Payroll Manager (1fte)

Royal College of Art; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal College of Art is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to join the People & Culture team in London. You will oversee monthly payroll for all staff and casual workers, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and compliance with legislation.

You will own payroll operations, manage the relationship with our outsourced provider MHR, and drive improvements to deliver a high-quality service across the RCA. Strong knowledge of pensions and payroll systems, particularly iTrent, is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of payroll and pensions management.
• Experience with HR/Payroll system iTrent is highly desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate clearly.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving approach.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Oversee monthly payroll processing for all College staff and casual workers.
• Manage pension administration including SAUL scheme compliance and auto-enrolment.
• Handle payroll-related benefits, time and expenses claims, and pay progression.
• Act as primary liaison with MHR and monitor service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with payroll legislation and statutory obligations.
• Collaborate with HR Operations, Resourcing, Finance and HR Data to maintain accurate records and onboarding/leaver processes.
• Provide expert guidance on payroll queries and support internal audits.
• Maintain payroll guidance and procedures with clear cut-off dates.

Skills

Payroll management

Pensions management

Stakeholder liaison

Attention to detail

Discretion

Tools

iTrent

Job description

The Royal College of Art (RCA), the world's leading university of art and design, is looking for an experienced Payroll Manager to join our People & Culture team.

This is a key role, responsible for overseeing the accurate, timely and compliant delivery of monthly payroll for all College staff, including casual workers. Working closely with colleagues across People & Culture and Finance, you will ensure our payroll processes are efficient, effective and aligned with current legislation and best practice.

As the College's subject matter expert on payroll and pensions, you will take ownership of payroll operations, maintain strong working relationships with our outsourced payroll provider, MHR, and continually review and improve processes to support an excellent service for colleagues across the RCA.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing the monthly payroll process, ensuring all payroll inputs are accurate, complete and submitted on time.
• Overseeing pension administration, including SAUL scheme compliance, monthly reconciliations and automatic enrolment.
• Managing payroll-related benefits, time and expenses claims, annual pay awards, incremental progression and statutory pay arrangements.
• Acting as the main relationship lead for MHR, monitoring service delivery and resolving issues to ensure effective payroll outputs.
• Ensuring compliance with payroll legislation, pension requirements and statutory obligations, including P11D reporting, court orders and Direct Earnings Attachments.
• Working collaboratively with HR Operations, Resourcing, Finance and HR Data colleagues to maintain accurate employee records and ensure effective onboarding, employee changes and leaver processes.
• Providing expert advice and resolving complex or sensitive payroll queries, supporting internal audits and ensuring payroll errors and overpayments are managed appropriately.
• Maintaining clear payroll guidance and procedures, including cut-off dates and managers' responsibilities.

About you

You will bring significant experience of payroll and pensions management, with a strong understanding of relevant legislation, compliance requirements and best practice. You will be confident using HR and payroll systems, ideally including iTrent, and have the technical expertise to identify problems, improve processes and ensure the accurate application of payroll rules.

With excellent attention to detail and a proactive, solutions-focused approach, you will be comfortable managing complex and sensitive situations with discretion and professionalism. You will also have strong communication and interpersonal skills, enabling you to build effective relationships with colleagues and external providers and explain payroll matters clearly to a range of audiences.

This is an excellent opportunity to play a vital role in ensuring the effective delivery of payroll services at a world-leading specialist university, supporting our people and contributing to the success of the College.

Please see Information Pack for more details of this essential role.

Closing for applications at 11.59pm on 4th November 2026

Interviews are expected to take place 11th & 12th November 2026

Essential

• Significant experience of Payroll and Pensions management
• Proficient in the use of HR/Payroll system iTrent
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing and to a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent attention to detail and problem solving approach
• Experience of handling difficult and sensitive situations, recognising confidential issues and dealing with them appropriately and with discretion