Interim Payroll Manager

• Locations

  Rayleigh, Essex

• Salary

  £180 - £215 per day

• Sector

  Finance, Procurement & Legal, Operations/Transactional Finance, Procurement

• Type

  Contract / Interim

Interim Payroll Manager

Morgan Hunt are working with an Academy Trust based in Essex who are looking at recruiting an Interim Payroll Manager. This is a 9-12 month contract role paying up to £215 Umbrella p/day. This will be hybrid with 2 days p/week in the office.

Key Responsibilities of the Interim Payroll Manager:

• Oversee the accurate end-to-end processing of monthly payroll, liaising with Headteachers, School Office/HR administrators, and the central HR team to obtain relevant information.
• Carry out manual calculations of pay adjustments, including outstanding holiday pay, maternity/paternity/shared parental entitlement, overtime, sickness, and phased returns, in line with Trust policies.
• Oversee the administration and monthly reporting of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).
• Ensure compliance with all statutory requirements of PAYE, HMRC, NI, and pension schemes, ensuring correct payments and submission of relevant information.
• Process all payroll information, including starters, leavers, contract changes, overtime, annual reviews, sickness, and unpaid absences, checking for accuracy and authorisation.
• Maintain and update payroll systems, including pay scales, allowance values, pension deduction rates, NI rates, and tax thresholds.
• Monitor and reconcile monthly payroll data against budget projections, ensuring accuracy and reporting information to the Trust’s finance team.
• Stay up to date with UK payroll legislation and statutory requirements, ensuring compliance and best practices.

Previous Skills and Experience of the Interim Payroll Manager:

• Recognised payroll qualification (e.g., CIPP).
• Experience managing end-to-end payroll within a busy payroll and pensions team.
• Must have experience / knowledge of Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Experience running payroll and pension reports, including validation reports, BACS files, and third-party payments.
• Knowledge of payroll and pension legislation, with the ability to explain it to non-specialists.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to advise and influence colleagues.
• Ability to perform manual payroll calculations to verify system-generated figures.

Interviews and start date ASAP so please apply NOW if interested or send your CV directly to

Morgan Hunt is a multi-award-winning recruitment business for interim, contract and temporary recruitment and acts as an Employment Agency in relation to permanent vacancies. Morgan Hunt is an equal opportunities employer. Job suitability is assessed on merit in accordance with the individual’s skills, qualifications and abilities to perform the relevant duties required in a particular role.