Payroll Manager

Summary of the Role’s Main Purpose

• This role reports to the Head of Payroll, with day-to-day managerial responsibility for the Group Salaries Team, ensuring the highest level of service is delivered to internal and external stakeholders.
• The role ensures full payroll governance and statutory compliance are maintained at all times.
• Working closely with the Assistant Payroll Manager and Senior Payroll Analyst, the role ensures the smooth, accurate, and timely processing of all payrolls under the team\’s remit.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & People Management
• Full line management responsibility for the payroll team.
• Conducting weekly 1:1 meetings and bi-annual PDRs, with complete documentation.
• Managing recruitment and onboarding processes for payroll staff.
• Carrying out training needs assessments and delivering required development plans.
• Acting as the primary escalation point for payroll issues, working closely with HR for resolution.
• Covering responsibilities of the Head of Payroll as needed, in support of the Finance Service Director.
• Operational Oversight
• Oversight of daily task allocation and workload management, with support from the Assistant Payroll Manager.
• Ensuring all payroll processes follow internal controls and governance standards.
• Final review and sign-off on all payrolls, including month-end exception reporting and control checks.
• Managing the payroll shared mailbox, including handling of sensitive data and escalated queries.
• Compliance & Technical Payroll Responsibilities
• Ensuring statutory compliance, in partnership with the Group Tax Manager.
• Overseeing tax reporting processes, including Payrolling Benefits in Kind and P11D submissions.
• Maintaining relationships with external payroll service providers, including FMP/IRIS, Activ, and bureau payroll providers.
• Supporting internal and external audit preparations and sample testing.
• Process Improvement & System Implementation
• Maintaining and updating payroll process documentation.
• Supporting the onboarding of the new HRIS payroll system (Dayforce), including:
• UAT testing
• Parallel run support
• Go-live readiness
• Contributing to payroll-related ad hoc projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Reporting
• Responsible for managing internal and external stakeholder reporting requirements.
• Supporting new payroll onboarding processes for acquisitions or new business units.