We're looking for an experienced UK Payroll Team Leader to join our Group HR function and take responsibility for delivering an accurate, compliant, and high-quality payroll service for approximately 2,000 UK employees. As a key member of the People Services team, you'll lead and develop a small payroll team, oversee monthly and annual payroll activities, manage stakeholder relationships, and drive continuous improvement across payroll processes. This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll professional who combines strong technical expertise with people leadership and a passion for service excellence. You'll have the chance to influence payroll operations, deliver meaningful improvements, and work closely with stakeholders across HR, Finance, suppliers and external bodies.
Key responsibilities:
- Ensuring all UK payroll activities are delivered accurately, on time, and in line with legislation and company policies.
- Leading, coaching and developing the payroll team.
- Managing the end-to-end monthly payroll process for approximately 2,000 UK employees.
- Overseeing annual payroll activities, including tax year-end processes and payroll scheduling.
- Acting as the escalation point for complex payroll queries and issues.
- Managing relationships with HMRC, payroll suppliers and key internal stakeholders.
- Supporting audits and ensuring payroll controls and compliance requirements are met.
- Partnering with Finance to provide payroll reporting, costing information and statutory returns.
- Maintaining and improving payroll processes, standard operating procedures and business continuity plans.
- Leading payroll-related projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensuring accurate processing of deductions, third‑party payments, family leave, sick pay and other payroll-related activities.
- You'll bring both payroll expertise and leadership experience, with the ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance and external partners.
Essential
- Experience managing a payroll team or a closely related HR operational team.
- Strong understanding of UK payroll legislation and payroll best practice.
- Experience working with payroll systems.
- Excellent knowledge of monthly and annual payroll cycles.
- Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
- Experience reviewing and improving operational processes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong Microsoft Excel and wider Microsoft Office skills.
Desirable
- Experience with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll.
- Knowledge of payroll business continuity planning.
- Understanding of payrolled Benefits in Kind.
We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days' holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3 days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.
We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts. This role comes with the added benefit of a discretionary annual payment.
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