Payroll Lead

A senior role with the opportunity to shape payroll across Cornerstone.

We have a great opportunity for an experienced payroll professional to lead and influence payroll practice across Cornerstone.

You'll lead the delivery of a high-quality payroll and pension service, strengthen controls and compliance, and drive improvements to systems, processes and ways of working.

Leading your team, you'll ensure around 1,800 colleagues are paid accurately, compliantly and on time, while creating a supportive environment and providing professional advice across the organisation.

Based at our Glasgow, Dundee or Aberdeen office, this role offers hybrid working alongside occasional travel across our branch locations (travel expenses would be reimbursed as set out in Cornerstone’s expense policy with travel reimbursed by HMRC legislation).

About The Role

At Cornerstone, our purpose is to enable the people we support to live valued lives in their communities.

As our Payroll Lead, you'll play an important role in ensuring our payroll service supports this purpose while meeting our financial, legal and regulatory responsibilities.

You'll have overall responsibility for the effective delivery of Cornerstone's end-to-end payroll and pension service, providing leadership to our Payroll Business Partners, Payroll Specialists and Payroll Officers.

This is a broad and influential role, combining strategic oversight with hands-on operational leadership. You'll provide assurance that payroll is accurate, compliant, well controlled and delivered to a consistently high standards.

You'll act as a senior point of escalation for complex and sensitive payroll matters, while working closely with Finance, People, HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and system providers.

You'll also play a key role in using payroll data, insight and analysis to identify risks, improve service quality and support better decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the accurate, timely and compliant delivery of monthly payroll and pension services.
• Lead, support and develop the Payroll Team, creating a positive, accountable and customer-focused environment.
• Review and approve payroll before final submission, ensuring appropriate checks, reconciliations and authorisations are completed.
• Maintain effective payroll controls, segregation of duties and clear audit trails.
• Oversee statutory submissions, pension administration, payroll reconciliations, journals, month-end reporting and year-end activities.
• Ensure compliance with payroll, tax, employment, pension and data protection requirements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and ensure changes are effectively implemented.
• Produce clear payroll analysis and management information for Finance, People and senior leaders.
• Use data to identify trends, exceptions and emerging risks and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and improvement of payroll systems, processes, controls and data quality.
• Provide professional advice and constructive challenge on complex payroll matters.
• Build effective relationships with HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and payroll system providers.
• Represent payroll in relevant organisational meetings, projects and working groups.