Assistant Pay & Reporting Officer – Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited.; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional fire and rescue service in Devon is seeking an Assistant Pay & Reporting Officer to manage payroll processes, ensure accurate data reconciliation, and generate reports. The role requires strong attention to detail, organization in handling payroll errors, and the ability to maintain databases for personnel data. The salary starts at £29,540 and increases annually to £32,061. This position provides an opportunity to assist in payroll administration and reporting within a vital public service.

Qualifications

• Experience with payroll processes and data reconciliation.
• Ability to maintain accurate databases and reports.
• Strong attention to detail for managing payroll errors.

Responsibilities

• Manage payroll processes including data reconciliation.
• Produce reports from HR databases to support payroll analysis.
• Handle payment errors and stakeholder communication.

Job description

Assistant Pay & Reporting Officer – Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

As a Payroll and Reporting Assistant Officer you will play an active role in the monthly payroll processes, including reconciliation of data and oversee first line casework for incorrect payments and queries regarding pay (sickness claims, allowances and other changes).

You will provide comprehensive reporting and analysis (based on HR Database content) to support payroll analysis, data returns, audits and other reporting requirements for the Service.

Key Responsibilities

• To be responsible for maintaining and updating essential spreadsheets, databases and systems, in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This will include the input and processing of pay and personnel data and taking any associated follow‑up actions.
• To ensure that operational activity and availability claims are extracted from Gartan systems and processed accurately for every payment run.
• Actively participating in reconciliation of monthly payroll data to ensure that this action is completed on time and in full.
• To facilitate the reconciliation of absence data between Gartan and iTrent as part of the monthly payroll process and minimise overpayment situations for on‑call colleagues.
• Handling payment errors, including identification of causes, liaising with stakeholders, overseeing administration of salary advances, the recovery/reconciliation in subsequent months, the production of suitable correspondence to affected individuals and escalating casework/concerns where appropriate.
• With advice and guidance from System admin / Payroll lead roles, to support with table maintenance of the payroll system and some testing processes for planned upgrades or system development, as and when required.
• To regularly produce reports in relation to the content of the HR database and payroll output, ensuring that the data is presented accurately and in a user‑friendly format, including look‑up functions, pivots, slicers and graphs where appropriate.
• To assist with provision of data for additional reporting requirements on an ad‑hoc basis, such as Subject Access Requests, FOIs and organisational data returns (including ONS and HMI).
• As part of the wider pay team and monthly processes, ensure that the payroll system is maintained and updated to reflect employment variations including new joiners, leavers, position and grade changes, and also changes in personal particulars (i.e. name, address etc.).
• Ensure that deductions, subscriptions, recoveries and other third‑party payments are recorded and implemented accurately and in a timely manner in collaboration with the payroll provider.

Salary: £29,540 rising annually to £32,061 (gross) pro rata per annum