Payroll Lead

Payroll Lead

Hybrid to begin - Peterborough - 3 days onsite (eventually 5 days on site)

The Role:

As a Payroll Lead, you will be responsible to oversee and manage end-to-end payroll operations across the UK, Ireland, and Isle of Man. This is a critical leadership position responsible for delivering accurate, compliant, and timely payroll while driving process excellence and stakeholder confidence. The role also provides an opportunity to shape payroll strategy, enhance systems, and deliver best-in-class employee experience

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the full payroll cycle for each payroll (input, validation, processing, and post-payroll activities)
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of the payroll for all employees on each of the 3 payrolls.
• Review payroll outputs and produce reports accordingly to different stakeholders.
• Ensure adherence to local tax, statutory, and regulatory requirements
• Manage audits and resolve compliance issues
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of payroll legislation and system changes
• Act as the primary contact for HR, Finance, and external vendors – Pension Providers
• Manage escalations and ensure timely resolution of employee queries
• Support business stakeholders with payroll insights and reporting
• Identify opportunities for process optimisation and automation
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance accuracy and efficiency
• Support payroll system implementations or upgrades

Skills & Experience

• Strong experience in payroll processing and legislation (UK or relevant jurisdiction)
• Proven ability to manage multi-country payroll environments
• High attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Advanced Excel and data analysis capability
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Opportunity to lead payroll across multiple jurisdictions and directly influence accuracy, compliance, and employee experience.
• Be at the forefront of payroll optimisation, system upgrades, and digital transformation initiatives—not just BAU processing.
• Hands-on exposure to UK, Ireland, and Isle of Man payrolls, enhancing your international payroll expertise.
• Leverage payroll data to provide business insights, contributing to broader HR and financial decision-making.
• Work closely with senior HR, Finance, and external partners, ensuring strong business alignment.
• Ideal role for professionals looking to transition into regional payroll leadership or broader Total Rewards roles.