supported by the necessary information, evidence and approvals.
• Monitor outstanding expense submissions and authorisations.
• Produce reports on expenses submitted, processed and outstanding.
• Resolve discrepancies and liaise with candidates, clients and consultants to ensure expenses are processed within the relevant payroll timelines.

Skills, Experience & Personal Attributes

Essential Skills

• Exceptional attention to detail: Ability to process high volumes of payroll information with accuracy and consistency.
• Excellent written and verbal English Language.
• Strong organisational skills: Capable of managing multiple responsibilities, deadlines and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Speed and efficiency: Able to work at pace without compromising the quality or accuracy of work.
• Sense of urgency: Understands the importance of strict payroll deadlines and takes proactive action to prevent delays.
• Excellent communication: Confident communicating professionally with candidates, clients and internal stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.
• Problem-solving ability: Takes ownership of issues and works proactively to identify practical and timely resolutions.
• Strong IT skills: Confident using digital systems, spreadsheets, email platforms and administrative software.
• Accountability: Demonstrates reliability, ownership and a commitment to completing tasks within agreed timescales.
• Adaptability: Comfortable responding to changing priorities and working effectively under pressure.
• Customer service focus: Committed to delivering a positive and professional experience for temporary workers and clients.

Highly Desirable

• Previous experience in payroll administration, recruitment administration, timesheet processing or a similar high-volume administrative environment.
• Experience working with a UK based company.
• Experience working with multiple payroll systems, recruitment CRMs and external client portals.
• Familiarity with Managed Service Provider (MSP) platforms and temporary workforce payroll processes.
• Knowledge of umbrella company arrangements and associated compliance requirements.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including maintaining trackers and producing operational reports.
• A high level of technical confidence, with the ability to learn new systems quickly and troubleshoot administrative issues.
• Experience working within a recruitment agency or another business operating strict weekly processing deadlines.

Key Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured against the following expectations:

• Payroll accuracy: Consistently high levels of accuracy across timesheet, hours and expenses processing.
• Deadline management: All payroll-related tasks, submissions and approvals are progressed within agreed weekly cut-off times.
• Proactive reporting: Accurate and timely reporting of outstanding timesheets, approvals, extensions and expenses.
• Assignment continuity: Upcoming assignment extensions are identified, communicated and processed before expiry wherever possible.
• Query resolution: Payroll queries are acknowledged promptly, investigated efficiently and progressed through to resolution.
• Compliance: Umbrella PSL accreditation checks are completed weekly, with accurate records maintained and any issues escalated.
• Communication: Consistent, professional and proactive communication with the workforce, clients and internal teams.
• System accuracy: Internal and external payroll records are maintained accurately and kept up to date.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who thrives in a busy operational environment, enjoys working with systems and processes, and understands the importance of getting things right first time.

The ideal candidate will be naturally organised, technically confident and comfortable working across several platforms throughout the day. They will have the ability to manage their workload independently, anticipate problems before they arise and maintain momentum during demanding payroll periods.

Above all, we are looking for someone who combines speed with accuracy, takes genuine ownership of their responsibilities and understands that payroll is a time-critical function where effective communication, attention to detail and reliability are essential