Senior Payroll Manager

POSITION: Senior Payroll Manager

SALARY: £50,000-£60,000 per annum (DOE)

LOCATION: Remote first with an expectation of 2 days per calendar month in either London or Manchester as required

HOURS: Full Time (9.00-5.30) with flexibility required during month end

THE OPPORTUNITY

Over the last year, we’ve made significant progress in strengthening our Payroll function and laying the foundations for long-term success. Our next chapter is about building on that progress: developing our people, improving the experience we deliver to clients and creating a payroll operation that is recognised for its quality, reliability and expertise. We’re looking for an exceptional Senior Payroll Manager to lead that next phase. 

This is a genuine opportunity to take ownership of a busy, complex payroll operation, lead a talented team and have a meaningful influence on how the department develops. We’re looking for someone who combines excellent UK payroll knowledge with confident, capable people leadership. Someone who can manage the detail without getting lost in it, build structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy, and lead a team through both the pressures of daily delivery and the opportunities for longer-term improvement. 

ABOUT US

Williams Stanley is a UK hospitality advisory business, providing payroll, accounting, tax, company secretarial and financial advisory services to a diverse portfolio of hospitality clients. Our payroll team supports businesses ranging from independent operators to international multi-site groups, delivering thousands of payslips across multiple payroll frequencies every month. Hospitality payroll brings a particular level of complexity, variety and pace. Our clients depend on us to get the detail right, meet demanding deadlines and offer knowledgeable, responsive support.

THE ROLE

As Senior Payroll Manager, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day leadership, delivery and performance of our payroll department. You’ll be the senior technical escalation point, the leader of the payroll team and the person accountable for ensuring our clients receive an accurate, compliant and consistently excellent service.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll be close enough to the operation to understand what’s happening across the client portfolio, identify issues early and step into the detail when needed. Equally, you’ll know when to step back, delegate effectively, develop your team and focus on the bigger picture. You’ll have the opportunity to shape how the department operates, develop its people, strengthen controls and influence its future direction.

A REALISTIC PICTURE OF THE ROLE

We’re proud of the improvements we’ve made, but we’re equally open about the work still ahead. This is a busy, evolving payroll environment. We manage a varied portfolio of clients, complex payroll requirements and multiple competing deadlines. Some processes are well established; others are being improved, automated or redesigned.

We need someone who is comfortable in that environment, brings structure rather than waiting for it, and enjoys turning operational challenges into sustainable improvements. On any given day you might be helping resolve a complex HMRC issue, supporting an important payroll deadline, coaching a colleague, managing a client escalation or reviewing performance to identify where things can work better.

This isn’t a role for someone who wants to move away from operational payroll entirely. Nor is it a role for someone whose strength lies solely in technical processing. We’re looking for the balance: a leader who knows the detail, enjoys developing people and can progressively build a stronger, more resilient and less dependent operation. What you’ll be responsible for:

PAYROLL OPERATIONS AND DELIVERY

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of a high-volume, multi-client payroll bureau, covering different payroll frequencies, complexities and deadlines.
• Maintain clear operational oversight of payroll schedules, workloads, client commitments and delivery risks.
• Ensure payrolls are processed accurately, on time and in accordance with UK payroll legislation, including PAYE, National Insurance, statutory payments, National Minimum Wage, pensions and relevant tronc arrangements.
• Establish and maintain effective quality assurance, reconciliation, payroll sign-off and exception management controls.
• Act as the senior technical escalation point, confidently resolving complex payroll issues and supporting the team where needed.
• Plan resources, manage delivery capacity and establish effective cover arrangements to protect service continuity.
• Oversee the payroll delivery aspects of client onboarding, migrations and transitions, ensuring new clients are implemented with appropriate planning, controls and quality assurance.

LEADING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE

• Provide confident, visible and approachable leadership to the payroll team.
• Set clear expectations for performance, quality, accountability and professional conduct.
• Coach and develop colleagues at different stages of their careers, strengthening technical competence, confidence and independent decision-making.
• Take ownership of day-to-day people management, including regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, workload management, absence, leave and performance or capability matters.
• Identify skills gaps and develop practical training, cross-training and succession arrangements.
• Create an environment where people feel supported, take responsibility for their work and are encouraged to challenge and improve the way things are done.
• Remain calm, constructive and decisive during demanding delivery periods.

