Payroll Manager -City of London (Hybrid) - 6 month FTC £80,000 - £90,000

Payroll Manager - Standalone Location: City of London (Hybrid - 3 days in office)
Contract: 6-month FTC (possible extension)
Salary: £90,000

A global financial services business with international offices is seeking a seasoned Payroll Specialist to operate in a standalone Payroll Manager role. You will own end-to-end payroll, compensation and benefits administration and deliver a total reward approach that supports the Group HR strategy to attract, retain and fairly reward talent as well as driving payroll transformation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end payroll administration for UK and coordinate with international offices for global payroll accuracy and compliance.
• Implement and manage total reward and compensation programmes aligned to Group HR strategy.
• Drive payroll transformation: review and audit existing processes, vendors and systems; identify inefficiencies and recommend/implement streamlined, scalable solutions.
• Oversee payroll controls, reconciliations, year-end processes and statutory reporting to ensure compliance.
• Partner with HR, Finance and external vendors to resolve payroll issues, implement system upgrades and ensure data integrity.
• Manage vendor relationships, SLAs and performance for outsourced payroll services where applicable.
• Produce management reporting and analytics on payroll costs, benefits uptake and key metrics.

Must-have experience

• Proven payroll transformation experience: auditing processes, reviewing vendors/systems, and implementing improvements across international payroll.
• Strong technical knowledge of UK payroll legislation, payroll software/systems and cross-border payroll considerations.
• Experience operating in a standalone payroll lead role with end-to-end responsibility.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills across HR, Finance and external providers.
• Strong attention to detail, process-driven, and ability to work autonomously.
• Previous experience within financial services or a regulated environment is preferred.

Contract & working pattern

• 6-month fixed-term contract with possibility of extension.
• Hybrid working, City of London office - 3 days per week onsite.