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