Head of Payroll
Location: Dublin, Cork or Belfast
Contract: Permanent
Join Musgrave – A Legacy of Innovation, Community, and Excellence
Musgrave is one of Europe’s most successful family-owned businesses, with a rich 150-year legacy in food and brand innovation. We`re proud to serve communities across Ireland and Spain, feeding one in three people every day through 19 iconic brands like SuperValu, Centra, Mace, Frank and Honest, and Musgrave MarketPlace. By supporting thousands of retail and foodservice family businesses, we make a positive impact on the communities they serve. We`re committed to becoming the most trusted and sustainable business in Ireland, and we`re looking for dynamic, forward-thinking individuals to join us on this journey.
As we continue our journey toward becoming Ireland’s most trusted and sustainable business, we are looking for a Head of Payroll to join our team.
The Head of Payroll will lead the delivery of payroll across Musgrave through our third-party payroll service providers. This is a senior leadership role with end-to-end accountability for payroll strategy, service quality, compliance, risk management and continuous improvement across a complex, multi-entity organisation.
The role focuses on strong vendor management, assurance and stakeholder leadership, ensuring payroll services are delivered accurately, in compliance with all relevant regulations, and in line with Service Level Agreements, while continually driving efficiency and improvement.
What you’ll be doing?
- Leading the development of a new centralised Operating Model for payroll delivery across Musgrave establishing a single point of ownership, ensuring streamlined processes and consistent standards.
- Leading payroll‑related change and transformation initiatives, including provider transitions, process improvements, system upgrades and automation.
- Designing and overseeing an effective payroll control framework, including reconciliations, approvals, exception handling and issue resolution.
- Acting as the payroll Subject Matter Expert on the development and implementation of a new Human Capital Management (HCM) across the Musgrave organisation.
- Overseeing payroll processing and administration in all jurisdictions where Musgrave operates, ensuring accuracy and compliance with local employment laws and tax regulations.
- Establishing service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and enterprise-wide governance and payroll risk management structures to ensure consistent, high-quality payroll service delivery across the organisation.
- Managing service performance through structured reviews and escalation management, where required.
- Providing clear leadership of the payroll service across Musgrave while fostering a culture of accountability, expertise and continuous improvement.
- Driving continuous improvement (CI) in payroll processes and systems by identifying opportunities for efficiency, leveraging CI methodologies, and implementing best practices to optimise workflow.
- Partnering closely with HR, Finance, Internal Audit, Legal and external auditors to ensure payroll outcomes are aligned with organisational and regulatory requirements.
- Owning payroll data integrity, reporting and insights, ensuring that accurate payroll information supports business decision‑making and statutory reporting.
- Acting as the primary strategic and operational point of contact with our outsourced payroll providers.
What we are looking for:
- Extensive senior‑level experience in payroll leadership across multiple jurisdictions, ideally within a large, complex or multi‑entity organisation.
- Demonstrated experience managing outsourced or third‑party payroll providers, including contract management, SLAs and performance governance.
- Strong technical payroll knowledge across Irish and UK payroll including tax, pensions, statutory reporting and audit requirements.
- Proven ability to design and operate robust payroll controls and assurance frameworks.
- Experience leading payroll in a change or transformation environment, including system implementations or service model transitions.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge providers and influence senior leaders.
- Commercial mindset with strong analytical and problem‑solving capability.
- Demonstrated experience in working on the payroll aspects of a Human Capital Management (HCM) implementation project.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and deliver results under pressure.
- Detail-oriented approach with a focus on accuracy and process improvement.
Desired Skills and/or Qualifications
Relevant payroll qualification in Ireland and/or the UK, such as the Irish Payroll Association (IPASS) Professional Payroll Manager qualification or qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP).
Why Musgrave:
Career Development: With a commitment to your personal and professional growth, Musgrave offers numerous opportunities for advancement and learning.
Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a passionate team, where your contributions will make a significant impact
Innovation Focus: Be part of a company that values forward-thinking solutions
Community Focus: Be part of a company that truly values its communities and strives to make a positive impact.
Be Part of a Legacy: Join a company with a long-standing commitment to community and innovation.
Ready to make an impact? Apply now and be part of a forward-thinking company that values your expertise and vision.
Musgrave is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from diverse candidates. If we can make any accommodations to enable you to be the best version of yourself during the interview, please let us know.
Musgrave operate a Work Smart hybrid working model where you can alternate your time between connecting and collaborating in the business and working remotely.
.
