Employee Officer

Firwood Special School; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Pension scheme

Parental leave

Employee discounts

Learning opportunities

Job summary

Manchester City Council is seeking an Employee Officer to join the Payroll team. You will contribute to a high-quality payroll service within the People and Organisation Development department, ensuring accurate payments and excellent customer service.

The role requires payroll experience in local government, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and strong IT skills across multiple systems. A hybrid working model and a supportive benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of payroll, ideally within a Local Government setting.
• Experience in a fast-paced environment, delivering work to high standards under tight deadlines.
• Experience managing multiple processes using various IT systems, solving problems and making sound decisions.

Responsibilities

• Process payroll transactions accurately and within agreed deadlines (starters, leavers, changes, payments, absence).
• Investigate and resolve payroll queries with clear guidance to employees.
• Enter data into systems and maintain up-to-date employee records.
• Complete monthly validation checks (deviance, report checks).
• Contribute to continuous improvement of payroll processes and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with relevant payroll laws and regulations.

Skills

Payroll knowledge

Fast-paced environment

Multi-system IT competence

Education

Local government payroll experience (advantage)

Tools

Payroll software

HRIS

Job description

Working hours: 35 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Working style: Hybrid - Employees split their time between working remotely (e.g., from home) and working on-site (e.g., in an office).

Closing time and date: 11:59pm, 30 October 2026

You must already have a valid right to work in the UK documentation, as we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this role.

You’ll help the Academy and Non Manchester Payroll Team to provide a high quality payroll service, ensuring employees are paid accurately and customer service is provided to a high standard. Your work will contribute to the People and Organisation Development department within the Corporate Services Directorate. This is part of the Council’s back office support function.

In this role you will:

• Process payroll transactions accurately and within agreed deadlines, including starters, leavers, contractual changes, additional payments and absence adjustments
• Investigate and resolve payroll queries promptly, providing clear and professional guidance to employees
• Accurately enter data into the system and maintain up to date employee records
• Complete monthly validation checks of payroll such as deviance and report checking
• Contribute to continuous improvement of payroll processes and procedures
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations related to payroll and employee compensation
• Work with other teams, colleagues and customers

For queries about the role, please contact the hiring manager, Madison Roach at [e-mail] to arrange a convenient time to discuss the role. This route is for vacancy related enquiries only and should not be used to submit applications.

Pre-employment checks

If you are successful, your appointment will be subject to completing the relevant pre-employment checks. These checks will be carried out as part of our recruitment process and includes:

• Satisfactory references and other pre-employment checks where applicable.

For more information on these checks, please visit checks page.

We are seeking a keen and skilled Employee Officer to join our team, with a focus on payroll administration.

The ideal candidate will have payroll experience in a local government setting and embody the behaviours of Manchester City Council.

We’ll use the following essential criteria to decide which candidates to invite to assessment. Use your personal statement to provide evidence of how you meet each one, supported by relevant examples:

• You have an in depth knowledge of payroll, ideally within a Local Government setting
• You have experience of working in a fast paced environment, completing work to a high standard within tight deadlines
• You have experience of managing multiple processes using various IT systems, solving problems and making sound decisions

If you’re invited to assessment, we’ll look at a wider range of the role requirements. For more detail, please see the role profile.

Use of AI

You may use AI to support your application, but all examples must be your own and based on real experience. Applications may be withdrawn if content is misleading or presents someone else's experience as your own. Internal candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Applicants who meet the essential shortlisting criteria and are eligible under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme will be progressed to the assessment stage.

Support and Adjustments

If you're successful in securing a role, we’ll make every effort to provide the support, equipment and reasonable adjustments you need to carry out your duties. Where needed, we’ll consider adapting aspects of the role. Find out more about our inclusion and wellbeing.

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities.

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

• Generous holiday allowance- Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks during our annual leave purchase period.
• A buzzing pension- You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
• Enhanced parental and carers leave- Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
• Brilliant perks- Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
• Learn and grow- We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.
• A Good Employment Charter member- We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave- Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panels minimum shortlisting requirement for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
• Current or former care leavers
• Have a disability or long-term condition
• Have you completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme or any MCC positive action programmes?

When You Join Us

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [e-mail].

What we will need from you if you're successful

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement ofemployment.This is not arole we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for, see the top of the advert for details.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve.

Other relevant information

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.

For more information about the role, please ensure that you read the role profile attached.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Calculate your take home pay. Use this service to estimate how much Income Tax and National Insurance you should pay for the current tax year.

Privacy Notice