Head of Payroll in Bury

Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms. JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019. We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry.

Working Hours: 40 Hours
Reporting to: Associate Director – People Services
Location: Bury Office
Department: People
Direct Reports: 4

Role overview: The Head of Payroll is a senior operational and strategic leadership role, responsible for the delivery, optimisation, and transformation of payroll services across the UK, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. Operating in a high-volume, fast-paced environment, with accountability for payroll processing across multiple legal entities and colleague populations servicing over 25,000 colleagues, this role demands deep payroll expertise, strong leadership, and a forward-thinking approach to process improvement and compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic & Operational Leadership
  • Lead payroll operations across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and full legislative compliance.
  • Provide strategic direction for payroll delivery, aligning with organisational goals and People strategy.
  • Act as the senior escalation point for complex payroll matters and ensure effective resolution.
• Optimisation & Continuous Improvement
  • In conjunction with the People Technology team, drive transformation initiatives to automate, standardise, and enhance payroll processes.
  • Constantly deliver continuous improvement to drive measurable benefits across service, cost, and colleague experience.
  • Optimise systems and workflows to support scalability and operational efficiency.
• Governance, Risk & Compliance
  • Own payroll governance, risk mitigation, and audit readiness.
  • Maintain robust internal controls and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.
  • Monitor and report on payroll performance, identifying risks and implementing corrective actions.
• Performance & Metrics
  • Oversee payroll KPIs and metrics, using data insights to drive performance and service excellence.
  • Monitor service levels and ensure delivery against agreed targets.
  • Identify opportunities to improve reporting, analytics, and decision-making.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop the payroll team, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and growth.
  • Promote wellbeing, inclusion, and career development across the team.
• Project Delivery
  • Lead payroll-related workstreams in People and business projects.
  • Ensure successful delivery of payroll initiatives, managing timelines, resources, and stakeholder expectations.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Level 5 Diploma in Payroll Management or equivalent.
• Extensive experience leading payroll functions supporting 10,000+ colleagues within complex, high-volume and multi-site environments.
• Proven experience delivering payroll transformation and working within service centre environments.
• Strong understanding of UK and Irish payroll legislation, pensions, and compliance requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Demonstrated success in leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Proficiency in payroll systems and advanced Excel skills.

What can we offer you? The JD Group is a large, fast-moving, exciting workplace. As part of the team, we will offer you full training with our in-house expertise on processing a variety of payrolls to deliver a first-class service. We take pride in what we do and who we do it with. The JD Group champions talent, and there are opportunities to hone and develop your skills and progress within your role and within the business. We offer study support and opportunities to undertake funded training that leaves you with recognised payroll qualifications. We also offer in-house training to support your development of skills in areas like leadership and public speaking. As a business, we put people at the centre. Through the JD Foundation, colleagues can take part in charity volunteering opportunities. The business supports your wellbeing through our departmental wellbeing champions, and health and wellbeing events and initiatives. Our employee forum also gives you a voice to tell us what’s important to you and how we can support you. JD values diversity and inclusion and champions a culture where everyone feels valued, included and celebrated. We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work.