Payroll Team Lead (Education)

IRIS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading payroll provider is looking for a Client Payroll Team Lead in Leeds. You will lead a team of Payroll Executives, ensuring smooth operations and high-quality service delivery to diverse clients. The ideal candidate will have 3–5 years of end-to-end payroll processing experience, strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation and prior leadership experience. This role offers a chance to be part of an innovative company recognized for its exceptional culture and commitment to customer success.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years’ experience in end-to-end payroll processing.
• Strong knowledge of PAYE and auto-enrolment.
• Previous leadership or team management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Payroll Executives.
• Oversee accurate and timely processing of client payrolls.
• Act as the first point of escalation for client queries.

Skills

End-to-end payroll processing

Knowledge of UK payroll legislation

Leadership and team management

Excellent communication skills

Proficiency in Excel

Education

CIPP qualification

Tools

Payroll software platforms

Outlook

Job description

Join one of the UK’s leading payroll providers and help shape the future of payroll delivery.

At IRIS, we power over 50,000 UK businesses, process payroll for 18% of the UK workforce, and support 4 million parents through our education platforms. As one of the UK’s largest privately held software companies, we’re trusted by organisations of all sizes to get mission-critical tasks right first time, every time.

We’ve been named a Great Place to Work, one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women, and we’re proud of our award-winning culture that values innovation, flexibility, and people.

The Role

We’re looking for a Client Payroll Team Lead to join our growing Fully Managed Payroll division. In this role, you’ll lead a team of Payroll Executives delivering outsourced payroll services to a diverse client base. You’ll be responsible for ensuring smooth operations, high-quality standards, and outstanding customer satisfaction.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Payroll Executives.
• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of client payrolls.
• Act as the first point of escalation for client queries and service issues.
• Ensure service levels, KPIs, and BACS deadlines are consistently met.
• Collaborate with Account Managers to ensure smooth client experiences.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Monitor capacity planning and team performance data.
• Stay up to date with payroll legislation and software updates.

What You’ll Bring

• 3–5 years’ experience in end-to-end payroll processing.
• Strong knowledge of PAYE, auto-enrolment, and UK payroll legislation.
• Previous leadership or team management experience.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and customer service skills.
• Proficiency in Excel, Outlook, and payroll software platforms.
• CIPP qualification (preferred, but not essential).

Apply Now

If you’re passionate about payroll, customer success, and leading great teams we would love to hear from you.

Apply today and help IRIS continue to deliver mission-critical services for thousands of UK organisations.

Please note :

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event that we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore we recommend you apply as soon as possible.