CLIENT EXPERIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS

• Take responsibility for the quality and consistency of client service across the department.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for complex payroll, compliance and service matters.
• Build trusted relationships with clients through responsiveness, sound judgement and technical credibility.
• Lead client reviews and contribute to more complex implementation or advisory discussions.
• Ensure the team communicates clearly, professionally and proactively, particularly when issues arise.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Williams Stanley to deliver an integrated and consistent client experience.

IMPROVING THE OPERATION

• Establish and monitor meaningful operational KPIs covering payroll accuracy, timeliness, productivity, service standards and client experience.
• Identify recurring operational problems and implement practical, sustainable solutions.
• Strengthen standard operating procedures, documentation, quality controls and working practices.
• Work closely with technology, programme and enablement colleagues to shape, test and successfully embed payroll system improvements, automation and new workflows.
• Reduce avoidable manual work, rework, operational risk and reliance on individual knowledge.
• Use operational data to make informed decisions and continually improve performance.

COMMERCIAL AWARENESS AND DEPARTMENTAL DEVELOPMENT

• Understand and actively manage the relationship between workload, resource capacity, service quality and the cost of delivery.
• Contribute to departmental budgeting, recruitment planning, resource modelling and commercial performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability without compromising payroll accuracy or client experience.
• Provide operational insight to support service design, pricing decisions and future growth.
• Help shape the department’s priorities and development plans, turning agreed objectives into measurable improvements.

ABOUT YOU

You’re an experienced payroll professional who has successfully made the transition from being technically excellent to being an effective people and operational leader. You understand that managing a payroll department isn’t simply about knowing more than everyone else. It’s about building the conditions for your team to perform consistently, confidently and independently.

You’re comfortable being accountable, making decisions and dealing with difficult situations. You can recognise when a problem needs your direct involvement and when your time is better spent coaching someone else to solve it. 

You enjoy making things work better, but you also understand that payroll deadlines are non-negotiable and that improvements need to be delivered without losing control of the day-to-day operation.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Substantial experience in UK payroll, including significant exposure to complex, multi-client bureau or outsourced payroll delivery.
• Proven experience leading and managing a payroll team, including direct responsibility for performance, development, resourcing and operational delivery.
• Excellent working knowledge of UK payroll legislation, statutory obligations, HMRC requirements and payroll controls.
• Confidence handling complex technical issues and providing authoritative guidance to clients and colleagues.
• Experience managing multiple payroll deadlines, balancing competing priorities and maintaining service quality under pressure.
• Evidence of improving operational performance, introducing controls or developing more effective ways of working.
• Strong communication, organisational and planning skills.
• The ability and willingness to remain technically hands-on while leading and developing others.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA 

• Hospitality or other complex, multi-site payroll experience.
• Knowledge of tronc schemes, hospitality pay arrangements and associated compliance.
• CIPP qualification or equivalent professional development.
• Experience with BrightPay or other established UK payroll platforms.
• Involvement in payroll migrations, system implementations or automation.
• Experience contributing to budgets, resource planning or departmental commercial performance.

THE QUALITIES THAT MATTER TO US

We value people who are curious, accountable and willing to challenge how things are done. People who are confident enough to make decisions, approachable enough to invite questions and experienced enough to recognise when they need to listen. Most importantly, you’ll be equally comfortable getting into the detail and stepping back to lead. You bring:

• Calm authority: You create confidence and direction, particularly under pressure.
• Sound judgement: You know what needs your attention, what can be delegated and when to escalate.
• A coaching mindset: You develop capability in others rather than becoming the answer to every problem.
• Operational discipline: You believe good processes, controls and planning make everyone’s job easier.
• Adaptability: You’re comfortable with change and can bring order to competing priorities.
• Ownership: You follow through, take responsibility and don’t wait for someone else to solve problems.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Remote-first working
• Career progression and professional qualification support
• Employee recognition and wellbeing platform
• Employee Assistance Programme and coaching support
• Enhanced parental leave (dependent on length of service)
• Birthday leave
• Mental Health Half Days
• Pension scheme
• Increasing annual leave entitlement with service

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Applications close Friday 23 October 2026.

• Initial screening conversations: week commencing 26 October
• First-stage interviews: week commencing 2 November
• Final-stage interviews: week commencing 9 November

INTERESTED?

We’d love to hear from experienced payroll leaders who enjoy the challenge of building strong teams, delivering excellent service and making a meaningful difference.

Williams Stanley is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to an inclusive and fair recruitment process. Reasonable adjustments can be made during recruitment.