Head of Payroll

Head of Payroll
Job Ref: QAD5897
Pay Rate: £388-£405 per day PAYE
Hours per week: 35-37 Monday - Friday, normal working hours
This opening assignment is for 6 months, potentially extended
London E20

Our client is a large, complex public-sector organisation delivering critical services across London. They are seeking an experienced Head of Payroll to lead a high-profile, in-house payroll function within a wider Business Services directorate. The Business Services function provides end-to-end support across HR, finance, procurement, reporting and property, enabling the organisation to operate efficiently, effectively and compliantly at scale.

The ideal candidate will bring experience with SAP and/or SuccessFactors, a strong understanding of public-sector governance and pace, and ideally exposure to delivering weekly payrolls.

The Role

As Head of Payroll, you will have overall accountability for payroll operations, governance and leadership, ensuring accurate, compliant and timely payroll delivery across a complex workforce.

Key accountabilities:

• Providing strategic and operational leadership of the payroll function and team
• Validating payroll data and ensuring full compliance with HMRC and statutory requirements
• Leading payroll governance, risk management and control frameworks
• Supporting and contributing to the SAP SuccessFactors migration programme
• Acting as a key liaison between implementation partners and internal stakeholders
• Managing HMRC obligations, reporting and submissions

Essential Requirements

• Proven experience leading an in-house payroll function within a large, complex organisation
• Strong people leadership capability, including managing managers or senior payroll specialists
• Deep technical payroll expertise, including:
• HMRC legislation and compliance
• Statutory reporting and submissions
• PAYE Settlement Agreements (PSAs)
• Experience delivering multiple payrolls to strict, non-negotiable deadlines
• A strong governance, risk and control mindset
• Ability to lead through periods of high operational pressure and organisational change
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Desirable Requirements

• Experience with SAP Payroll and/or SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll
• Public-sector experience, with an understanding of governance, scrutiny and decision-making pace
• Experience delivering weekly payrolls
• Experience supporting payroll transformation or system implementation programmes

How to Apply

• Quote the Job Title and Reference Number in your application.
• Submit your CV in Word format.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis-early submission is recommended.

We will also add your details to our mail out lists. Please note you may receive details of roles outside of your immediate vicinity, as many candidates are able to relocate temporarily for work. Please disregard any such emails that are not of interest and let us know if you would rather not receive such mailouts and/or if you wish us to delete your details and prefer to apply direct to our advertised roles.

If you do not hear from us within three working days, unfortunately your application has not been shortlisted on this occasion. Thank you for your interest in working with us.

Qualification details and any other experience/skills relevant to the role to help support your application should be clearly shown in your CV.