Payroll Officer

Payroll Officer

Find out more about the daily tasks, overall responsibilities, and required experience for this opportunity by scrolling down now.
Salary - Up to 47,500 Schedule - Full Time
Experience - Must have experience working with Tronc
JKS Restaurants are seeking a Payroll Officer to join their team. The successful candidate will be friendly, personable and passionate about all things food and drink. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Payroll Officer looking for a new role in an award winning, critically acclaimed group.
The Group
JKS Restaurants was founded by siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi in November 2008. The group has received critical acclaim and industry recognition since its inception, including 7 Michelin stars, 4 Michelin Bib Gourmands and one restaurant ranked in the Worlds 100 Best restaurants.
The JKS portfolio currently includes Michelin Starred restaurants Trishna, Gymkhana, Kitchen Table, Sabor and Lyles; as well as cult favourites Hoppers, BAO, Brigadiers, Berenjak, and Bibi. Pubs include The Cadogan Arms and The George.
JKS Restaurants offers a unique chance to either pursue a career in fine dining or develop within casual trend focused cuisine, with opportunities across all disciplines for those looking to progress their careers within a people focused, collaborative hospitality group.
The Role
The Payroll Officer is responsible for the accurate and timely delivery of payroll across a defined portfolio of brands. Working as part of a dedicated brand finance team, the role owns end-to-end payroll processing and ensures payroll data is complete, accurate and aligned to financial reporting requirements.
The role plays a key part in supporting labour cost control by providing reliable payroll data, reconciling payroll to rotas and ensuring outputs feed cleanly into management accounts and forecasting. It also acts as the primary point of contact for payroll queries across sites, HR and external providers.
This is a hands-on role in a fast-paced, multi-site environment, suited to someone with strong attention to detail, a solid understanding of payroll principles and the ability to manage high volumes of data accurately.
Payroll Processing & Delivery
Process payroll end-to-end for employees across assigned brands
Ensure payroll changes (e.g. salaries, tronc, deductions) are accurately reflected and processed on time
Prepare payroll inputs, including tronc calculations and supporting schedules
Deliver payroll in line with agreed timelines, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time
Reporting & Analysis
Ensure rotas are completed on a weekly basis and prepare weekly staff cost reports for assigned brands
Reconcile payroll to rotas, identifying and explaining variances to support monthly reporting
Prepare and maintain tronc reports and supporting schedules
Maintain payroll-related trackers, including staff advances and adjustments
Liaise with HR and Operations to ensure payroll inputs are complete and accurate
Reconciliation & Controls
Support reconciliation of payroll and PAYE balance sheet accounts, ensuring discrepancies are identified and resolved.
Perform regular checks to ensure accuracy and completeness of payroll records.
Maintain organised and well-documented payroll records to support audit and review processes.
Compliance
Ensure payroll is processed in line with UK legislation, including PAYE, NI, auto-enrolment and statutory payments
Stay up to date with payroll and tax regulations and apply changes where required
Support statutory reporting requirements, including P11Ds, HMRC queries and surveys
Assist with implementation of tronc legislation and maintain supporting documentation
Apply NMW/NLW updates and other regulatory changes
Stakeholder Management & Support
Act as the main point of contact for payroll queries from employees, site teams and HR
Provide guidance to site managers on payroll processes and queries
Support payroll systems (e.g. S4) for assigned brands
Liaise with external providers to resolve issues and maintain smooth payroll operations
Escalate payroll issues, risks or discrepancies to the Financial Controller where appropriate
Key Deliverables & Value-Add Expectations
Accurate, on-time payroll processing for all team sites with minimal corrections required
Strong understanding of each brands tronc and service charge arrangements, reducing errors and queries
Timely and accurate labour cost data to support management accounts and forecasting
Weekly rota reconciliations and staff cost reports delivered to the finance team on time
Responsive and reliable support to site managers on payroll-related queries
Payroll processes delivered in line with HMRC, auto-enrolment and tronc legislation requirements
Progression Expectations
Build confidence in delivering payroll accurately and on time with minimal supervision
Develop a stronger understanding of payroll processes, controls and compliance requirements
Improve ability to identify and resolve discrepancies in payroll and rota reconciliations
Strengthen understanding of how payroll data supports management accounts and labour analysis
Build effective working relationships with site teams, HR and finance, becoming a reliable point of contact for payroll queries
Demonstrate improved efficiency and organisation in managing payroll processes and deadlines
Essential
Experience in payroll administration
Good understanding of UK payroll legislation (PAYE, NI, auto-enrolment)
Experience using payroll systems (e.g. S4, Sage Payroll, Fourth or similar)
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Good organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines
Clear communication skills, with confidence handling employee and manager queries

Desirable
Hospitality or multi-site payroll experience
Experience with tronc or service charge payroll
Experience with Fourth / S4 HR & Payroll systems
Basic understanding of payroll reporting and reconciliations

Behaviours
Reliable and accountable, with strong attention to detail and accuracy
Organised and able to manage deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Proactive in identifying and resolving issues
Clear and professional communicator, comfortable dealing with employees and site teams
Collaborative and supportive, working effectively with finance, HR and operations
Committed to maintaining high standards and continuously improving processes
Benefits & Culture Our team is the most important part of our business, translating our passion for genuine hospitality to our guests every day. We are proud to work with industry-leading talent and recognise the importance of offering our teams the tools, guidance and experience necessary to build confidence and grow.
We encourage you to bring your whole self to work and celebrate the skills and characteristics that make you unique. xwzovoh Your commitment to be kind and work hard comes with a range of benefits such as:
Treat Yourself
Up to 50% off dining across JKS Restaurants
Retail & Takeaway Discounts
Code App Membership
Look After Yourself
Discounted Gym Membership
Wagestream stream your pay earlier
Company Donations for your involvement with Charities
Employee Assistance Program
Access to Financial Advice
Wedding Gift & New-born Care Package - Celebrating your big occasions
Progress Yourself
Access to our fantastic L&D Calendar
A personalised learning & development plan to develop your skills and knowledge
Career progression with a fast-growing, critically acclaimed restaurant group.
Be Yourself
Additional holiday for every year with us (rising to 33 days)
Employee referral scheme - paying up to £600 per referral
Staff parties & long service awards