Payroll Administrator

Role: Payroll Administrator 

Location: Head Office, Loughrea, Co. Galway

Type: Permanent

About Glanua

Glanua is a leading provider of innovative, sustainable engineering solutions, delivering the design, construction, operation and maintenance of critical water, wastewater and bioresource infrastructure across Ireland and the UK. We work in partnership with municipal and industrial clients, including Uisce Éireann, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Kerry Group, Glanbia, ABP, Eli Lilly and Wuxi, to address some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

We are passionate about creating a decarbonised, sustainable future. To achieve this, we build diverse and inclusive teams and provide an environment where people are empowered to grow, develop their skills and make a meaningful impact on the communities and environments we serve. Guided by our core values, we uphold the highest standards of Safety and Well-being, Innovation, Integrity, Collaboration, Courage, Agility, Accountability, and Diversity and Inclusion in everything we do.

With over 600 colleagues and offices in Ireland (Galway, Navan, Cork), United Kingdom (London, Wakefield, Manchester, Northern Ireland) and Portugal (Lisbon), supported by our state-of-the-art offsite manufacturing and innovation facility in Navan, Glanua continues to grow through innovation and strategic acquisitions. We are always interested in hearing from talented, motivated individuals who want to develop their careers and contribute to building a cleaner, more sustainable planet. 

The Role / Role Purpose

Role overview:

The Payroll Administrator supports the timely, accurate and compliant delivery of payroll across the UK and Ireland businesses, processing employee payments, maintaining payroll records and providing a responsive, professional service to employees, managers and external bodies.

What success looks like:

Payrolls are processed on time and to a high standard of accuracy, employee queries are resolved promptly, payroll records are complete and audit-ready, and statutory submissions and returns are made on schedule and without error.

Location / working pattern:

Office based in Loughrea, Co. Galway, working closely with the Payroll Manager and wider Finance and HR teams. 

Scope

• Business area / team: Payroll function within Finance / Shared Services, supporting the UK and Ireland businesses.

• Geography / sites: Loughrea office, supporting employees across multiple Glanua sites and offices in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA.

• Work type: End-to-end payroll administration including data input, validation, reconciliations, reporting and employee query resolution.

• Decision making / authority: Makes routine day-to-day decisions within clearly defined payroll processes and escalates anything unusual, complex or high-risk to the Payroll Manager.

• Budget / resources: No budget responsibility; accountable for the accuracy and integrity of payroll data and outputs within assigned areas. 

Reporting Line

• Reports to: Payroll Manager.

• Dotted-line reporting: Works closely with Finance, HR and the wider Shared Services team.

• Direct reports: None.

• Key interfaces: Employees, line managers, Payroll Manager, HR, Finance, external payroll providers, Revenue, HMRC and pension providers. 

Key Stakeholders

• Internal stakeholders: Payroll Manager, Finance team, HR team, line managers and employees across the UK and Ireland businesses.

• External stakeholders: Revenue (Ireland), HMRC (UK), pension providers, benefit providers, banks and external auditors.

• Measures of success / KPIs: Payroll accuracy, on-time processing, timely query resolution, compliance with statutory deadlines, quality of payroll records and adherence to data privacy and confidentiality standards. 

Key Responsibilities

Payroll processing & delivery

• Support the accurate and timely processing of weekly, fortnightly and monthly payrolls for employees across the UK and Ireland businesses.

• Input, validate and reconcile payroll data including starters, leavers, contractual changes, hours, overtime, bonuses, expenses and statutory payments.

• Carry out pre-payroll and post-payroll checks, including gross to net reviews and variance analysis, escalating anomalies to the Payroll Manager.

• Process statutory payments and deductions (e.g. PAYE, PRSI, USC, NI, pensions, court orders, attachments and benefits-in-kind) in line with UK and Irish requirements.

Compliance, controls & confidentiality

• Ensure payroll activities comply with all relevant national legal, fiscal and regulatory requirements in both Ireland and the UK.

• Support adherence to internal controls (including ICS controls), segregation of duties and approved payroll policies and procedures.

• Maintain strict confidentiality of employee data and ensure full compliance with company and country data privacy rules at all times.

• Support the preparation of information required for internal and external audits and respond to audit queries in a timely manner. 

Reporting & reconciliations

• Prepare and support routine payroll reports, reconciliations and journal information for the Payroll Manager and Finance team.

• Assist with statutory returns and filings (e.g. Revenue and HMRC submissions, pension reporting and year-end activities).

