PAYROLL TEAM LEADER (6 MONTH FTC)
York
£34,000 to £37,000

You know that feeling when payroll is running smoothly, the team feels supported, and the wider business actually trusts the numbers and the process? That is the brief here.

This is a brilliant opportunity to step into a fast-growing, acquisitive organisation where finance is evolving quickly and payroll is right at the heart of keeping everything stable. The environment is high pace and change is constant, but the culture is genuinely people-first: respectful, collaborative, supportive, approachable and low ego. It is the kind of place where people muck in, ideas get heard, and doing things properly matters.

If you are the sort of payroll leader who enjoys bringing calm, structure and standards - but also likes improving how things work - you will feel at home.

What is in it for you

A visible leadership role with real ownership - you will lead the day-to-day payroll operation and the team around it
Exposure to a wider finance transformation journey in a business that is growing quickly and changing often.
A culture that values people leadership as much as technical delivery - support, development, and team wellbeing are not lip service here.
The chance to implement improvements that make payroll better for everyone - not just keep the wheels turning.

The role (what you will actually be doing):

As Payroll Team Leader, you will strategically supervise, motivate and lead a team of 7, while still keeping a close eye on deadlines, accuracy and service.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading, motivating and organising a payroll team, setting the tone for quality and pace.
Managing your own payroll deadlines and ensuring key cycles run to time.
Reviewing team workloads and signing off work before it goes out.
Acting as point of contact for escalated payroll queries and resolving issues quickly and calmly.
Ensuring payroll compliance and maintaining an accurate payroll function.
Balancing payroll accounts and resolving discrepancies.
Reviewing, monitoring and implementing new processes to improve how the department runs.
Protecting service levels while building strong relationships with stakeholders across the business.

What they are looking for This suits someone who is confident running a high-volume payroll function end-to-end, and who gets real satisfaction from helping a team perform at their best.

You will likely bring:

Strong, hands-on payroll knowledge and experience across all aspects of payroll delivery.
Proven experience leading, supervising or mentoring a payroll team (or being the natural go-to person in a team).
A steady approach under pressure - organised, proactive, analytical and solutions-focused.
A positive mindset towards change - someone who can bring ideas, simplify processes, and help the team feel stable during transformation.
A people-first leadership style that fits a respectful, collaborative, supportive culture.

Qualifications

CIPP is preferred, but not essential if you have the right experience.

Contract and location

6 month fixed-term contract
York based
Salary £34,000 to £37,000

Interested? If you are a payroll leader who enjoys ownership, values team culture, and wants a role where you can both deliver and improve, get in touch and we will talk you through the detail.

iFF Talent - Recruiting on behalf of a York-based, values-led organisation (anonymised advert).