Head of Payroll - Contract

VANRATH are delighted to be recruiting for a Head of Payroll on behalf of a large, complex organisation operating across the UK and Ireland. This is a senior leadership position with full accountability for payroll delivery within a high volume, multi-entity environment.

The role would suit a strategic, hands-on payroll leader with strong people management capability and a passion for improving systems, controls, and service delivery.

Please note that this role will be based in the office full-time.

The Role

As Head of Payroll, you will be responsible for the end-to-end payroll function across the UK and Ireland. Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and delivering accurate, compliant payrolls for a large workforce, consistently meeting SLAs

• Ensuring full compliance with payroll legislation, pensions, statutory reporting, and governance standards

• Developing and embedding strong payroll controls, reporting, and risk mitigation processes

• Driving continuous improvement, standardisation, and efficiency across payroll operations

• Leading payroll input into wider HR systems and transformation initiatives

The Ideal Candidate

Essential:

• 10+ years' experience in senior payroll leadership within a large or complex organisation

• Proven experience managing managers and multi-layered teams

• Strong working knowledge of payroll compliance, controls, and best practice

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

• Highly detail-driven with the ability to identify issues and deliver improvements

Desirable:

• Experience in a SOX-controlled or highly regulated environment

• Exposure to Time & Attendance systems

• Involvement in payroll or HR system implementations (e.g. SAP)

Qualifications

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or a related discipline

• Professional payroll qualification or accreditation (preferred)

For further information on this vacancy, or any other Accountancy and Finance jobs in Belfast or wider Northern Ireland, please apply via the link below or contact Jamie Gault in the strictest confidence. IND01

Some positive candidate feedback we've received-

''5*'s for Vanrath. They found me a suitable agency post right away, it was a great fit, now I have got the job permanently! Very personable and knowledgeable to deal with and always took the time to understand and help out. Extremely professional service all round.''

''I contacted Vanrath after being laid off by my previous employer. They were fantastic to deal with and found me the perfect role that matched my skill set and experience and within a day or two had an interview lined up. Within the same week I was made a job offer which I happily accepted. So thankful that I contacted Vanrath. Couldn't have asked for a quicker and more professional service.''

''My experience with Vanrath has been so positive. They were very professional but friendly at the same time. The whole process has been excellent and I've secured a job that I really wanted. I wouldn't hesitate to go through Vanrath again in future as there was no waiting about and they continually kept me updated throughout. Thanks so much again.''