About First Actuarial

First Actuarial has been around since 2004, when a small group of like-minded actuaries came together to bring fresh thinking to pensions consultancy. Two decades later, our strong growth path has continued year on year, and we now employ around 500 people across seven locations.

We’re still an independent business with no chargeable hours targets, giving our people the time to deliver their best work and excel. We shape our high-quality services by listening closely to our clients’ needs. And we price those services fairly.

As we develop our business, prospects for our people grow. Our Basingstoke, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Peterborough, London and Tonbridge offices provide supportive work environments where everyone can make a difference. We enjoy work and celebrate our successes. We provide support and helpful feedback, so we all learn and improve.

We love numbers, but we love people more. Staff wellbeing and work-life balance have always been core values. Beyond the firm, we’re known for our integrity. We’re happy to challenge conventional thinking and speak up. Our pioneering work is set to transform the lives of millions of younger people with a new type of pension.

We are recruiting for this role in either of our seven offices.

Key Responsibilities of the Pensions Payroll Administrator

 Payroll Processing

• Manage monthly pension payrolls in line with internal deadlines and HMRC legislation
• Handle end-to-end tasks: setting up new pensioners, managing bereavements, applying tax code changes, and issuing lump sum payments
• Submit Real Time Information (RTI) reports to HMRC accurately and on time
• Conduct Year-End processing: final FPS submissions, issue of P60s, payroll closures
• Apply individual and bulk pension increases with accuracy and confidentiality
• Assist with onboarding new schemes, including data collation and running test payrolls

 General Payroll Operations

• Process additional payrolls to support the wider National Payroll Team as needed
• Maintain and regularly update the Master Payroll Control Spreadsheet
• Calculate net pay adjustments in overpayment cases
• Monitor and action items from shared payroll inboxes

 Collaboration & Support

• Work closely with the pensions administration teams and various internal stakeholders to resolve payroll queries
• Provide support to Team Leaders and the National Payroll Manager when required
• Contribute to process improvements and ensure compliance with data protection policies
• Accurately complete and submit timesheets

 Professional Development & Ownership

• Take full ownership of assigned payrolls and deliver them within required timeframes
• Proactively manage your own learning and keep up to date with payroll best practices and legislative updates

 What You’ll Bring

• 1+ year of payroll experience preferred (but not essential—full training provided)
• Confident using Excel (VLOOKUPs, formulas) and Microsoft Office
• A strong eye for detail, excellent communication skills, and a self-starting attitude
• Minimum 8 GCSEs including Maths and English (A*–C), degree preferred but not essential.

What we offer you

We’ll actively support you as you build your career – and reward you for doing so. At every level of seniority, we offer:

• A competitive remuneration package, including bonus and profit-sharing payments
• Private health insurance, life insurance and income protection insurance
• 25 days annual leave as standard, increasing with length of service, an extra day at Christmas, plus bank holidays and the option to purchase additional holidays
• A non-contributory pension
• Full training and study support.

We have hybrid working in place for colleagues who prefer homeworking for part of the week. We’re also flexible on working day arrangements and will happily accommodate a range of personal commitments from day one.

Our straightforward, interview-based approach to recruitment ensures equal opportunities for all applicants.

Please note that we can only accept candidates who have a right to work in the UK.

Apply now with covering letter and CV