Payroll Team Leader

We're looking for an experienced UK Payroll Team Leader to join our Group HR function and take responsibility for delivering an accurate, compliant, and high-quality payroll service for approximately 2,000 UK employees. As a key member of the People Services team, you'll lead and develop a small payroll team, oversee monthly and annual payroll activities, manage stakeholder relationships, and drive continuous improvement across payroll processes. This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll professional who combines strong technical expertise with people leadership and a passion for service excellence. You'll have the chance to influence payroll operations, deliver meaningful improvements, and work closely with stakeholders across HR, Finance, suppliers and external bodies. Key responsibilities:

• Ensuring all UK payroll activities are delivered accurately, on time, and in line with legislation and company policies.
• Leading, coaching and developing the payroll team.
• Managing the end-to-end monthly payroll process for approximately 2,000 UK employees.
• Overseeing annual payroll activities, including tax year-end processes and payroll scheduling.
• Acting as the escalation point for complex payroll queries and issues.
• Managing relationships with HMRC, payroll suppliers and key internal stakeholders.
• Supporting audits and ensuring payroll controls and compliance requirements are met.
• Partnering with Finance to provide payroll reporting, costing information and statutory returns.
• Maintaining and improving payroll processes, standard operating procedures and business continuity plans.
• Leading payroll-related projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensuring accurate processing of deductions, third-party payments, family leave, sick pay and other payroll-related activities.
  
  You'll bring both payroll expertise and leadership experience, with the ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance and external partners.
Essential:
• Experience managing a payroll team or a closely related HR operational team.
• Strong understanding of UK payroll legislation and payroll best practice.
• Experience working with payroll systems.
• Excellent knowledge of monthly and annual payroll cycles.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Experience reviewing and improving operational processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and wider Microsoft Office skills.
Desirable:
• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll.
• Knowledge of payroll business continuity planning.
• Understanding of payrolled Benefits in Kind.
  
  We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days' holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.
We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts. This role comes with the added benefit of a discretionary annual payment.