Director, UK Payroll Operations

Fourth; Macclesfield; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays allowance (25 days)

Hybrid working environment

Pension and life insurance options

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Laptop and equipment provided

Career development opportunities

Annual meet ups

Job summary

Fourth Ltd. in the UK seeks a Senior Director of UK Payroll Operations to own end-to-end payroll delivery, quality and compliance across client groups. You will lead the Payroll Leadership team, shape strategy, manage escalations, and partner with cross-functional stakeholders to drive performance and risk management.

The role requires deep knowledge of UK payroll legislation, strong leadership, and the ability to transform processes at scale within a SaaS/managed payroll environment.

Qualifications

• Significant senior-level experience leading UK payroll operations.
• Deep knowledge of UK payroll legislation: PAYE, RTI, NI, auto-enrolment.
• Proven ability to design and improve payroll processes at scale.
• Experience in SaaS/managed payroll environments is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Owns end-to-end payroll: accuracy, compliance, client service, technology, and team development.
• Lead and develop the Payroll Leadership team; ensure workload distribution and SLAs.
• Maintain UK payroll compliance framework and oversee year-end activities.
• Define and improve payroll processing policies, procedures, and controls.
• Build senior client relationships and act as operational point of contact for escalations.
• Partner with Product, Technology, HR, and Finance to drive improvements.

Skills

Senior leadership

UK payroll knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Finance/HR

CIPP qualification

Job description

Our Story

In July 2019, Fourth joined forces with HotSchedules to become the global leader in end-to-end restaurant and hospitality management technology solutions. Together, the merged company now represents the world’s largest and only provider of end-to-end restaurant and hospitality management solutions for customers across the globe and of all sizes, from a single location or franchisee restaurant to a global restaurant or hotel chain. The combined company’s complete software-as-service (SaaS) solution suite including scheduling, time & attendance, applicant tracking, training, inventory management / procurement, HR / benefits and payroll services now serves customers in 120,000 locations worldwide and is supported by a dedicated, unified team across offices in the US, UK, Bulgaria, China, Australia, and UAE.

Interested in joining our smart, fun, and talented team?

Position Overview

Senior operational leadership role with full accountability for the quality, compliance, and performance of Fourth’s UK payroll service delivery. This is a strategic position — the Director sets the direction for how the function operates, continuously raising the bar on service quality, efficiency, and team capability.

• Owns end-to-end payroll: accuracy, compliance, client service, technology, and team development
• Member of the EMEA operational leadership team — contributes to cross‑functional strategy
• Senior point of contact for complex, escalated, or strategically significant payroll matters
• Directly manages the Payroll Leadership team

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop the Payroll Leadership team; ensure workload distribution and SLA delivery
• Coach, mentor, and performance‑manage at all levels; build succession depth
• Set clear performance expectations tied to service quality and client outcomes
• Foster a culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Lead the function through periods of change with minimal service disruption

UK Payroll Compliance & Regulatory Governance

• Maintain Fourth’s UK payroll compliance framework: PAYE, RTI, NI, statutory payments, auto‑enrolment
• Oversee all year‑end activities: P60s, P45s, P11Ds, Apprenticeship LevyManage auto‑enrolment compliance across all client groups, including The Pensions Regulator obligations
• Proactively monitor the regulatory landscape (HMRC policy, Employment Rights Act) and translate change into operational action
• Maintain strong internal controls: segregation of duties, audit trails, error detection

Operational Excellence & Service Delivery

• Define, implement, and continuously improve payroll processing policies, procedures, and controls
• Own the end‑to‑end payroll delivery model — ensuring it is robust, documented, and resilient
• Monitor SLA performance across all client groups; use data to identify risk and drive intervention
• Lead resolution of complex, escalated, or high‑impact payroll issues
• Develop departmental reporting that gives leadership and clients clear visibility of performance and risk

Systems, Technology & Process Optimisation

• Provide operational leadership for payroll system implementation, maintenance, and enhancement
• Ensure effective integration of payroll‑adjacent applications (time & attendance, self‑service portals, client interfaces)
• Partner with Product and Technology to identify automation and standardisation opportunities
• Lead or contribute to payroll technology migrations, maintaining service continuity throughout
• Use system reporting to inform resourcing decisions and embed evidence‑based management

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain senior client relationships; act as operational point of contact for escalations and complex matters
• Proactively engage clients to anticipate risk and ensure delivery meets or exceeds expectations
• Serve as Fourth’s subject matter expert on UK payroll in client‑facing conversations and commercial discussions
• Maintain strong cross‑functional partnerships across HR, Finance, Product, Technology, and Sales

Strategic Contribution

• Contribute to EMEA operational leadership: business planning, commercial decisions, UK service strategy
• Represent UK Payroll Operations in cross‑functional forums and product roadmap discussions
• Partner with the SVP, EMEA and peer directors on org design, headcount planning, and investment prioritisation

Preferred Experience and/or Qualifications

• Significant senior‑level experience leading a UK payroll operations function
• Deep, current knowledge of UK payroll legislation: PAYE, RTI, National Insurance, statutory payments, auto‑enrolment, HMRC compliance
• CIPP qualification (or equivalent demonstrable expertise)
• Proven ability to design and continuously improve payroll processes and internal controls at scale
• Experienced people leader — builds, develops, and holds accountable a payroll operations team
• Strong client‑facing capability — comfortable engaging HR Directors, Finance leads, and senior stakeholders
• Analytically rigorous — uses data to manage operational risk and provide credible insight to leadership
• Technically proficient with payroll/HR systems; experience leading or contributing to technology implementations
• Strong cross‑functional collaborator across Product, Technology, HR, and Finance

Desirable

• Experience in a SaaS, technology, or managed payroll bureau environment
• Familiarity with hospitality industry payroll complexity (variable hours, high volume)
• Experience with Fourth’s technology, or comparable enterprise payroll platforms
• Experience managing payroll through significant regulatory change
• Demonstrable contribution to senior leadership or operational steering beyond the payroll function
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, HR, or related field; postgraduate qualification an advantage

Benefits

• Holidays. 25 basic holidays with the option to grow up to 30 with service, birthday off, and bank holidays
• Flexible working. Use our flexible working hours and hybrid working environments to manage it
• Wellness activities and a lot of pampering included. On top of that, you can add gym subscription discounts
• Laptop and equipment
• Healthcare expense claim tools
• Like in life, at work we also want you to grow with certifications
• Annual meet ups
• Enhanced parenting scheme
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan provided
• Pension and life insurance options available
• On demand pay tools enabling you to access salary even before the end of the month

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Fourth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without discrimination because of sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, age, national origin, military status, religion, or disability or any other legally protected status.