Head of Payroll

Hartford Care Group is looking for a Head of Payroll to own accurate, controlled and timely payroll across all employees and homes. You’ll lead a payroll function of four, report directly to the CFO, and provide the workforce reporting that supports Finance, HR and operational leadership.

What you’ll be doing

Owning Group payroll across all entities, including timetables, cut-offs, approvals, sign-off and final payment controls

Establishing payroll controls, reconciliations and exception reporting, with variances investigated before payment

Taking responsibility for compliance with HMRC, PAYE, National Insurance, pensions, statutory payments and year-end reporting

Owning payroll data integrity across HR, rostering, time-recording and payroll systems

Leading the Payroll Manager and team, with clear standards, deadlines and cover for critical activities

Producing workforce reporting on FTE, vacancies, overtime, absence, pay trends and payroll-to-revenue ratios

Supporting workforce planning, budgeting and forecasting with reliable pay cost analysis

Maintaining controls over payroll bank files, payment approvals and access rights

Improving payroll processes and systems, reducing manual intervention and increasing resilience

Acting as the senior point of escalation for complex payroll matters

What we’re looking for

CIPP payroll qualification or an equivalent recognised payroll qualification

Significant payroll leadership experience in a complex, multi-site organisation with high employee volumes and tight deadlines

A proven record of end-to-end payroll delivery, including reconciliations, sign-off and gross-to-net accuracy

Strong working knowledge of PAYE, NI, pensions, statutory payments, deductions and benefits, with experience keeping payroll audit-ready

Experience of managing payroll data across HR, rostering and time-recording systems

The analytical ability to explain payroll movements and workforce cost trends clearly

Confidence to challenge incomplete or inaccurate inputs and hold stakeholders to deadlines

Integrity and discretion with confidential employee information