Head Of Payroll

For a complete understanding of this opportunity, and what will be required to be a successful applicant, read on.

Location: London (Hybrid working)

Salary: £529.54 per day (Umbrella)

Contract Type: Contract

We’re recruiting on behalf of a large, complex public-sector organisation for an Interim Head of Payroll / Employee Payments Delivery Lead. This is a critical leadership role with responsibility for the accurate, compliant and timely delivery of payroll and employee payments across multiple organisations.

Paying people correctly and on time is a non-negotiable priority, and this role sits at the centre of that commitment during a particularly busy and important period.

The opportunity:

• This interim role is responsible for leading key elements of the end-to-end employee payments service, including payroll, expenses, overtime and third-party payments.
• You’ll provide leadership, assurance and stability while also supporting significant change activity across systems and processes.
• The service delivers multiple payrolls (weekly, four-weekly and monthly) covering more than 29,000 employees, with payroll values exceeding £150m every four weeks.
• In addition, the team provides payroll and expenses services for several associated public-sector organisations.
• This assignment offers the chance to add real value, particularly as work progresses to transition from SAP on-premise to SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll.

The team:

• You’ll lead an experienced team of around 15 payroll professionals, with three direct reports responsible for payroll production and systems, payroll accounting, and payroll delivery for associated organisations.
• The team is well established, highly knowledgeable and well regarded across the wider business.
• Payroll for contingent labour is delivered via an external partner, allowing this role to focus on leadership, validation, governance and assurance rather than hands-on data entry.

Key responsibilities:

• Overall leadership and accountability for payroll and employee payments delivery across multiple payrolls and organisations.
• Ensure payrolls are delivered accurately, compliantly and on time against strict deadlines.
• Provide strong governance, controls and assurance across payroll operations, HMRC obligations and statutory reporting.
• Lead, support and oversee the payroll leadership team during a high-volume period.
• Oversee payroll accounting, BACS transmissions, HMRC submissions and third-party payments.
• Drive continuous improvement across payroll processes and customer experience where possible during the assignment.
• Support data validation and readiness activity for the move to SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll.
• Work closely with HR, finance, reward and service management teams to ensure joined-up delivery.
• Support the introduction of new initiatives such as salary sacrifice schemes and improved self-service adoption.

About you:

• Proven experience leading an in-house payroll function within a large, complex organisation.
• Strong technical payroll expertise, including HMRC compliance, year-end processes and governance.
• Experience delivering multiple payrolls with high employee volumes.
• Confident, steady leader able to support experienced teams through periods of change.
• Comfortable operating in a regulated or public-sector-style environment.
• Experience with SAP payroll and/or SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll is highly desirable.
• Public sector experience is advantageous but not essential.
• Payroll or HR qualifications (CIPP, CIPD or similar) are desirable but not mandatory.

Additional information:

This role may require UK security clearance. Any offer will be subject to meeting the relevant clearance criteria.

Interested? Apply via this advert or contact us for a confidential discussion. Full details about the organisation will be shared with suitable candidates at the appropriate stage.