Location: Glasgow (Hybrid)
Contract: Permanent, Part Time
Hours: 17.5 hours per week
Salary: £29,000 per annum
Caledonian Sleeper is an iconic overnight rail service connecting Scotland with London, operating nightly (excluding Saturdays) and serving major cities and rural destinations. With a heritage dating back to the late 19th century, we are renowned for comfort, hospitality and delivering a unique travel experience across some of the UK's most scenic routes.
Operating on behalf of the Scottish Government, we play an important role in providing sustainable and convenient travel across the UK.
Our core values – Togetherness, Respect, Integrity and Passion – underpin everything we do. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve while delivering an exceptional experience for our guests.
We are looking for a strategic Payroll Partner to lead our payroll function with clear vision, strong governance and a focus on continuous improvement. You'll drive a customer-focused payroll service, ensure statutory compliance and enhance the colleague experience by continually improving payroll processes.
You'll oversee all aspects of payroll, including wages, expenses, overtime, sickness, tax codes, pensions and statutory deductions, while working closely with internal teams, our payroll provider and external stakeholders.
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Lead the payroll function and report to the People Experience Director.
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Line manage the Payroll Lead and provide cover when required.
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Act as the primary liaison with our external payroll provider.
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Oversee Railway Pension Scheme reassessments and gross salary updates.
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Represent Payroll during internal and external audits.
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Work closely with the Senior People Team on people initiatives and projects.
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Ensure payroll complies with all relevant legislation and statutory requirements.
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Keep payroll systems and processes up to date with legislative changes.
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Support internal and external audits while maintaining data protection standards.
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Drive continuous improvement through performance reviews, benchmarking and stakeholder engagement.
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Manage the end-to-end payroll process.
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Oversee payroll inputs including:
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Expenses
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Overtime
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Sickness
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Tax codes
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Pension contributions
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Statutory and voluntary deductions
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Manage payroll calendars, pay awards and salary increments.
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Determine Sick Pay and Maternity Pay entitlements alongside the People Experience Team.
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Complete final payroll checks, costing and gross-to-net validation.
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Coordinate P60s, P11Ds and HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) submissions.
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Maintain payroll data accuracy and governance.
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Produce payroll, pension and costing reports.
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Complete Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveys following each pay cycle.
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Conduct payslip reviews as part of payroll quality assurance.
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Liaise with RailPen on pension matters, including ill-health cases where applicable.
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Respond to payroll queries from colleagues and managers in a timely manner.
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Manage the relationship with the external payroll provider.
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Prepare governance reports and participate in governance meetings.
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Collaborate with Finance, Compliance, RailPen and other stakeholders.
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Represent Payroll in cross-functional projects and organisational initiatives.
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Lead payroll transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
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Monitor payroll service standards and customer feedback.
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Champion a proactive, inclusive and customer-focused payroll service.
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Oversee payroll enquiry processes and service standards.
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Support employees and managers with queries relating to:
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Payroll
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Income Tax
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National Insurance
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Pension
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Statutory payments
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Degree-level qualification (or equivalent).
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Membership of a relevant professional body (such as CIPP) with evidence of ongoing CPD.
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3–5 years' experience managing complex payrolls.
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1–2 years' supervisory or management experience.
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Strong understanding of payroll operations and legislation.
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Experience working with outsourced payroll providers.
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Knowledge of payroll and pension legislation.
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Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
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Strong written and verbal communication skills.
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Ability to interpret complex information and translate it into practical solutions.
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Proven ability to meet strict deadlines.
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Experience driving payroll process improvements and innovation.
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Advanced Excel, Word and Microsoft Teams skills.
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Understanding of statutory payroll obligations.
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Strong analytical capability.
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Experience presenting information to a range of audiences.
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Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
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Ability to work within time and budget constraints.
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Demonstrates discretion and tact when handling confidential information.
This role reflects our values by:
Togetherness – Collaborating across teams and with external partners to deliver an excellent payroll service.
Respect – Ensuring fair, transparent payroll processes while treating confidential information with care.
Integrity – Maintaining accurate payroll data, strong governance and compliance with payroll and pension legislation.
Passion – Driving continuous improvement and delivering an outstanding payroll experience.
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Be part of an iconic Scottish brand with a proud heritage.
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Help shape and improve the colleague experience across our organisation.
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Hybrid working in a supportive and collaborative environment.
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Competitive salary and benefits package.
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25 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro rata for part-time colleagues)
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Free ScotRail travel for you and eligible family members
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Free Caledonian Sleeper travel for you and eligible family members
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Significant discounts on other UK rail travel
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Friends and family travel allocation on Caledonian Sleeper
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Healthcare cash plan
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HAPI Benefits membership offering discounts with retailers, hospitality venues and gyms
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Contributory pension scheme
If you are interested in this opportunity, please click send your CV to us at by Wednesday 15th July: [email protected]
Caledonian Sleeper is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues are respected, valued, and able to thrive. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including different ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, neurodiversity, abilities and faiths. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. We look forward to receiving your application.
Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens, we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.
