Claire Atherton
Payroll Manager | UK Statutory Compliance & Team Leadership
Manchester
Professional Summary
Diligent Payroll Manager with extensive experience directing high-volume payroll operations, statutory compliance, and team workflows across logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors in Greater Manchester.
Proven expertise in managing HMRC Real Time Information compliance, complex pension auto-enrolment, year-end obligations, and successful payroll system migrations.
Professional Experience
Pennine Logistics Solutions Ltd
Manchester, United Kingdom
Payroll Manager
Apr 2021 – Present
- Direct end-to-end multi-frequency payroll processing for 1,400 monthly and weekly employees across five regional distribution hubs.
- Manage statutory submissions to HMRC via Real Time Information (RTI), including Full Payment Submissions (FPS) and Employer Payment Summaries (EPS).
- Supervise workplace pension auto-enrolment assessments, re-enrolment cycles, and monthly contribution reconciliations for NEST and group schemes.
- Partner with Human Resources and Finance teams to resolve complex deductions, statutory sick pay (SSP), maternity pay (SMP), and salary sacrifice arrangements.
Barton Retail Services Ltd
Salford, United Kingdom
Payroll Team Leader
Sept 2016 – Mar 2021
- Oversaw day-to-day operations for a team of three payroll coordinators handling salaried and shift-based store personnel.
- Conducted monthly variance analysis and balance sheet reconciliations for gross-to-net payroll clearing accounts.
- Coordinated annual P11D and P60 reporting routines, ensuring adherence to statutory tax year-end deadlines.
- Assisted in the system transition from an on-premises software package to an integrated cloud-based HR and payroll platform.
Redfern Engineering Group
Stockport, United Kingdom
Senior Payroll Specialist
Feb 2012 – Aug 2016
- Processed monthly salaried payrolls for 650 permanent staff, including overtime calculations and expense claims.
- Administered court orders, student loan deductions, and company sick pay schemes in accordance with statutory guidelines.
- Resolved escalated employee payroll enquiries promptly, sustaining positive audit outcomes across successive fiscal periods.
Education
Manchester Metropolitan University
Higher National Diploma (HND) · Business Administration · Manchester, United Kingdom · Merit · Sept 1997 – Jun 1999
Focused on organizational finance, employment legislation, and operational management.
Key Projects
Payroll Software Modernisation Project
Apr 2023 – Nov 2023
- Led data migration and parallel run testing across a five-month implementation schedule without missing processing deadlines.
- Standardised digital payroll workflows, cutting manual timecard adjustments and payroll exceptions by 35%.
Core Competencies
End-to-End UK Payroll
HMRC RTI Compliance
Auto-Enrolment & Pensions
PAYE & National Insurance
Statutory Payments (SSP, SMP, SPP)
Year-End Reporting (P60, P11D)
Payroll System Implementation
Gross-to-Net Reconciliation
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Salary Sacrifice Schemes
Languages
English
C2
French
B1
Certifications & Professional Qualifications
Foundation Degree in Payroll Management
Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) · Jun 2015
CIPP Full Member (MCIPP)
Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) · Nov 2018
Voluntary Work
Manchester Community Lifelong Learning Alliance
Manchester, United Kingdom · Sept 2022 – Present
- Community Numeracy Volunteer
- Assist local adult learners with personal financial literacy, budgeting basics, and understanding payslips.