Senior Payroll & Pensions Manager

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 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.