Payroll Manager

Recruitment: Payroll Manager

Do you want to be valued, make an impact, and achieve your potential?

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to join our HR & Payroll Services team in Kilkenny. We provide an exciting environment where you can grow your skills while making an impact in a fast-growing organisation committed to helping great clients build profitable sustainable businesses.

The Role

The Payroll Manager will help to lead the delivery of outsourced payroll services to a diverse client base, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and service excellence. With responsibility for a team of Payroll Specialists, the role requires strong leadership, stakeholder management, and a collaborative approach.

About Ifac

Founded in 1975, Ifac is Ireland's specialist professional services firm for the farming, food, agri, and family business sectors. We are an award-winning employer and one of Ireland's Top Ten Accountancy firms. Ifac is also one of Ireland’s Top 200 Employers 2025 as listed by the Irish Independent in partnership with Statista, and a PrimeGlobal member firm. As Ireland's largest farming, food, and agribusiness professional services firm, ifac is proud to be certified as a B Corporation (B Corp).

Our Purpose

Ifac's purpose is to help its clients to build profitable sustainable futures, so that people and communities across Ireland can thrive.

Our Ambition

With a strong focus on global best practice, Ifac has set its ambition to be a global leader in agrifood advisory, while also driving growth and excellence in Ireland's dynamic SME sector.

Why Join Ifac?

At Ifac, we are more than just a workplace – we are a community of professionals committed to growth, innovation, and sector leadership. When you join our team, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Work with industry-leading experts and clients in Ireland’s farming, food, agribusiness, and SME sectors.
• Be part of a values-driven culture emphasising collaboration, commitment, energy, respect, and foresight.
• Build a great career, help us achieve our ambitions and help shape the future of Ireland’s business landscape.
• Enjoy a competitive compensation package, including performance-based bonuses and significant opportunities for professional growth.

Making an impact

We build strong client connections through great service, sectoral expertise, and deep engagement. Many of our clients have been with us for generations and we have helped those families build and retain wealth, transition assets, and optimize opportunities. Operating within a culture that is both collaborative and client focused, the Payroll Manager will help to foster partnership, innovation, and accountability to deliver operational excellence and strategic value.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Management:

• Lead, motivate, and develop a team of payroll professionals, fostering a high-performance and client-focused culture.
• Manage team workload, resource allocation, and capacity planning to ensure effective service delivery and achievement of deadlines.
• Promote collaboration, engagement, and knowledge sharing across the payroll team and wider business.

Payroll Operations & Compliance:

• Oversee the end-to-end payroll function for a portfolio of clients, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and full compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor compliance with Irish payroll legislation, Revenue requirements, employment law, and social insurance regulations, ensuring best practice is consistently applied.
• Lead payroll quality assurance initiatives, ensuring appropriate review and control procedures are maintained across all client payrolls.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management:

• Develop and maintain strong, trusted relationships with clients, ensuring a high-quality service experience and long-term client retention.
• Partner with internal stakeholders, regional offices, and leadership teams to ensure consistent and efficient payroll service delivery.
• Lead client meetings, service reviews, and payroll consultations, identifying opportunities to enhance value and support client requirements.
• Oversee the onboarding of new payroll clients, ensuring smooth implementation, accurate setup, and successful transition into service.

Strategy, Projects & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead the evaluation, implementation, and optimisation of payroll systems, processes, and technologies.
• Identify opportunities for automation, standardisation, and process improvement to enhance operational efficiency and client service.
• Manage payroll-related projects and change initiatives, ensuring successful delivery within agreed timelines and budgets.
• Monitor and report on operational KPIs, driving continuous improvement in service delivery.

You will have:

• 8+ years payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a management capacity.
• Demonstrated success in outsourced payroll services for multiple clients is desirable.
• Third-level qualification in Payroll, HR, Finance, or a related discipline is required.
• IPASS qualification is essential.
• Expert knowledge of payroll legislation, compliance, and best practice.
• Proven leadership capability, with experience of managing a team.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels internally and externally.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, fostering teamwork across functions and geographies.
• High integrity, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive data.

Rewards

Our Payroll Manager will receive;

• Market-leading compensation and benefits package.
• Substantial employer pension contribution.
• Generous annual leave allowance.
• Supportive family orientated workplace policies.
• Blended WFH.
• Opportunities for internal growth and development.
• Access to a bike to work scheme.
• Access to an employee assistance programme.
• Well-being benefits, including the Digital Doctor programme.
• Regular wellness, social, and charity activities throughout the year.
• Voucher at Christmas.

Next Steps

Apply in confidence with full CV quoting reference: PayrollManager/Kilkenny: careers@ifac.ie

Tel. 056 7761048.