Job Description

Head of Payroll Services

Swindon, Newport, or Billingham - hybrid working

Band G - 65,383 - 82,474 DOE

We are seeking an experienced leader to join the team reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will have end-to-end accountability for the leadership, transformation and strategic development of the payroll function.


UKSBS is a public sector shared service centre providing high quality HR, Payroll, Finance, Procurement and IT services and expertise to our partners. We are proud of the part we play in enabling our partners to achieve the best outcomes for the British people and the UK economy.


It's an exciting time to join UKSBS as we transform our business to be the leading UK public sector business service provider. We aim to become a very different organisation over the next few years as we move to a modern multi-platform, digitally enabled organisation.


You will lead a large operational team, with direct accountability for performance, compliance, technology implementation, risk, and client satisfaction. You will also play a central role in organisational transformation, supporting the transition to new ERP platforms and designing the Target Operating Model of the future.


This is a critical leadership role with visibility across the Executive Team, clients and our transformation programme. You will be the voice of Payroll at the top table, ensuring strategic decisions are informed by operational insight and service-user impact. Operating at senior leadership level, you will shape the long-term direction of payroll services, ensuring resilient, accurate and efficient delivery for over 40,000 users across multiple central government organisations


Duties will include, but not be limited to the following:


Own the strategic direction of the payroll function, ensuring services remain fit for purpose as client needs and platforms evolve Define and implement the future Target Operating Model, aligned with the organisation's transformation roadmap and digital ambitions Ensure the end-to-end payroll service is delivered accurately, compliantly and efficiently, meeting all statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations Oversee planning, resourcing and workflow management across a multi-team operation, ensuring scalability, capacity, resilience and cost-effectiveness Maintain a robust control environment, ensuring risk management, audit preparedness and governance standards are consistently applied Lead, inspire and develop a senior management team to deliver high performance, strong employee engagement and continuous improvement Champion professional development and career pathways for payroll professionals, enhancing the credibility and capability of the function Represent Payroll Services at executive and programme boards, using insight and evidence to influence decision-making Drive alignment between service performance and strategic organisational goals, ensuring value for money and enhanced customer satisfaction
To do this role well you will need:


Proven experience of leading a large-scale, multi-client payroll function with complex regulatory requirements and immoveable deadlines Relevant professional qualifications (CIPP) or leadership qualifications Significant track record of strategic leadership in a shared services or large operational environment Demonstrable expertise in managing transformation, including systems implementation, process redesign and Target Operating Model development Strong commercial and financial acumen, including ownership of budgets and workforce planning Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage, influence and challenge at senior and executive level Deep understanding of payroll legislation, audit requirements and risk management A collaborative, decisive and values-led leadership style Knowledge of SaaS payroll systems (preferably Workday or Oracle) In return for your skills and experience, our roles offer flexibility in working patterns and locations. We ask that you join the team in the Swindon office at least twice a week to share best practices and discuss key issues, if you are based in either Swindon or Newport. For those of you that are further afield, you should be prepared to travel to Swindon on at least a monthly basis.
For a full job description, please see here.


For additional information and a confidential discussion please contact our Recruitment Team on recruiting@uksbs.co.uk.


We are an inclusive and Disability Confident employer and welcome all applications. Find out more about our equality, diversity and inclusion commitments on our website.


UKSBS does not hold a Home Office Sponsor Licence under the UK Immigration System, therefore candidates are required to have eligibility to live and work in the UK prior to applying.


We look forward to hearing from you.

We are UKSBS. We are creating a place where people love to work, a culture where we lead, we change, we deliver and we empower our people to be curious, take action and add value.