Director of Payroll

Payroll Director | Manchester City Centre | Competitive Executive Package + Benefits

Portfolio Payroll are delighted to be partnering with a fantastic, forward-thinking organisation based in the heart of Manchester to recruit an experiencedPayroll Director.

This is a rare opportunity to join a dynamic and ambitious business at a key stage of its growth journey. We are seeking a strategic and commercially minded payroll leader with proven experience managing large-scale payroll operations and leading high-performing teams.

As Payroll Director, you will take ownership of the overall payroll function, driving both strategic direction and operational excellence. You will be responsible for shaping the future vision of the payroll service, ensuring compliance, improving efficiencies, and embedding a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer excellence across the organisation.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact within a business that values progressive thinking, continuous improvement, and exceptional service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and deliver a best-in-class payroll strategy aligned with the organisation's long-term objectives.
• Provide leadership and direction across a large payroll operation, developing and empowering management teams.
• Ensure payroll compliance with all relevant legislation, governance requirements, and internal control frameworks.
• Drive operational excellence through the implementation of robust processes, systems, and service improvements.
• Lead transformation and change initiatives to enhance efficiency, scalability, and customer experience.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability across the payroll function.
• Develop strong relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing strategic decision-making and business performance.
• Identify opportunities for automation, technology enhancements, and process optimisation.
• Monitor service performance, risk management, and compliance standards to ensure exceptional delivery.
• Champion a customer-centric approach, ensuring the highest standards of service across all payroll operations.

About You

• Proven experience operating at Payroll Director, Head of Payroll, or equivalent senior leadership level.
• Extensive experience managing large-scale payroll operations and leading sizeable payroll teams.
• Strong technical payroll expertise with an in-depth understanding of payroll legislation, compliance, and governance.
• Demonstrable success in delivering business transformation, process improvements, and operational efficiencies.
• Strategic thinker with excellent commercial awareness and leadership capability.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
• Passionate about developing people, driving change, and creating a high-performance culture.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a market-leading organisation where you can shape strategy, drive innovation, and play a key role in the continued success and growth of the business.

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The Portfolio Group are acting on behalf of our client in recruiting for this position.