Payroll Operations Specialist – Systems and Benefits

A career without limits

As the nation’s flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

It’s something we’ve been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world’s first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.

This originality has been in our blood since day one. It’s the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.

So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.

We know great things can happen when you’re inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role: Payroll Operations Specialist – Systems and Benefits
Behind every great flight is a team of people who keep British Airways running smoothly — and Payroll Operations is right at the heart of that. 

As a Payroll Operations Specialist within our Payroll Systems and Benefits team, you’ll play a vital role in ensuring thousands of colleagues are paid accurately, on time and in line with regulatory requirements.
Working within our People Directorate, you’ll support a complex, high‑volume payroll operation that underpins trust, compliance and colleague experience across British Airways and our subsidiary and affiliated companies. This is a role where precision meets purpose, and where your expertise directly supports the people who power our airline every day.

• What you’ll do:
  You’ll take an active role in the end‑to‑end delivery of payroll systems and benefits processing, supporting core system activities such as feed management, reconciliation and payroll data management.
• Using your analytical skills, you’ll work with payroll and benefits data to identify issues, resolve anomalies and implement proactive solutions that protect payroll accuracy.
• You’ll review payroll and exception reports, ensuring transactions are processed in line with agreed controls, challenging requests where appropriate and maintaining the highest standards of compliance.
• Alongside this, you’ll support reconciliations, third‑party payments and HMRC submissions, including RTI and EYU, contribute to system upgrades and statutory changes, and complete statutory and third‑party documentation.
• You’ll also provide a responsive, customer‑focused service, managing payroll queries through online and telephone channels, supporting payroll systems such as Expenses and the Pay Portal App, and representing Pay Services at forums, roadshows and events.

What you’ll bring to British Airways:
You’ll bring a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of ownership, with the confidence to work accurately with highly sensitive data. You’ll be proactive, flexible and comfortable adapting to change, with a genuine interest in developing expertise across payroll systems and benefits processes. Highly organised and data‑driven, you’ll take a structured, process‑led approach to your work while collaborating closely with colleagues and stakeholders to deliver the best possible service. Above all, you’ll be motivated by continuous improvement and take pride in getting things right first time.

Your experience:

• Experience working in a large-volume payroll department.
• GCSE or A-level standard education (or equivalent) in English and Maths.
• Sound knowledge of PAYE legislation and payroll compliance requirements. (essential)
• Proficiency in payroll practices, including validation and reconciliation of payroll outputs, end-of-year processes and HMRC submissions.
• Strong analytical and IT skills, with experience using the Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel and reporting tools.
• Experience working with payroll systems; knowledge of the ResourceLink system is desirable.
• A good understanding of data protection principles and their application to employee information.

What we offer:

We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It’s one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.

From the day you join us, you’ll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You’ll also receive up to 30 discounted ‘Hotline’ airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

At British Airways you’ll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.

We never stand still, and we don’t expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we’re committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.