About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Payroll Consultant to lead and enhance our payroll operations for a workforce of over 2,000 employees. This role combines hands-on payroll expertise, team leadership, and driving continuous process improvement across our payroll function. The ideal candidate will have strong end-to-end payroll knowledge, advanced SAP payroll experience, and a proven track record of optimising systems, processes, and controls.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a proactive leader who can manage day‑to‑day delivery while shaping the future state of payroll within a dynamic and growing organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Operations

• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of monthly payroll for 2,000+ employees.
• Ensure all payroll activities comply with HMRC regulations, statutory requirements, and internal audit standards.
• Manage payroll reconciliations, reporting, and year-end processes (P60, P11D, etc.).
• Act as the escalation point for complex payroll queries.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a small payroll team, providing coaching and support.
• Allocate workload, set priorities, and ensure delivery deadlines are met.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and operational excellence.

SAP & Process Improvement

• Serve as the payroll SME for SAP Payroll, driving best practice configuration and utilisation.
• Lead payroll-related system enhancements, testing, and upgrades in partnership with IT and external vendors.
• Identify inefficiencies and implement process improvements to increase accuracy, compliance, and automation.
• Build strong process documentation and maintain internal controls.

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate with HR, Finance, and other business units to streamline data flows and improve payroll accuracy.
• Provide payroll insights, metrics, and reporting to senior leadership.
• Manage third-party providers and ensure strong service delivery where applicable.

Skills & Experience Required

Essential

• Extensive experience in payroll management within a large organisation (1,500+ employees preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of SAP Payroll (required).
• Proven background in leading payroll transformation, automation, or process improvement initiatives.
• Experience managing or supervising a payroll team.
• In-depth understanding of UK payroll legislation and compliance requirements.
• Excellent analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence and engage key stakeholders.