Payroll Lead

A senior role with the opportunity to shape payroll across one of Scotland's largest social care charities. We have a great opportunity for an experienced payroll professional to lead and influence payroll practice across Cornerstone. You'll lead the delivery of a high-quality payroll and pension service, strengthen controls and compliance, and drive improvements to systems, processes and ways of working. Leading your team, you'll ensure around 1,800 colleagues are paid accurately, compliantly and on time, while creating a supportive environment and providing professional advice across the organisation.

At Cornerstone, our purpose is to enable the people we support to live valued lives in their communities. As our Payroll Lead, you'll play an important role in ensuring our payroll service supports this purpose while meeting our financial, legal and regulatory responsibilities. You’ll have overall responsibility for the effective delivery of Cornerstone's end-to-end payroll and pension service, providing leadership to our Payroll Business Partners, Payroll Specialists and Payroll Officers. This is a broad and influential role, combining strategic oversight with hands-on operational leadership. You’ll provide assurance that payroll is accurate, compliant, well controlled and delivered to a consistently high standard. You’ll act as a senior point of escalation for complex and sensitive payroll matters, while working closely with Finance, People, HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and system providers. You’ll also play a key role in using payroll data, insight and analysis to identify risks, improve service quality and support better decision-making.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the accurate, timely and compliant delivery of monthly payroll and pension services.
• Lead, support and develop the Payroll Team, creating a positive, accountable and customer-focused environment.
• Review and approve payroll before final submission, ensuring appropriate checks, reconciliations and authorisations are completed.
• Maintain effective payroll controls, segregation of duties and clear audit trails.
• Oversee statutory submissions, pension administration, payroll reconciliations, journals, month-end reporting and year-end activities.
• Ensure compliance with payroll, tax, employment, pension and data protection requirements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and ensure changes are effectively implemented.
• Produce clear payroll analysis and management information for Finance, People and senior leaders.
• Use data to identify trends, exceptions and emerging risks and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and improvement of payroll systems, processes, controls and data quality.
• Provide professional advice and constructive challenge on complex payroll matters.
• Build effective relationships with HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and payroll system providers.
• Represent payroll in relevant organisational meetings, projects and working groups.

Essential requirements

• You’ll be an experienced payroll leader with the knowledge and confidence to manage a complex, end-to-end payroll service within a large or multi-site organisation.
• You’ll be comfortable working at both a strategic and operational level, balancing accuracy, compliance, risk and customer service while leading and developing a team.
• You’ll have strong attention to detail and the ability to interpret complex legislation and translate requirements into clear, practical processes and guidance.
• Significant experience of managing or leading an end-to-end payroll and pension service within a large or complex organisation.
• Current and detailed knowledge of PAYE, RTI, National Insurance, statutory payments, pension administration and automatic enrolment.
• Degree-level qualification, CIPP/IPPM qualification or equivalent extensive experience in a senior payroll leadership role.
• Strong leadership and people-management skills, including experience of coaching, developing and motivating payroll colleagues.
• Experience of payroll reconciliations, journals, financial controls, month-end and year-end reporting.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• Advanced Excel and payroll data-analysis skills.
• Ability to interpret legislation and translate complex requirements into effective processes, controls and practical guidance.
• Strong risk management, problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Experience of improving payroll systems, processes, data quality and service performance.
• Strong communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with integrity and discretion.

Desirable

• Chartered or advanced professional payroll qualification.
• Relevant leadership or management qualification.
• Experience of Access Select Pay or a comparable payroll system.
• Experience of integrated HR and payroll systems or payroll modelling.
• Experience of audit or working with auditors and external advisers.
• Experience within social care, the charity sector, the third sector or another regulated environment.