• Maintain accurate and com

Employee & stakeholder support

• Act as a first point of contact for payroll queries from employees and managers, providing clear, professional and timely responses.

• Work closely with HR to ensure changes to employment terms, benefits and personal data are reflected accurately in payroll.

• Liaise with external providers (e.g. pension administrators, benefit providers and tax authorities) on routine matters under the guidance of the Payroll Manager.

Continuous improvement & development

• Support process design and improvement activities, contributing ideas to improve efficiency, accuracy and the employee experience.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of UK and Irish payroll legislation and best practice through ongoing learning and continuous professional development.

• Undertake other duties as reasonably required to support the delivery of an effective payroll service.

Required Skills & Experience

Qualifications / certifications: Leaving Certificate or equivalent essential. A recognised payroll qualification (e.g. IPASS Certificate in Payroll Techniques, CIPP qualification or working towards one) is desirable. Relevant experience: 1–2 years' experience in a payroll, finance or HR administration role is desirable;

Relevant experience supporting Irish and/or UK payroll is particularly beneficial. Strong candidates with relevant transferable experience and an appetite to learn will also be considered.

Technical / functional skills: Working knowledge of payroll concepts and statutory deductions in Ireland and/or the UK (e.g. PAYE, PRSI, USC, NI, pensions and BIK); proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; familiarity with a payroll system (e.g. Megapay, CorePay, Sage, SAP or similar) is desirable.

Behavioural skills: Strong attention to detail and a high standard of accuracy; well-organised with good time management; clear written and verbal communication; discretion and respect for confidential information; collaborative team player with a positive, service-focused approach. Other requirements: Eligibility to work in Ireland; office-based role in Loughrea, Co. Galway; ability to meet payroll cut-off deadlines and to handle peak processing periods.

Other requirements: Eligibility to work in Ireland; office-based role in Loughrea, Co. Galway; ability to meet payroll cut-off deadlines and to handle peak processing periods. 

Competencies

Self-Awareness: Reflects on personal impact and asks for feedback; acts on feedback and learns from mistakes; stays composed during routine pressure and busy payroll cycles.

Communication & Collaboration: Communicates clearly and listens well; builds positive day-to-day working relationships with employees, HR, Finance and external contacts; begins to tailor message and tone to different audiences.

Accountability & Delivery: Owns commitments and follows through on assigned payroll tasks; solves straightforward problems and asks for help when needed; completes work to agreed standards and within payroll deadlines.

Business & Strategic Awareness: Understands how accurate payroll supports employee experience and business performance; recognises basic cost, compliance and quality drivers; uses facts and evidence to support routine recommendations.

Leading People: Sets clear expectations in own interactions; creates respect and participation in team interactions; adjusts style for different people and situations.

Developing Others: Shares knowledge with colleagues and gives clear information when asked; provides practical feedback to help others complete tasks; encourages participation in learning and new experiences.

Leading Change & Decisions: Explains what is changing and why it matters; recognises obvious risks and escalates promptly; understands basic trade-offs between speed, quality and cost. 

Sustainability & ESG Expectations 

Environmental impact: Support paper-light, digital ways of working in payroll administration and minimise unnecessary printing and waste.

Social impact: Ensure employees are paid accurately and on time, supporting financial wellbeing; treat all colleagues with respect, professionalism and inclusivity.

Governance: Uphold the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality and data protection; comply with internal controls (including ICS controls), payroll policies and statutory requirements in Ireland and the UK.

Role-specific expectations: Support a strong culture of compliance, accuracy and ethical behaviour across all payroll activities. 

Why work for Glanua At Glanua,

At Glanua,you will have the opportunity to build your career in an ambitious and growing organisation, while contributing to projects that support a cleaner and more sustainable future.

• Opportunity to join a dynamic and expanding organisation delivering critical infrastructure projects.

• Opportunity to gain wider HR experience to build future career path.

• A collaborative and supportive working environment, with a strong focus on employee wellbeing.

• 23 days annual leave plus bank holidays.

• A competitive salary and benefits package aligned to market standards.

• Company laptop and phone.

• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a confidential 24/7, 365-day counselling service available to employees and their families. Additional Information.

Additional Information

• Office-based role in Loughrea, Co. Galway, working core business hours.

• Permanent position following a 6-month probationary period (or extension thereof).

• Required as soon as possible.

• Travel to UK may be required from time to time 

Additional Responsibilities

None at this time. Any additional duties will be discussed and agreed with the Payroll Manager as the role evolves.