Payroll Manager Central Business Operations & Other Oxford, England, United Kingdom

Join us at the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), where we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs.

Your Role: We are seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented standalone Payroll Manager to manage payroll and benefits administration while supporting core HR functions. This role combines technical payroll expertise with HR and Benefits operational support, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and exceptional service to employees. The ideal candidate will have experience in both in-house and outsourced payroll processing, and the ability to handle confidential information with integrity.

EIT is currently working with a third-party payroll provider to deliver payroll services to our employees. There is an expectation in the next 12-24 months that full payroll record keeping and data will be moved to Oracle Fusion with the potential to fully transition to in-house payroll production and processing. The job role holder would be instrumental in supporting, potentially leading, these workstreams.

Payroll Management and Administration:

• Manage end-to-end payroll for all EIT employees to ensure it is processed accurately and efficiently on a monthly basis.
• Operate relationships with third-party payroll providers, ensuring delivery is in line with expected service level agreements, feeding back and managing shortfalls.
• In collaboration with HR and Finance, implement appropriate controls and reconciliations to maintain payroll accuracy.
• Develop scalable processes to accommodate the growing headcount.
• Act as the first point of contact for payroll and benefits queries and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Maintain and update payroll records for new hires, terminations, and pay changes, ensuring all amendments are accurately tracked and processed on time.
• Work with the HR Operations team to deliver timely and accurate communications relating to pay and benefit changes; e.g. salary increases, bonus award notifications and other ad-hoc items.
• Generate payroll reports for HR, Finance, and management.
• Ensure compliance with UK tax, pension, and employment regulations.
• Stay updated on payroll legislation and best practices.

Benefits Management and Administration:

• Deliver strong administrative support across all benefits processes, ensuring accurate documentation, timely updates, real-time reporting, continual record-keeping and efficient coordination of benefit-related tasks.
• Liaise with providers and brokers to ensure timely enrolment and renewals, undertaking frequent audits of membership listings and options.
• Manage first-time enrolments and routine membership change requests, ensuring these are actioned and employees are communicated with and aware.
• Work with the HR BP team to advise and provide insight into which benefits are under-utilised or lack employee awareness so proactivity and promotion can take place.

Key Qualifications:

• Proven experience in payroll processing (likely gained from 2+ years), including in-house and outsourced systems.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent organisation and time-management abilities.
• Be a self-starter and able to manage own workload, flexing working hours/days up and down throughout the monthly payroll calendar.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Intermediate to advanced Excel, or similar, user and able to produce reports that tell a story.
• Understanding of HR principles, policies, and UK employment law.
• Payroll certification (e.g. CPP, Payroll Technician Certificate) desirable.

Terms of Appointment:

• You must be eligible to work in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You must be based in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford.
• During peak periods and payroll cut-off weeks, some longer hours may be required.

Our Benefits:

• Competitive salary + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday + options to buy additional days
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme
• Childcare benefit

Working Together – What It Involves:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).