Payroll Specialist

Role Purpose:

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for supporting accurate, timely and compliant payroll processing across the business, including payroll inputs, attendance validation, salary adjustments, EOSB calculations, C3 card administration, payroll records, and employee payroll-related queries.

Key Task and Responsibilities:

To ensure the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of payroll and employee compensation transactions across the business.

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for payroll preparation, salary input validation, EOSB calculations, attendance and timesheet verification, payroll reporting, C3 card administration, and support for compensation and benefits activities to ensure employees are paid correctly and in accordance with company policies and UAE labour requirements.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Payroll Administration
2. Prepare and process monthly payroll inputs for staff and operatives.
3. Verify all payroll transactions, including new joiners, resignations, terminations, allowances, deductions, overtime, incentives, unpaid leave, and salary adjustments.
4. Validate payroll data against approved attendance records, timesheets, HRIS records, and payroll business rules.
5. Review and validate payroll prior to posting to the general ledger to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with approved payroll inputs.
6. Conduct payroll reconciliations and resolve discrepancies before payroll submission.
7. Reconcile all payroll-related general ledger accounts and resolve identified variances in coordination with Finance.
8. Prepare payroll uploads into COINS, including payroll journals and related supporting schedules.
9. Support payroll processing, payroll validation, and payroll reporting activities.

1. Attendance & Timesheet Management
2. Review and validate monthly timesheets and attendance records prior to payroll cut-off.
3. Investigate attendance discrepancies, missing records, overtime exceptions, and payroll variances.
4. Monitor payroll-impacting attendance elements, including overtime, weekly offs, public holidays, absences, and leave balances.
5. Maintain accurate payroll records and supporting documentation.
6. Process leave salaries

1. End of Service Benefits (EOSB)
2. Prepare and validate EOSB calculations in accordance with company policy and UAE Labour Law.
3. Ensure separation documents, final timesheets, leave balances, deductions, and payroll data are accurately reflected in final settlements.
4. Coordinate with HRM and Finance to ensure timely processing and payment of EOSB settlements.

1. Compensation & Benefits
2. Support salary reviews, salary benchmarking exercises, and compensation analysis.
3. Administer employee benefits, including medical insurance, air tickets, allowances, and other benefits programs.
4. Maintain compensation and benefits data, salary structures, and payroll-related records.
5. Assist in monitoring labour costs, overtime costs, and workforce expenditure trends.
6. Prepare compensation and payroll reports, analytics, and management dashboards.
7. Prepare monthly MIS reports and payroll forecasts, including staff allocations, payroll recharges, labour cost movements, and forecasted payroll cost requirements.
8. Support bonus and incentive administration processes.
9. Open Pension file for Emirati Employees and pay out pension
10. Preparation of U16 and verify they are within budget. Escalate any incompliance

1. Employee Administration
2. Process and manage C3 card requests, replacements, renewals, and related employee payroll documentation.
3. Prepare salary certificates, salary transfer letters, and other payroll-related employee letters in line with approved company records.
4. Respond to employee payroll, salary, benefits, and EOSB queries.
5. Ensure payroll confidentiality and compliance with company policies and data protection requirements.
6. Be accountable for payroll audit readiness and compliance across WPS, ISO, external audits, and any other payroll-related audit requirements, including preparation of schedules, reconciliations, supporting documents, and responses to audit queries.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Professional qualifications in Payroll, Compensation & Benefits, HR, or Finance are advantageous.
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in compensation & benefits.
• Minimum 3 years' experience managing end-to-end payroll processing in the UAE.
• Experience preparing End of Service Benefits (EOSB) calculations and final settlements.
• Experience validating attendance records, timesheets, overtime, allowances, deductions, and payroll reconciliations.
• Experience administering employee benefits, including medical insurance, air tickets, allowances, and employee welfare schemes.
• Experience processing employee payroll administration activities, including salary amendments, new joiners, leavers, and C3 card administration.
• Experience working with HRIS, time and attendance systems, and payroll software.
• Strong knowledge of UAE Labour Law, particularly payroll, leave entitlements, EOSB, overtime, and statutory requirements.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, controls, reconciliations, and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of compensation and benefits principles, salary structures, market benchmarking, and reward practices.
• Knowledge of WPS payroll processing and payroll governance requirements.
• Understanding of time and attendance management, shift patterns, overtime calculations, and payroll business rules as per FM industry.
• Knowledge of payroll reporting, analytics, labour cost management, and workforce cost controls.
• Fluency in English; additional languages are an advantage
• Strong time management and organisational skills
• Good customer service and communication skills
• High numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, reconciliations, and payroll analysis.
• Strong reporting and data analysis capabilities.
• Excellent confidentiality and professional integrity.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage payroll deadlines and work under pressure.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.