Manager, Payroll Operations Enablement in London

Role Location: Thames Valley / South East England (within practical commuting distance of the Western Greater London / Thames Valley corridor).

Work Arrangement: On-site.

Salary Range: £65k–£77k depending on experience.

Eligibility & Engagement Criteria

• This role requires regular in-office presence with limited hybrid flexibility; it is not a remote position.
• Candidates must be locally based within a reasonable and sustainable commuting distance.
• Must have the legal, unrestricted right to work in the UK.
• No visa sponsorship is available now or in the future.
• Permanent, direct employment only (no contract, interim, or third‑party arrangements).

Role Overview

The Manager, Payroll Operations Enablement is responsible for owning the operational stability, execution, and change adoption of payroll operations across a multi‑country environment. This role focuses on how payroll operates—ensuring consistent execution, strong governance, and effective adoption of systems and process changes—rather than performing payroll processing or managing payroll team members directly. The position works closely with Payroll Managers and cross‑functional partners to ensure payroll operations are stable, scalable, and operating effectively following system, vendor, or process change. The role plays a critical part in reinforcing operating discipline, identifying and resolving operational risks, and ensuring payroll outcomes meet accuracy, timeliness, and compliance expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Payroll Operations Stabilisation & Execution
  • Own the operational stabilisation of payroll across multiple countries following system implementations, vendor transitions, or process changes.
  • Ensure payroll operations are executing consistently and reliably, with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
  • Identify recurring operational issues, root causes, and control gaps, and drive corrective actions in partnership with Payroll Managers and relevant stakeholders.
  • Oversee the transition from heightened post‑change support into steady‑state operations.
  • Maintain visibility into operational performance, risks, and trends to support informed decision‑making.
• Change Management & Adoption
  • Own and reinforce adoption of payroll‑related systems, processes, and operating models across regions.
  • Coordinate change activities including communications, training support, and stakeholder alignment in partnership with Payroll Managers and functional teams.
  • Act as a central point of coordination between payroll, HR, Finance, IT, and external providers to ensure changes are executed consistently.
  • Identify country‑specific or operational challenges and implement practical mitigation strategies.
• Process Improvement & Operational Excellence
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce operational friction, rework, and dependency on manual intervention.
  • Review end‑to‑end payroll operating flows to improve efficiency, resilience, and control effectiveness while accommodating local requirements.
  • Ensure payroll processes, hand‑offs, and operating practices are clearly documented and consistently applied.
• Governance, Risk & Controls
  • Own payroll operational governance, ensuring issues, actions, and risks are tracked and resolved.
  • Ensure payroll operations are audit‑ready through strong controls, documentation, and operational discipline.
  • Partner with internal stakeholders to support compliance with enterprise standards and local statutory requirements.
  • Provide clear, structured updates on payroll operational performance, risks, and remediation progress.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience owning payroll operations or payroll‑related operational outcomes in a multi‑country environment.
• Strong understanding of payroll operating models, controls, and risk, with exposure to outsourced or vendor‑supported delivery.
• Background in operational execution, stabilisation, change management, or process improvement.
• Experience working closely with Payroll Managers, HR, Finance, IT, and third‑party providers.
• Comfort operating in post‑implementation or post‑transformation environments.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or structured improvement experience is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Payroll operations ownership and execution.
• Change adoption and operational discipline.
• Process improvement and risk awareness.
• Cross‑functional coordination.
• Clear, structured communication.
• Ability to hold accountability without direct people management.

Success Measures

• Stable, reliable payroll operations across supported countries.
• Effective adoption of payroll systems and operating model changes.
• Reduction in recurring operational issues and control failures.
• Clear visibility into payroll operational performance and risks.
• Strong partnership with Payroll Managers and functional stakeholders.

Benefits

The individual may be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company’s 401(k) retirement plan.

EEO Notice

Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of any protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law.