Job description

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.

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 feedback from recent VANRATH candidates-

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''Very pleased with the service provided and extremely appreciative to VANRATH, who I'd highly recommend.''

''VANRATH was very helpful in assisting me in obtaining my new employment post. They made care to stay in touch, inform me of any updates and gave me some excellent interview advice. Thank you for all your assistance; I wouldn't think twice about using VANRATH again. Outstanding service.''