Payroll and HR Admin Manager

Company Description

About us

Hello, we’re Reach. Every day, our trusted news, stories and content connect with millions of people where they live - whether that’s on their social feed or at their neighbourhood newsstand; through their local community or their take on the hot topic of the day.

We're home to more than 120 brands - from household names like the Mirror, Express, Daily Star and Daily Record, to local titles like MyLondon, BelfastLive, and the Manchester Evening News, and brands making a splash in the US like the Irish Star.

It's our ability to understand people and the things that matter to them that makes us Britain and Ireland's largest commercial news publisher. We reach around 70% of the UK's online population, 10% of the US online population, and over 100 million social followers around the world, connecting with them on who they are, where they live and what they love.

Your story, with Reach

As a modern media organisation, we're much more than just news. And it takes a wide range of people and skills to serve diverse audiences, customers and communities like we do.

We know everyone has their own story to tell, so we’ve built an environment where every background is respected and every day is a day to explore.

We’ll help you build a career that works with your life, while giving you the space to create and grow.

About this role

You’ll lead and coach the HR & Payroll Admin team, set goals, and act as the escalation point for complex issues. You’ll oversee pensions, benefits, and expenses, and step in seamlessly when subject matter experts are unavailable. On compliance, you’ll deliver statutory and annual returns (P60s, P11Ds, PSA) and keep us audit‑ready throughout the year.

You’ll own the relationship with our outsourced payroll provider, making sure every run is accurate, on time, and delivered to agreed SLAs. Day to day, you’ll validate payroll outputs, investigate and resolve net pay variances, and handle complex calculations with confidence. 

You’ll produce monthly payroll and finance reports, complete reconciliations, and provide clear cost summaries. You’ll also keep a firm grip on temporary pay inputs overtime, variable hours, and unpaid leave so they’re applied correctly each month.

Always looking to improve, you’ll drive automation and system enhancements across timesheets, the payroll database, and employee self‑service. You’ll work closely with our People and Finance teams to ensure end‑to‑end alignment and strong financial and governance controls.

What you’ll need to succeed 

Track record running complex payrolls for 2,000+ employees across varied pay elements. Intermediate–advanced Excel (lookups, pivot tables, reconciliation/audit). Evidenced process improvement and support for system implementations/upgrades.

Proven end-to-end payroll expertise (ideally outsourced), with strong knowledge of UK payroll legislation, pensions, benefits and HMRC rules. Confident producing payroll finance reports and reconciliations with meticulous accuracy. 

Experienced handling complex queries and manual adjustments (over/underpayments, corrections). Comfortable supervising a small HR/Payroll team and communicating clearly with stakeholders. Able to step in to manage benefits, pensions and expenses when required.

Proficient with Resourcelink or similar large payroll/HR systems, with demonstrable people management experience. 

How we'll look after you

We take good care of our people - and that means more than just a pay packet. Whatever your role, you'll get a range of benefits, including:

• 25 days' holiday (plus bank holidays), as well as an extra day after you've been with us for three, five and 10 years. We also have a scheme to help you buy extra holiday if you want to.

• An extra day's paid leave each year to volunteer for a cause close to your community or your heart.

• Big moment day - an extra day’s paid leave for a moment that matters to you - like getting married, moving house or welcoming a new addition to the family (human or furry!)

• Bonus scheme - you'll get a stake in our success and a chance to add to your annual earnings.

• Help saving for your retirement - we'll match your company pension contributions up to 6% and you can contribute through salary sacrifice.

• Supportive and progressive people policies - we’re proud to have a range of policies to support people in their lives in and outside work, including enhanced family leave and policies to promote flexibility, inclusion and progression. We believe you shouldn’t have to wait to join us to know what to expect from us, which is why we share this overview of the policies we have in place to support families and carers. If there's something you want to understand more about, just ask - it won’t make a difference to your application.

• A healthcare cash plan - giving you money back for a range of medical expenses and fast access to doctor's appointments.

• Private healthcare - [insert for you/your partner/your family]

• Car lease scheme - you can buy a brand new electric or hybrid car through our leasing partner, and pay for it through salary sacrifice.

• Wellbeing support - including a 24/7 assistance programme for you and your family.

• Access to lots of discounts - including 15% off with Reach's very own online marketplace, Yimbly, where you can buy everything from homewares to beauty products.

• Interest-free loans - including for season tickets and technology.

Additional Information

Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.