Payroll And Benefits Manager

Axon Moore; Manchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Axon Moore is recruiting a Payroll & Benefits Manager to own and run a large, complex payroll operation. The role involves leading a small team, managing payroll for approximately 1,500 employees, and enhancing the benefits offering across pensions, private medical and related schemes.

The successful candidate will work closely with Finance and operational stakeholders, ensuring payroll accuracy, compliance and timely delivery while seeking process improvements and system optimisations.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a large-scale payroll operation.
• Strong technical payroll knowledge, including fortnightly processing.
• Experience with employee benefits, pensions and related administration.
• Ability to lead, develop and manage a small payroll team.
• Comfortable engaging Finance, HR and operational stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll operation for ~1,500 employees (permanent and casual).
• Lead and develop a small payroll team, including a Payroll Assistant.
• Oversee payroll queries, investigate discrepancies and resolve issues.
• Ensure payroll processes are accurate, compliant and efficient.
• Collaborate with Finance and operations to ensure timely payroll data.
• Manage payroll systems and processes, including ADP.
• Oversee transition into the new tax year.
• Take responsibility for wider employee benefits offering.

Skills

Large-scale payroll management

Fortnightly payroll

Payroll systems (ADP)

Team leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Benefits administration

Pensions and private medical insurance

Compliance and controls

Tools

ADP

Rostering platforms

Job description

Are you an experienced Payroll Manager looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a large, complex payroll operation within a growing organisation?

We are working with a well-established, high-profile organisation to recruit a Payroll & Benefits Manager. This is a business-critical appointment, offering the opportunity to lead a busy payroll function, manage a small team and take responsibility for the wider employee benefits offering.

Working closely with Finance and operational stakeholders, you will oversee payroll for approximately 1,500 employees across both permanent and casual workforces, with further growth anticipated.

This is a hands-on management role requiring someone who is technically strong, commercially aware and comfortable getting into the detail to ensure payroll is accurate, efficient and delivered to a consistently high standard.

The Role

You will take ownership of the end-to-end payroll operation, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time while continually reviewing and improving processes.

• Managing fortnightly payroll processing for approximately 1,500 employees across permanent and casual workforces.
• Leading and developing a small payroll team, including a Payroll Assistant.
• Overseeing payroll queries, investigating discrepancies and resolving issues at source.
• Ensuring payroll processes are accurate, compliant and efficiently managed.
• Working closely with Finance and operational teams to ensure timely and accurate payroll information.
• Managing payroll systems and processes, including ADP.
• Overseeing the transition into the new tax year.
• Taking responsibility for the wider employee benefits offering, including pensions, private medical insurance, life assurance, group income protection and employee discount schemes.
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, systems and the overall employee experience.

About You

We are looking for an experienced Payroll Manager who can demonstrate:

• Proven experience managing a large-scale payroll operation.
• Strong technical payroll knowledge, ideally within a business operating fortnightly payroll.
• Experience managing payroll across both permanent and casual or shift-based workforces.
• Previous experience leading, managing and developing a small team.
• The ability to investigate complex payroll queries and resolve issues systematically.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and resilience.
• Experience with payroll systems and ideally rostering platforms.
• Exposure to employee benefits, pensions and associated administration.
• The confidence to work closely with Finance, HR and operational stakeholders.
• Experience within hospitality, leisure, entertainment, retail or other high-volume, multi-site operational environments would be particularly advantageous.

This is a predominantly office-based position, with regular on-site presence required to work closely with the wider team.