UK Payroll Lead: 3,000+ Staff, SAP & Workday

Knight Frank; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Knight Frank is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to lead the end-to-end UK payroll for 3,000+ employees across seven pay groups. You will ensure accurate, compliant and timely payroll delivery while driving standardized processes and strong governance.

The role requires leadership of the payroll function, collaboration with HR Operations and external providers, and expertise in SAP and Workday to optimise operations, reporting and employee experience.

Qualifications

• Significant payroll leadership experience in a large corporate environment.
• A proven track record delivering end-to-end UK payroll for 3,000+ employees.
• A current professional payroll qualification (CIPP) or equivalent.
• Experience leading payroll transformation, system implementations, and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the UK monthly payroll for 3,000+ employees across 7 pay groups, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Oversee reconciliation, tax filings, auto-enrolment, and HMRC submissions, with strong controls.
• Manage SAP Payroll and Workday platforms, driving automation and reporting improvements.
• Partner with HR Operations and external providers, and manage payroll-related audits and governance.
• Develop and coach the payroll team, with regular performance reviews and planning.

Skills

Payroll leadership

SAP Payroll

HR Workday

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Payroll transformation

Education

CIPP qualification

Tools

SAP

Workday

Job description

Knight Frank is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to lead the end-to-end UK payroll for 3,000+ employees across seven pay groups. You will ensure accurate, compliant and timely payroll delivery while driving standardized processes and strong governance.

The role requires leadership of the payroll function, collaboration with HR Operations and external providers, and expertise in SAP and Workday to optimise operations, reporting and employee experience.