Payroll Manager
HRGO Plc is a UK recruitment group, with HRGO Recruitment as its main brand alongside several smaller group businesses. We are looking for an experienced Payroll Manager to take ownership of the Group's in-house payroll function. We process payroll for more than 1,000 temporary workers each week.
Unlike many recruitment businesses, we do not outsource temporary worker payroll to umbrella providers. All temporary workers are processed in-house through Staffology. The vast majority are paid through PAYE, with a small number of limited company contractors categorised separately within the same system.
Our payroll operation is increasingly automated. Staffology receives data from our recruitment platform, FONT, through APIs, reducing manual intervention and allowing the process to scale as the business grows.
The role is therefore less about routine manual processing and more about making sure payroll works. You will retain the technical payroll expertise within the business, oversee controls and reconciliations, manage exceptions and complex cases, and ensure all statutory deadlines are met.
You will lead two Payroll Administrators and act as the main point of escalation for payroll queries from workers, branches, customers and colleagues. The team also processes the monthly payroll for our permanent employees, which this role will oversee and cover when required.
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall ownership of the weekly temporary worker payroll, ensuring it is accurate and delivered on time.
- Oversee the automated Staffology payroll process and its FONT API data flows, reviewing exceptions and investigating system or data issues.
- Support weekly payroll and pay-to-bill reconciliations, investigating and resolving payroll-related differences.
- Maintain effective contingency arrangements for system, integration or payment failures.
- Ensure HMRC submissions and payments, pension requirements and other statutory filings are completed accurately and on time, and that the business remains up to date with payroll legislation.
- Act as the payroll subject matter expert for complex calculations, adjustments, queries and unusual cases.
- Lead, support and develop the two Payroll Administrators, ensuring clear responsibilities and appropriate cover across the team.
- Oversee the monthly payroll for permanent employees, supporting the Payroll Administrator responsible for day-to-day processing and providing cover when required.
- Take ownership of escalated payroll queries from workers, branches, customers and other stakeholders, ensuring issues are resolved clearly and promptly.
- Work closely with Finance, Operations and other teams to resolve payroll issues and improve the overall service.
- Manage Staffology and identify opportunities to improve automation, controls and processes as the business grows.
- Produce payroll reporting, support period-end reconciliations and audit requirements, and maintain clear payroll procedures and documentation.
Essential skills and experience
- Strong technical payroll knowledge and experience of weekly payroll within a high-volume, in-house PAYE environment.
- Good knowledge of UK payroll legislation and requirements, including PAYE, National Insurance, RTI, statutory payments and workplace pensions.
- Strong reconciliation and control skills, with the ability to investigate differences and identify the root cause of issues.
- Confidence dealing with complex or unusual payroll cases rather than relying solely on system-generated outcomes.
- Experience managing or developing a small team.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to explain payroll matters clearly to payroll and non-payroll stakeholders.
- Comfortable working with modern payroll technology, automated processes and system integrations.
- An analytical mindset, strong attention to detail, a practical approach to improvement and the ability to work calmly to fixed deadlines.
Desirable
- Experience within recruitment, temporary labour or a payroll bureau environment.
- Experience of Staffology or another modern cloud-based payroll platform.
- Experience working with integrated payroll systems, APIs or payroll system change.
- CIPP qualification or equivalent payroll accreditation.
What we offer
This is an opportunity to take ownership of a sizeable payroll operation at an important point in its development. With much of the routine processing becoming automated, you will help shape how payroll operates as the business grows while retaining the expertise and controls needed to deliver a reliable service.
We offer a collaborative, fast-moving environment, a competitive salary and benefits package, and the opportunity to make a visible difference to the continued development of our payroll operation.
