Job Description

The Colleague Experience Group (CEG)—Amex’s Human Resources function—is responsible for all colleague-related benefits and programs globally, including career growth and development, leadership and learning, total rewards and well-being, recruitment, labor relations, colleague servicing, and more. CEG’s vision is to provide the best colleague experience every day to fuel growth, and they are committed to ensuring all of Team Amex has the resources and support they need to be and deliver their best.

The Payroll Specialist will report to the EMEA Payroll Manager and form part of the Colleague Servicing (CS) Team.

This is a senior, UK-focused payroll role responsible for delivering accurate, compliant and timely payroll activities, with particular emphasis on UK payroll data, statutory and tax requirements, payroll returns and Modified Payroll.

The successful candidate will bring strong technical UK payroll knowledge and be comfortable operating with a high degree of independence and accountability. You will be expected to manage your own workload, make informed decisions, identify and resolve issues, and independently review and validate your work to ensure accuracy and strong controls.

This is not a payroll generalist role. A significant part of the position involves managing, validating and analysing complex payroll data. The successful candidate will enjoy working with data, investigating discrepancies, performing detailed reconciliations and using analysis to identify issues and drive improvements.

You will work closely with internal stakeholders and external partners while taking ownership of key UK payroll activities and ensuring compliance with UK tax and employment legislation, statutory requirements and internal controls.

• Take ownership of key activities across the UK payroll cycle, ensuring accurate and timely delivery.
• Process, review and validate complex UK payroll data, including salary changes, variable compensation, absences, benefits and other payroll inputs.
• Independently perform detailed payroll reconciliations, validations and variance analysis, identifying and resolving discrepancies.
• Manage UK payroll returns, reporting and associated data requirements, ensuring accurate and timely submissions.
• Manage and support activities relating to Modified Payroll, applying appropriate technical knowledge and controls.
• Apply strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation, PAYE, National Insurance, statutory payments, taxation and relevant employment legislation to payroll activities and decisions.
• Analyse large and complex payroll datasets to identify anomalies, trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Take ownership of payroll issues through to resolution, using technical expertise and judgement to determine the appropriate course of action.
• Independently review and quality-check your work, maintaining a strong control mindset and proactively identifying potential issues.
• Coordinate and support UK tax filings, statutory reporting and year-end activities.
• Partner with internal teams, including CEG and Controllership, as well as external payroll and tax partners, to deliver seamless payroll operations.
• Manage external vendor relationships, ensuring agreed service levels, timelines and quality standards are achieved.
• Prepare payroll reports, reconciliations, metrics and analysis to support payroll governance and month-end and year-end activities.
• Maintain robust payroll controls, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and supporting documentation.
• Ensure compliance with UK legislation, internal policies, risk and control requirements, and internal and external audit standards.
• Act as a UK payroll subject matter expert and support internal and external audits as required.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen controls, simplify processes and increase standardisation and automation.
• Manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently within a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Deliver a high standard of service when resolving colleague payroll queries, balancing colleague experience with technical accuracy and compliance.
• Experienced hands-on UK payroll experience, including practical experience of UK payroll processing, tax and statutory requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of UK payroll legislation, PAYE, National Insurance, statutory payments and relevant UK employment legislation.
• Experience managing UK payroll returns, statutory reporting and payroll data.
• Experience of, or strong knowledge relating to, Modified Payroll is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical and data management skills, with experience working with large or complex payroll datasets.
• Demonstrated ability to perform detailed payroll reconciliations, validations and variance analysis.
• Excellent attention to detail and a proven ability to independently review and validate the accuracy of your own work.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, exercise sound judgement and make informed decisions without requiring close supervision.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to investigate complex payroll issues and drive them through to resolution.
• Strong understanding of payroll controls, compliance and risk management.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver accurately against demanding payroll and statutory deadlines.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, including experience working with internal partners and external vendors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong customer service mindset while maintaining appropriate payroll controls and compliance standards.
• A genuine interest in the data, analytical and technical aspects of payroll, with the ability to use data to improve accuracy, controls and processes.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the UK is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for this position.

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you’ll experience our powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career. Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.