Payroll Team Leader

4800131
  • Job type

    Permanent
  • Location

    London
  • Working Pattern

    Full-time
  • Specialism

    Payroll
  • Industry

    Education & Training
  • Pay

    £44-50k per annum depending on experience
  • Closing date

    30 Jun 2026

Payroll Team Lead

12-14 month FTC position
Central London
Hybrid Working

Our client is seeking an experienced Payroll Team Leader to join their busy team on a 12-14 month FTC basis
Duties include;
  • Lead, motivate, and manage a payroll team to ensure high performance and engagement
  • Set clear objectives, priorities, and performance expectations for team members
  • Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, team meetings, and performance reviews
  • Provide coaching, mentoring, and development opportunities for team members
  • Foster a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture
  • Allocate workloads effectively across the team based on skills and capacity
  • Monitor productivity and adjust resource allocation to meet deadlines
  • Manage team schedules, holidays, and cover to ensure continuous payroll operations
  • Track individual and team performance against KPIs and service levels
  • Address underperformance through structured improvement plans
  • Ensure consistent adherence to company policies and standards
  • Identify training needs and design development plans for team members
  • Deliver or coordinate payroll-related and soft skills training
  • Support onboarding and induction of new payroll staff
  • Encourage continuous learning and cross-training within the team
  • Act as the primary escalation point for payroll team queries
  • Assist with manual calculations and training on payroll legislation
  • Build strong relationships with HR, Finance, and external stakeholders
  • Communicate effectively with senior managers on payroll team performance and issues
  • Lead and implement process changes or system improvements within the team
  • Drive standardisation and best practices across payroll operations
  • Support the team through organisational or system changes
  • Ensure team adherence to payroll processes, policies, and compliance requirements
  • Oversee audit readiness and support the team during audits
  • Act as escalation point for complex payroll or team-related issues
  • Make informed decisions to resolve operational or people challenges
  • Maintain calm and effective leadership in high-pressure payroll cycles
  • Report on team performance, service levels, and key metrics
  • Communicate changes, priorities, and expectations clearly to the team
  • Encourage innovation, feedback, and proactive problem-solving
  • Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing within the team
  • Lead by example in professionalism and values
You will have;
  • Strong leadership & team motivation – inspires, guides, and builds a high-performing, engaged team
  • Effective communication – clearly conveys information and manages relationships with team and stakeholders
  • People management & coaching – develops team members, handles performance, and supports growth
  • Organisation & decision-making – prioritises workloads, delegates effectively, and resolves issues confidently
  • Resilience & attention to detail – maintains accuracy and stays calm under pressure, especially during payroll cycles
  • Ability to complete manual calculations and strong payroll knowledge
If you have all of the above, and you are keen to support a dynamic team and can commit to a 12-14 month FTC position, then please apply now

Apply for this job

Talk to Sarah Bonner, the specialist consultant managing this position

Located in London-Central, 4th Floor, 107 Cheapside, Telephone 02072598745
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