Principal Payroll SME Ireland

Job Description In this role, you will be the definitive expert on Ireland and UK payroll, helping our clients pay their people accurately, on time and in full compliance with Revenue and HMRC requirements. You’ll safeguard compliance, resolve the complex, and raise the bar for payroll quality across everything we do.

No two days are the same. You’ll act as the go-to authority and escalation point for intricate payroll matters, advise clients and colleagues, and lead the setup, testing and go-live of new and transitioning payrolls. From parallel runs to year-end, you’ll bring the deep statutory knowledge and calm judgement that keeps payroll running flawlessly across two jurisdictions.

To thrive in this role, you’ll need to enjoy solving problems, translating complex payroll rules into plain language, and continuously improving how we work. You’ll keep pace with legislative change in both Ireland and the UK, champion accuracy and efficiency, and share your expertise generously to lift the whole team.

Deep expertise, precision, integrity and a client-first mindset are must-haves in this job.

You’ll grow your career, shape how we deliver payroll, and build strong relationships as we design what’s next for ADP and the industry.

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We are a global leader in HR technology, offering the latest AI and machine learning-enhanced payroll, tax, HR, benefits, and much more.  We believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive, down-to-earth culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.  We’ve received recognition as a global Best Places to Work, and as a recipient of many prestigious awards for diversity, equity, and inclusion, including a Diversity Inc Top 50 Company, Best CEO and company for women, LGBTQ+, multicultural talent, and more.  

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WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Here’s what you can expect as a Senior Payroll SME roll expertise & compliance. You’ll act as the definitive subject matter expert for Ireland and UK payroll, ensuring accurate, compliant and on-time delivery across the full payroll lifecycle.

Advisory & escalation. You’ll be the go-to expert and escalation point for complex payroll matters, advising both clients and internal teams with clarity and confidence.

Implementation & onboarding. You’ll lead payroll setup, configuration, parallel runs, testing, data migration and go-live for new and transitioning payrolls.

Legislative change management. You’ll monitor Revenue and HMRC legislative changes and ensure they are reflected promptly and correctly in our processes and systems.

Continuous improvement. You’ll drive automation, accuracy and efficiency, using data and audit insight to identify pain points and deliver measurable improvements.

Collaboration & mentoring. You’ll partner across functions and coach and upskill junior colleagues, strengthening payroll knowledge and resilience across the team.

Reporting & documentation. You’ll produce clear, reliable payroll reporting and maintain accurate process documentation, controls and audit trails.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

A formal qualification is great but not strictly required. What matters most is proving you have the deep payroll expertise to do the job.

We’re looking for a senior payroll professional who brings:

UK payroll mastery. Current, in-depth knowledge of UK payroll legislation and statutory processing: PAYE, National Insurance, RTI (FPS/EPS), pension auto-enrolment, statutory payments (SSP/SMP/SPP/ShPP), P45/P60/P11D, HMRC compliance and year-end.

Ireland payroll mastery. Strong knowledge of Irish payroll:
Revenue PAYE Modernisation and real-time reporting, PRSI, USC, ROS submissions, statutory…