Job Title: Payroll ManagerSalary: £45,000Contract: Full-Time | PermanentLocation: ManchesterHybrid: 3 days in the office Team: 3 direct reportsHours: 35 hours per week This role requires travel to North Wales once a week. Travel expenses to this office will be fully reimbursed. This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Payroll Manager with a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end payroll processes, ideally gained within accountancy, bureau, or umbrella settings. We are looking for a professional who has experience not only managing payroll but also leading and developing a team. You will be joining a well-established and respected firm of chartered accountants based in Manchester, with a focus on growing the payroll function. In this role, you will manage your own portfolio of clients while leading a team of 3 motivated Payroll Administrators. This is a pivotal position where you’ll play a key role in both the day-to-day payroll operations and the development of the department over the next 12-18 months, ensuring efficiency and supporting the firm’s growth goals. Key Responsibilities:

Oversee a portfolio of clients, ensuring timely and accurate payroll processing and compliance with all relevant legislation, including PAYE and NI.
Lead, train, and mentor a team of 3 Payroll Administrators, ensuring the efficient distribution of workloads and meeting operational deadlines.
Process and manage payrolls, including manual calculations where necessary, ensuring accuracy and compliance with tax and pension regulations.
Act as the primary point of contact for clients, resolving queries and addressing any concerns, always striving for excellent customer service and acting on feedback.
Oversee the management and processing of various pension schemes, including NOW and NEST.
Contribute to the development of systems and processes, including refining the client journey and implementing new software solutions where necessary.
Conduct performance reviews and provide coaching and feedback to enhance team performance and individual growth.

What We’re Looking For:

At least 3 years’ experience as a Payroll Manager, ideally within a payroll bureau environment, though we also welcome applications from in-house payroll professionals.
A commercial mindset and the ability to manage and grow a profitable payroll service.
Experience managing payroll for a diverse portfolio of clients, ensuring service excellence and compliance with payroll regulations.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and mentor a team of payroll professionals.
A proactive attitude, with the ability to resolve payroll discrepancies and ensure that client needs are met efficiently and effectively.
Knowledge of payroll software implementation, ideally with experience in Iris Star or similar systems.

Key Skills:

CIPP or equivalent qualification (or at that level).
Extensive experience delivering fully managed payroll services, with a thorough understanding of payroll taxes, PAYE, and related regulations.
Proven ability to build, manage, and motivate a team of payroll professionals.
Strong communication skills and the ability to build positive, lasting relationships with clients.
Skilled at identifying and resolving payroll discrepancies proactively.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.
Experience with payroll system implementation and process optimization.

What’s on Offer:

A competitive salary of £45,000 per year.
The chance to lead and develop a growing function with the opportunity to make a real impact.
A supportive team and the opportunity for professional development and career progression.
Travel expenses reimbursed for commuting to your non-primary office location.
Access to professional development pathways in collaboration with the People Team.

If you are ready to take on a new challenge as the Payroll Manager for this firm and help shape the future of our Payroll function, we would love to hear from you. Apply today to become part of a forward-thinking team where you can make a real difference! JGA Recruitment Group Ltd ("We") are committed to equality of opportunity for all applications regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.We are also committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We are a specialist Payroll and HR recruitment agency and recruitment business as defined in the Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (our business).These statements together with our privacy notices set out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.

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