Payroll and Compliance Manager

Location: Warrington
Job type: Permanent, Full-time
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
Reports to: Operations Director and Managing Director

The opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Payroll and Compliance Manager to take ownership of our weekly payroll operation and candidate compliance processes across our Education, Industrial and Construction divisions.

This is a varied, hands-on management role combining operational delivery, team leadership, quality assurance and risk management. You will ensure temporary workers and tutors are paid accurately and on time, while maintaining robust compliance controls throughout the entire worker journey, from registration and onboarding through to placement, renewal and offboarding.

Working closely with our sales, finance and operational teams, you will play a key role in protecting the business, maintaining high service standards and ensuring no worker is placed or paid without the correct checks, records and approvals.

Key responsibilities

Payroll management

• Take ownership of the weekly payroll cycle for temporary workers and tutors.
• Manage payroll cut-off times for timesheets, hours, rates, expenses, adjustments and authorised deductions.
• Validate hours worked, pay rates, overtime, holiday pay, expenses and other payments before payroll is finalised.
• Identify and resolve payroll discrepancies, securing the appropriate approval for any amendments.
• Ensure starters, leavers and payroll changes are processed accurately and on time.
• Maintain accurate payroll records, approval evidence and audit trails.
• Respond to payroll queries from workers, tutors, clients and consultants promptly and professionally.
• Work with accountants and internal stakeholders on payment files, reconciliations, reporting and associated invoicing information.
• Maintain appropriate controls where umbrella companies or other payroll intermediaries are used.

Recruitment compliance

• Manage the full candidate and worker compliance journey, ensuring individuals are fully cleared before starting an assignment.
• Maintain clear compliance requirements across Education, Industrial and Construction roles.
• Oversee right-to-work, identity and time-limited permission checks.
• Ensure references, employment histories, qualifications, licences, training records, declarations and role-specific checks are completed and recorded correctly.
• Monitor expiry dates for DBS certificates, right-to-work documents, licences, cards, training and other time-sensitive records.
• Ensure candidate and worker information is accurate, securely retained and handled in line with UK data protection requirements.
• Prevent non-compliant placements and escalate suspected fraud, safeguarding concerns or other material risks.
• Review client-specific compliance requirements and prepare accurate audit or compliance packs when required.
• Monitor relevant legislative and regulatory changes, translating them into practical procedures, communications and training.
• Support, develop and oversee the payroll and compliance team.

About you

To succeed in this role, you will need:

• Strong experience managing a high-volume weekly payroll within temporary recruitment, staffing or another time-critical environment.
• Practical experience of candidate or worker compliance, including identity and right-to-work checks.
• A working knowledge of UK payroll requirements, including PAYE, National Insurance, holiday pay and statutory payments.
• Experience leading or supervising a payroll, compliance or operational administration team.
• Excellent attention to detail and the confidence to challenge incomplete, inconsistent or unauthorised information.
• Strong spreadsheet, payroll, CRM and reporting skills, with the ability to manage large volumes of data accurately.
• The ability to interpret legislation and guidance and turn it into clear, workable processes.
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, particularly when balancing fixed payroll deadlines with urgent compliance activity.
• A professional and collaborative communication style, with the confidence to maintain appropriate controls in a commercial environment.
• Sound judgement and a strong commitment to confidentiality, data protection and safeguarding.

What success looks like

• Weekly payroll is completed accurately, securely and within agreed deadlines.
• Workers and tutors do not begin assignments without the required compliance clearance.
• Expiring documents and time-limited permissions are identified and addressed before they create a supply or safeguarding risk.
• Payroll queries and compliance exceptions are resolved promptly.
• Records are accurate, complete and audit-ready.
• The payroll and compliance team is well-supported, appropriately trained and consistently delivers a high standard of service.

This role requires some flexibility around the weekly payroll timetable and other critical operational deadlines.

If you have strong payroll and recruitment compliance experience and are ready to take ownership of a busy, business-critical function, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Apply today by submitting your CV and a brief summary of your relevant experience.