Payroll Manager

Simpson Judge; City Of London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious London-based company is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to oversee the end-to-end payroll process for both salaried and hourly employees. The role involves ensuring compliance with all relevant payroll legislation, collaborating closely with Finance, and managing audits efficiently. Candidates should have a strong background in payroll management, ideally CIPP qualified or with equivalent experience. This position offers the opportunity to impact payroll processes positively, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and work in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in end-to-end payroll management.
• Strong understanding of payroll legislation and data protection.
• Experience in collaborating with HR and Finance departments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the monthly payroll process for salaried and hourly employees.
• Ensure compliance with payroll and employment legislation.
• Lead payroll audits and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Payroll processing

Data protection compliance

Finance collaboration

HR partnership

KPI development

Education

CIPP qualified or equivalent experience

Tools

iTrent

Job description

I am currently working with a prestigious, London based company who are looking to hire an experienced Payroll Manager on a permanent basis.

• Take full ownership of the end-to-end monthly payroll process (iTrent) for both salaried and hourly employees, including starters and leavers, variable pay, overtime, allowances, bonuses, commission, statutory payments, and deductions.

• Ensure accurate and timely payroll processing, including Real Time Information (RTI) submissions and statutory payments to relevant authorities.

• Oversee workplace pension compliance, including assessments, enrolments, opt‑ins/outs, re‑enrolment, and statutory declarations, and manage relationships with pension providers.

• Partner closely with Finance to support payroll reconciliation, including preparation and posting of payroll journals (gross pay, employer contributions, benefits, accruals) and completion of month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end payroll activities.

• Coordinate all payroll year‑end processes, including statutory documentation and associated reporting requirements.

• Maintain a clear payroll calendar, ensuring all statutory deadlines and internal cut‑offs are met.

• Collaborate with HR to support annual pay reviews, bonus cycles, and legislative updates impacting payroll calculations.

• Ensure full compliance with payroll, tax, data protection, and employment legislation, with appropriate data security and retention practices in place.

• Lead payroll activity during internal and external audits, responding to findings and driving continuous improvement.

• Manage payroll‑related policies such as over payments and advances, and ensure accurate and timely remittance to third parties where required.

• Act as the primary point of contact for payroll and pension queries, providing clear, professional, and timely guidance to employees and managers.

• Work in close partnership with HR to ensure data accuracy, effective workforce changes, and consistent policy application.

• Collaborate with Finance on payroll budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, and cashflow planning.

• Manage third‑party providers against agreed service levels, ensuring payroll services are delivered accurately, compliantly, and on time.

• Drive automation and continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce manual processing.

• Develop and monitor payroll KPIs and reporting to track accuracy, timeliness, and performance.

• Support the development of payroll and people reporting to meet wider business needs.

• Undertake any other reasonable duties related to payroll operations and compliance as required.