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Payroll Officer

Contract: temporary ongoing
Hours: Full Time (Flexible working required)
Location: North London

Pay rate: depending on experience from £17.33 per hour to £28.86 per hour

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Payroll Officer to join our client’s HR Services team and help deliver a timely, accurate, and customer-focused payroll service across the board.

You will play a key role in providing expert payroll guidance, technical advice, and frontline support to employees, managers, and key stakeholders. Working collaboratively with HR Business Advisors, Application Specialists, Finance colleagues, and external providers, you will ensure payroll accuracy, statutory compliance, and continuous service improvement.

From day one, you will be expected to deliver a first-rate service, demonstrating professionalism, attention to detail, and a strong understanding of how people think, feel, and communicate.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll & Compliance

* Process monthly payroll for Teachers and Officers, including starters, leavers, movers, overtime, expenses, salary sacrifice, and statutory payments

* Ensure compliance with HMRC, pension regulations, GDPR, and audit requirements

* Correct FPS and EPS submissions and resolve payroll errors

* Manage overpayments and underpayments, including recovery processes and CHAPS/BACS payments

* Provide specialist advice on pay calculations, tax, NI, pensions, statutory pay, and retrospective payments across tax years

* Liaise with Teachers’ Pensions, LPFA, NHS Pensions, and third-party providers

HR & Employee Support

* Act as a first point of contact for payroll and HR-related queries from staff and managers

* Provide guidance on policies and procedures including sickness absence, family leave, employee benefits, flexi-retirement, probation, and terms and conditions

* Support redundancy calculations and exit interview processes

* Maintain accurate employee records and archiving within EAS

Systems & Continuous Improvement

* Use Oracle Cloud HR/Payroll systems and contribute to testing and system upgrades

* Support payroll-related projects, including recruitment and retention payments reviews

* Contribute to the development and updating of payroll procedures and best practice

* Keep up to date with legislative changes and emerging payroll trends

Collaboration & Service Delivery

* Build strong working relationships with HR colleagues, schools, and wider directorates

* Provide responsive payroll advice within SLAs and payroll deadlines

* Support new team members and contribute to a culture of continuous learning

Skills and Experience

* Extensive experience in payroll processing, ideally within a local authority or public sector environment

* Strong understanding of statutory payroll requirements and pension schemes

* High level of attention to detail and technical proficiency

* Confident using payroll systems (Oracle Cloud experience desirable)

* Intermediate Excel and Word skills

* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

* Ability to work collaboratively and manage complex queries effectively

Qualifications

* Payroll qualification – Desirable

* ACT Payroll Assessment – Mandatory (or willingness to achieve if not already held)

Additional Information

* This role requires flexibility, including occasional evening or weekend working

* No direct line management responsibility

* Travel to schools and satellite locations may be required

Please apply today and shortlisted candidates will be contacted