Payroll Manager

Payroll Manager

Willmott Dixon are currently recruiting for a Payroll Manager to join our Finance Team based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The role is ultimately responsible for delivering payroll services for approximately 3,000 people across the Group and this is a fantastic opportunity for someone that is looking to be part of an established family business.

This role sits within our Payroll Team who strive to ensure that all our people always receive the best service. The role reports directly into the Finance Director and in turn the Payroll Operations Manager reports into this role and is responsible for day-to-day management of the team and transactional tasks.

Hybrid working is supported and you will be expected to be at our Head office based in Letchworth on average 3 days a week.

In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end payroll process, ensuring full compliance with UK payroll legislation and internal governance standards. You will manage, support and develop a small payroll team (6 people), work with existing manual processes, and identify opportunities to streamline or automate where feasible. The successful candidate will be confident handling complex and escalated issues. You will work cross-functionally with HR, Finance, the wider business, and other departments to ensure a smooth and efficient payroll operation. You will be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of quality.

The Project

• Lead the delivery of accurate and timely payroll for all employees in the Willmott Dixon Group, ensuring accuracy and compliance with both internal policies and, legal regulations.
• Lead and support the payroll team, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing environment of exceptional customer service.
• Drive digitalisation and payroll strategies. Investigating and adopting latest technology where appropriate (g. AI, digitalisation etc.).
• Evaluate and improve payroll systems to increase automation, accuracy, and efficiency.
• Lead on Strategic Projects and Change Management.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Be a trusted advisor to HR, finance, legal, and leadership teams.
• Act as the escalation point for complex or sensitive payroll queries, ensuring effective resolution with minimal business impact.
• Take overall ownership of the Payroll system and relationship with the vendor, ensuring it operates smoothly, including working closely with HR and managing system upgrades/enhancements.
• In conjunction with HR, use data to advise on compensation strategies and business decisions.
• Be first point of contact for HMRC, provider of mileage capture system and pension provider for any queries and updates.
• Manage salary review process, ensuring accurate data is provided to business and uploaded correctly into payroll system.
• Manage annual incentive process, ensuring accurate data is provided for incentive calculations and all payments and pension waiver amounts processed correctly.

Essential and Desirable Criteria

Essential skills:

• Significant experience in a payroll leadership role, with proven team management skills.
• Experience in delivering process change and automation to deliver improved accuracy and efficiency.
• Excellent understanding of UK payroll legislation, statutory payments, and compliance requirements.
• Comfortable working with a mix of automated and manual payroll processes.
• Experience in delivering projects and change.
• Strong problem-solving skills, particularly in resolving complex payroll issues.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, and ability to work under pressure.
• Confident communicator with the ability to engage effectively across multiple departments.
• Highly organised with strong prioritisation skills and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Expected to be up-to-date with current trends in HR and Payroll.
• Experience with salary sacrifice, permanent work place rules, and payrolling benefits is beneficial.
• Analytical skills, particularly within Excel (advanced formulas/data manipulation).
• A CIPP qualification (or equivalent) is

Desirable skills:

• Previous experience of using resourcelink is desirable but not essential

Additional Information

At Willmott Dixon we provide an inclusive and flexible working environment for people to thrive in and we are happy to support agile working wherever possible.

We are a proud member of the Disability Confident Scheme.

In return we reward our people generously with a competitive package that gives you flexible benefits to fit your lifestyle and priorities. This includes but is not limited to, an enhanced pension scheme,private medical, life assurance, incentive bonus and a motoring expenditure allowance (MEA). Our salary sacrifice car scheme allows you to access a new generation of low carbon and electric cars.

About Us

With over 170 years of rich history, Willmott Dixon's purpose is beyond profit; delivering brilliant buildings, transforming lives, strengthening communities and enhancing the environment so our world is fit for future generations. Ensuring that we add lasting value to the neighbourhoods we work in; our values, people, innovation, partnerships and focus on sustainability has allowed us to build a successful and solid privately owned business where our people can thrive.

Willmott Dixon was recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 10 "Big" Companies to Work For in 2025, named among the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality in 2024, and ranked in the Top Five of Europe's 1,000 best workplaces by the Financial Times in 2025. Willmott Dixon is also the first major contractor and developer to win a King's Award for Enterprise in the category of sustainable development.