Senior Payroll Manager
Location: Kilkenny
Do you want to be valued, make an impact, and achieve your full potential?
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Senior Payroll Manager to step into a senior leadership role within a fast-growing professional services environment. You’ll lead a high-performing payroll function that delivers outsourced payroll services to a diverse portfolio of high-quality clients, while driving innovation, compliance, and service excellence.
The Role
As Senior Payroll Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the delivery of multiple outsourced payrolls, leading two Payroll Managers and a wider team of Payroll Specialists. You will act as a senior advisor to clients, oversee compliance, and play a key role in shaping the future direction of the payroll offering.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership & People Management
- Lead, coach, and develop two Payroll Managers and a team of Payroll Specialists
- Foster a collaborative, client-focused, high-performance culture
- Drive employee engagement, capability building, and succession planning
- Promote continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and professional development
Payroll Operations & Compliance
- Oversee accurate and timely delivery of multiple client payrolls in line with SLAs
- Ensure full compliance with all statutory payroll and regulatory requirements
- Act as escalation point for complex payroll, compliance, and client issues
- Maintain ownership of a personal client portfolio and associated reporting
Stakeholder & Client Management
- Build strong, trusted relationships with external clients as a senior advisor
- Collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders including HR, IT, and senior leadership
- Proactively manage expectations to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery
Strategy, Projects & Continuous Improvement
- Contribute to the strategic development of the payroll service offering
- Champion automation, system optimisation, and process improvement initiatives
- Lead and support payroll system implementations and compliance projects
- Monitor KPIs and drive continuous improvement in efficiency and service quality
Financial & Commercial Oversight
- Support budgeting, resource planning, and cost control within the payroll function
- Contribute to client proposals, pricing models, and business development activities
- Apply strong commercial judgement with a focus on client retention and growth
About You
You will bring:
- 8 years’ + payroll experience, including 3–5 years in a senior management role
- Proven experience delivering outsourced payroll services to multiple clients
- Strong people leadership experience, including managing managers and large teams
- Demonstrated success leading system implementations or payroll transformation projects
- IPASS qualification (essential)
- Third-level qualification in Payroll, HR, Finance, or a related discipline
- Expert knowledge of payroll legislation, compliance, and best practice
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Strong commercial awareness and client-focused mindset
- High levels of integrity, discretion, and professionalism
For immediate consideration, please contact Danielle at danielle@hartleypeople.com or call 051-878813.
Hartley People Recruitment works to the highest ethical standards within our industry, and we value the trust you place in us when you send your CV. We can provide a full consultation in confidence, and we guarantee that your CV will not be sent to any of our clients without your prior consent.
