Payroll Manager

Main Duties:

• To be the customer representative and prime point of contact for the outsourced payroll provider on a day-to-day basis. To know and understand in detail the service that is being provided by the Trust.
• To maintain the standard payroll procedures, ensuring that they meet both school and outsource provider requirements. To ensure that the procedures are well-documented and educate school employees on them as required. To work with the HR teams to ensure the HR and payroll procedures are aligned and roles and responsibilities clear and understood.
• On a monthly basis to ensure the Trust payroll inputs are completed on time, including starter and leaver details, pay and other changes, both permanent and temporary and provision of the standard change forms and any other documents, such as P45s, to the outsourced payroll provider.  To support with these tasks if required.
• Ongoing to ensure that all required documentation for maternity, paternity and adoption leave is provided to the outsourced payroll provider, to check maternity schedule calculations provided and to be a point of contact for employees for queries related to these payments.
• Ongoing to work with the schools to ensure that sickness absences are correctly notified to payroll and that payments for these absences are accurately reflected in the payroll system.
• On a monthly basis to lead the payroll checking process, ensuring that all required amendments are documented and re-checked as appropriate. To confirm to the Trust Finance Team that all checks are complete ahead of BACS sign off.
• On a monthly basis to ensure the post payroll processing is complete, including publishing of payslips, issue of any P45s, third party disbursements and HMRC returns.
• On a monthly basis support the Trust Finance lead as required in reconciling the payroll.
• To manage the central payroll mailbox and be a point of contact for schools, and employees, to ensure all queries and payroll issues are resolved in a timely manner. This may include holding payroll drop-in sessions at schools. To escalate issues where appropriate to the payroll provider or Trust Finance lead. To report on issues and queries and identify where procedures need to be amended, or further education is required, to prevent them re-occurring.
• To lead the monthly Service Management Review with the outsourced payroll provider, escalating issues or required changes to the provider or Trust Finance lead as required.
• On a monthly basis to derive and produce a standard set of reports to inform the Trust Finance lead and Board about the quality of the payroll service.
• To manage the change control process for any amendments to the system or services required.
• Ongoing to liase with the pensions administration provider to ensure the service is provided as required and that the Trust fulfils its requirements. To manage any queries relating to the service, including direct from employees relating to opting in or out of the pension schemes.
• Ongoing to work with the Trust HR Team to manage the implementation of any pay changes, including annual uplifts, increments or one-off changes.
• Ongoing to ensure the Trust Finance lead and HR Team are informed of any legislative or other changes which may impact the payroll or payroll service. To work with them to understand the nature of the changes and ensure any required amendments to the payroll service or procedures are documented, understood and implemented.
• Ongoing to seek to engage with other customers of the outsourced payroll provider, to participate in any user groups or committees, to ensure the Trust can learn from other users and have considered input into any required system or service changes.

Person Specification:

• Working knowledge of payroll legislation
• Knowledge of standard payroll processes, with an ability to use online tools to check or manually calculate pay
• Be systems literate, with excellent excel skills, including the ability to both manipulate and present and summarise data
• Ability to liase with employees at all levels of the organisation and comfortable with presenting to senior teams
• Ability to forge good working relationship with outsourced service provider to promote partnership working
• Ability to work as part of a team, but also on own initiative

Personal qualities:

• Self-motivation, enthusiasm and results-focus
• Flexible, adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• Negotiating, influencing and holding to account
• Pragmatic and solution-oriented
• Committed to high standards and continuous improvement
• Ability to move between big picture and detail
• Commitment to Equality & Diversity practice