Payroll Partner (Interim)

Location: Primarily Mayfair, with some presence in Notting Hill (4 days onsite)

Contract: 3-month Interim

Hours: Full-time

Salary: Up to 55,000 FTE (pro-rata for the contract term)

We are partnering with a well-established, high-end hospitality group operating premium venues in central London. They are seeking an experienced, hands-on Payroll Partner on a three-month fixed-term basis.

This is a dual-focused role: full operational ownership of the monthly payroll cycle across two sites, combined with a clear project element to bring structure, documentation and improved controls to the existing processes.

About the Role

You will take end-to-end ownership of payroll for approximately 350 employees across the groups two flagship venues. Working closely with Finance and People & Culture, you will ensure accurate, on-time payments every month while reviewing current processes, tightening controls and data quality, and creating clear SOPs.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the full monthly payroll lifecycle using Fourth, from data collection and validation through to processing, reconciliation and reporting
• Manage starters, leavers, contractual changes, overtime, bonuses, deductions, pensions, benefits and family leave payments
• Act as first point of contact for all employee payroll queries
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies promptly and professionally
• Produce accurate payroll reports and ad-hoc analysis using advanced Excel
• Document end-to-end processes and create clear, usable SOPs
• Review current controls and data flows, recommending practical improvements

Requirements

Essential

• Proven end-to-end payroll experience, ideally in a multi-site hospitality or hospitality-adjacent environment
• Strong working knowledge of UK payroll legislation, statutory payments and pension auto-enrolment
• Hands-on experience with Fourth payroll system
• Advanced Excel skills (XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, pivot tables) with excellent attention to data accuracy
• Experience creating clear process documentation / SOPs
• Confident communicator, comfortable dealing directly with employees at all levels
• Ability to work autonomously and hit the ground running in a short-term project role

Desirable

• Experience with Recruit Genie or similar ATS that feeds into payroll
• Previous experience supporting a payroll handover or transition
• CIPP qualification