Payroll Services Lead

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Payroll & People Services Operations Lead to join a large, complex public sector organisation on a 12-month basis.

This is a senior leadership role focused on stabilising, modernising, and leading the payroll and people services function, ensuring accurate, compliant and efficient service delivery across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the delivery of a timely and accurate payroll service via an outsourced provider
• Managing payroll contracts, SLAs, KPIs and service performance
• Acting as the organisation's subject matter expert on payroll, pensions, and compliance
• Overseeing all employee lifecycle changes (pay, absence, pensions, contractual changes etc.)
• Driving service improvement, process optimisation, and governance across payroll and people services
• Ensuring strong data integrity, audit controls, and reporting capability
• Leading and developing a People Services team, embedding high performance and continuous improvement
• Acting as the key interface between HR, Finance, and payroll providers

You will bring:

• Extensive payroll expertise, ideally within the NHS or public sector
• Strong knowledge of NHS pensions, and statutory payroll regulations
• A track record of leading payroll functions, including outsourced service management
• Experience managing and developing teams through change and service transformation
• Strong understanding of ESR and payroll systems, alongside data, audit and controls