A senior role with the opportunity to shape payroll across Cornerstone.
We have a great opportunity for an experienced payroll professional to lead and influence payroll practice across
Cornerstone.
You'll lead the delivery of a high-quality payroll and pension service, strengthen controls and compliance, and
drive improvements to systems, processes and ways of working.
Leading your team, you'll ensure around 1,800 colleagues are paid accurately, compliantly and on time, while
creating a supportive environment and providing professional advice across the organisation.
Based at our Glasgow, Dundee or Aberdeen office, this role offers hybrid working alongside occasional travel across
our branch locations (travel expenses would be reimbursed as set out in Cornerstone’s expense policy with travel
reimbursed by HMRC legislation).
About the role
At Cornerstone, our purpose is to enable the people we support to live valued lives in their communities.
As our Payroll Lead, you'll play an important role in ensuring our payroll service supports this purpose while
meeting our financial, legal and regulatory responsibilities.
You'll have overall responsibility for the effective delivery of Cornerstone's end-to-end payroll and pension
service, providing leadership to our Payroll Business Partners, Payroll Specialists and Payroll Officers.
This is a broad and influential role, combining strategic oversight with hands-on operational leadership. You'll
provide assurance that payroll is accurate, compliant, well controlled and delivered to a consistently high
standards.
You'll act as a senior point of escalation for complex and sensitive payroll matters, while working closely with
Finance, People, HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and system providers.
You'll also play a key role in using payroll data, insight and analysis to identify risks, improve service
quality and support better decision-making.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the accurate, timely and compliant delivery of monthly payroll and pension services.
- Lead, support
and develop the Payroll Team, creating a positive, accountable and customer-focused environment.
- Review
and approve payroll before final submission, ensuring appropriate checks, reconciliations and authorisations are
completed.
- Maintain effective payroll controls, segregation of duties and clear audit
trails.
- Oversee statutory submissions, pension administration, payroll reconciliations, journals,
month-end reporting and year-end activities.
- Ensure compliance with payroll, tax, employment, pension
and data protection requirements.
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and ensure changes are
effectively implemented.
- Produce clear payroll analysis and management information for Finance, People
and senior leaders.
- Use data to identify trends, exceptions and emerging risks and drive continuous
improvement.
- Lead the development and improvement of payroll systems, processes, controls and data
quality.
- Provide professional advice and constructive challenge on complex payroll
matters.
- Build effective relationships with HMRC, pension providers, auditors, advisers and payroll
system providers.
- Represent payroll in relevant organisational meetings, projects and working
groups.
What we're looking for
You'll be an experienced payroll leader with the knowledge and confidence to manage a complex, end-to-end payroll
service within a large or multi-site organisation.
You'll be comfortable working at both a strategic and operational level, balancing accuracy, compliance, risk and
customer service while leading and developing a team.
You'll have strong attention to detail and the ability to interpret complex legislation and translate
requirements into clear, practical processes and guidance.
Essential qualifications and experience
- Significant experience of managing or leading an end-to-end payroll and pension service within a large or
complex organisation.
- Current and detailed knowledge of PAYE, RTI, National Insurance, statutory
payments, pension administration and automatic enrolment.
- Degree-level qualification, CIPP/IPPM
qualification or equivalent extensive experience in a senior payroll leadership role.
- Strong leadership
and people-management skills, including experience of coaching, developing and motivating payroll
colleagues.
- Experience of payroll reconciliations, journals, financial controls, month-end and year-end
reporting.
- Strong analytical and numerical skills, with excellent attention to detail.
- Advanced
Excel and payroll data-analysis skills.
- Ability to interpret legislation and translate complex
requirements into effective processes, controls and practical guidance.
- Strong risk management,
problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
- Experience of improving payroll systems, processes, data
quality and service performance.
- Strong communication, influencing and relationship-building
skills.
- Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with integrity and
discretion.
Desirable
- Chartered or advanced professional payroll qualification.
- Relevant leadership or management
qualification.
- Experience of Access Select Pay or a comparable payroll system.
- Experience of
integrated HR and payroll systems or payroll modelling.
- Experience of audit or working with auditors and
external advisers.
- Experience within social care, the charity sector, the third sector or another
regulated environment.
Why Cornerstone
Our values, Caring, Person-Centred, Professional and Pioneering, underpin how we work and the services we
provide.
As Payroll Lead, you'll have the opportunity to influence and strengthen an essential organisational service,
develop colleagues and lead meaningful improvements to our payroll systems and processes.
You'll play a key role in ensuring our people are paid accurately and on time, while providing the financial
control, assurance and insight that supports Cornerstone to deliver high-quality care and support services
across Scotland.
So, if you're an experienced payroll leader looking for a role where you can use your expertise to lead, develop
and drive meaningful improvement, we'd like to hear from you. Apply now!
Shortlisted candidates will be invited along to an interview on Friday 23rd October 2026.
The successful candidate will need to undertake a Level 2 Disclosure check through Disclosure Scotland.