Head of Payroll

Hiring | Head of Payroll | Contract

• Duration: Initial 7-month contract
• Location: 2 days in office, 3-4 days remote
• Rate: £390 per day inside IR35

Main purpose of the job

The Payroll Team Leader is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the payroll function, ensuring accurate and timely payment of employee salaries and compliance with relevant legislation and Internal policies. This role supervises payroll staff, manages workload distribution, oversees escalated issues, and works closely with HR and Finance.

Duties and responsibilities

• Lead, support, and supervise the payroll team to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll for all employees.
• Managing the Team development, identifying and planning training requirements.
• Responsible for processing payroll runs, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and standards.
• Maintaining an awareness of current and future HMRC developments; keeping up to date with changes that directly affect employees, related enhancements and changes within the payroll software, and other internal and external policy decisions that impact upon an individual’s pay and reward.
• To collaborate with colleagues to ensure all transactions throughout the employee lifecycle are processed accurately in the system and within published service standards and/or process deadlines.
• To ensure the timely and satisfactory resolution of payroll queries within the SLA to a high standard.
• Monitor and review payroll controls. Identifying opportunities to improve payroll processes, systems, and team efficiency.
• Lead on Testing and development for system updates, patches and legislative changes.
• Responsible for training of Payroll Advisors in all technical aspects of the system, including complex technical processes and investigative analysis to ensure accuracy of all payments.
• Responsible for creation of SOPs, updating and presenting changes to the Team.
• Deputise for the Payroll Manager at meetings as requested and provide cover for other colleagues in busy periods or when staff are on annual or sick leave.
• Responsible for the processing and reconciliation of the payroll, submission of statutory reports and pay over of any liabilities due to external bodies.
• Support the Payroll manager on any compliance and governance requirements.
• Prepare reports and analysis related to payroll metrics, audit requirements, and management information.
• Support internal and external audits by providing relevant documentation and explanations.
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of statutory filings and payments (e.g., HMRC).
• Maintaining regular 121’s with direct reports, coaching, training, and developing the team to be the best they can be.
• Work as an initiative-taking team member to ensure that the work for the team is completed accurately and within the relevant timescales for the monthly payroll run as determined by the Payroll Manager.
• Responsible for developing effective, positive relationships with customers, departmental contacts, and Professional Services colleagues, to create a dependable working relationship and positively assist in meeting their business needs, consulting with employees, pensioners, external bodies and internal departments.
• Be responsible for 100% GDPR compliance within Payroll, reporting and potential breaches immediately to Payroll Manager for review.
• Carry out regular audits on payroll data and process to ensure compliance against HR and Payroll policy and process providing outcomes and recommendations to the Payroll Manager