Head of Payroll in Northumberland

Location: London (Hybrid working)

Salary: £529.54 per day (Umbrella)

Contract Type: Contract

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.