Job Description

Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world.



JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.



We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives.

Role overview:

As Payroll Manager, you will lead a high-performing payroll function responsible for delivering a seamless, accurate, and timely service to over 30,000 colleagues across the JD Group. Working alongside another Payroll Manager and closely with Assistant Managers and Team Leaders, you will ensure operational excellence, drive continuous improvement, and support strategic business initiatives.



This is a pivotal leadership role where you'll partner with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to align payroll operations with broader business goals. You'll focus on empowering and enabling the management team to develop their people, ensuring the function is not only compliant and efficient, but also future-focused and colleague-centric.

Responsibilities:

Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Payroll team, ensuring accurate and timely processing of 22 payrolls (GBR, ROI, the Channel Islands) on a monthly cycle. Own the quality and accuracy of payroll outputs across allocated business areas, acting as the final sign-off authority. Conduct and respond to audit checks, ensuring full compliance with internal and external requirements. Empower and support the management team (Team Leaders and Assistant Managers) to lead, coach, and develop their teams effectively. Collaborate with the SLT to support the successful implementation of strategic business initiatives, ensuring payroll operations are aligned and enabling. Drive innovation and process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and reduce manual interventions. Monitor and analyse payroll queries, implementing proactive solutions to reduce volume and improve resolution times, whilst facilitating a customer-centric approach. Act as a key escalation point for complex queries and customer feedback, ensuring timely and effective resolution. Align team KPIs with strategic business goals, using data insights to inform coaching and development plans. Provide accurate payroll reporting to internal departments and external bodies, ensuring data integrity and compliance. Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across the business.

Skills and Experience:

CIPP qualified or equivalent professional experience Extensive experience managing complex, high-volume payrolls with strong end-to-end knowledge Proven track record in delivering high-quality customer service Deep understanding of payroll legislation and compliance, including Auto Enrolment, RTI, PAYE. Experience in processing Irish payrolls would be advantageous Strong analytical skills with a keen eye for detail and accuracy Experience in supporting and enabling management teams to lead and develop others Ability to communicate complex payroll issues clearly and effectively to a range of audiences Good communication skills with the ability to guide and influence with the confidence to challenge current practices appropriately. Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Experience using Dayforce payroll software would be advantageous

We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work.



Thank you for your time



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