Payroll Manager

JD GROUP; Bury; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in the UK seeks a Payroll Manager to lead its payroll operations for over 30,000 colleagues. The role focuses on operational excellence, compliance, and strategic alignment with business goals. Ideal candidates will be CIPP qualified with extensive payroll management experience and a strong customer service orientation. This position offers a key leadership opportunity within the organization.

Qualifications

• CIPP qualified or equivalent professional experience.
• Extensive experience managing complex, high-volume payrolls.
• Strong analytical skills with a keen eye for detail.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Payroll team.
• Own the quality and accuracy of payroll outputs.
• Drive innovation and process improvement initiatives.

Skills

CIPP qualified or equivalent

Managing complex, high-volume payrolls

Delivering high-quality customer service

Understanding payroll legislation

Strong analytical skills

Communicating complex payroll issues

Proficient in Microsoft Office

Education

CIPP qualification or equivalent

Tools

Dayforce payroll software

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Overview

Role overview: As Payroll Manager, you will lead a high-performing payroll function responsible for delivering a seamless, accurate, and timely service to over 30,000 colleagues across the JD Group. Working alongside another Payroll Manager and closely with Assistant Managers and Team Leaders, you will ensure operational excellence, drive continuous improvement, and support strategic business initiatives. This is a pivotal leadership role where you’ll partner with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to align payroll operations with broader business goals. You’ll focus on empowering and enabling the management team to develop their people, ensuring the function is not only compliant and efficient, but also future-focused and colleague-centric.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Payroll team, ensuring accurate and timely processing of 22 payrolls (GBR, ROI, the Channel Islands) on a monthly cycle.
• Own the quality and accuracy of payroll outputs across allocated business areas, acting as the final sign-off authority.
• Conduct and respond to audit checks, ensuring full compliance with internal and external requirements.
• Empower and support the management team (Team Leaders and Assistant Managers) to lead, coach, and develop their teams effectively.
• Collaborate with the SLT to support the successful implementation of strategic business initiatives, ensuring payroll operations are aligned and enabling.
• Drive innovation and process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and reduce manual interventions.
• Monitor and analyse payroll queries, implementing proactive solutions to reduce volume and improve resolution times, whilst facilitating a customer-centric approach.
• Act as a key escalation point for complex queries and customer feedback, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
• Align team KPIs with strategic business goals, using data insights to inform coaching and development plans.
• Provide accurate payroll reporting to internal departments and external bodies, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across the business.

Skills and Experience

• CIPP qualified or equivalent professional experience
• Extensive experience managing complex, high-volume payrolls with strong end-to-end knowledge
• Proven track record in delivering high-quality customer service
• Deep understanding of payroll legislation and compliance, including Auto Enrolment, RTI, PAYE. Experience in processing Irish payrolls would be advantageous
• Strong analytical skills with a keen eye for detail and accuracy
• Experience in supporting and enabling management teams to lead and develop others
• Ability to communicate complex payroll issues clearly and effectively to a range of audiences
• Good communication skills with the ability to guide and influence with the confidence to challenge current practices appropriately.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Experience using Dayforce payroll software would be advantageous