Payroll and Pensions Lead

Sellick Partnership; Plymouth; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Sellick Partnership are recruiting a Payroll and Pensions Lead for a public sector organisation in Plymouth on a hybrid basis (2 days on site). This 3-month contract offers a challenging opportunity to manage the payroll and pensions service and lead a small team.

You will act as SME for payroll and pension matters, implement changes, ensure compliance with legislation and SLAs, and partner with Shared Business Services and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Payroll, Pensions or Finance (e.g., CIPP Diploma) or equivalent experience.
• Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, pension regulations and statutory requirements.
• Experience using ESR or comparable payroll and pensions platforms.
• Experience leading a Payroll and Pensions function in a complex organisation.
• Public sector experience (NHS or Local Authority) is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Payroll and Pensions function to deliver a high-quality, compliant service.
• Act as senior SME for payroll and pension matters and resolve complex queries.
• Manage and develop the Payroll and Pensions Team through recruitment, induction and performance reviews.
• Ensure on-time delivery of payroll and pension services and compliance with SLAs and KPIs.
• Build relationships with Shared Business Services (SBS) for escalations and improvements.

Skills

Payroll and Pensions management

Payroll legislation knowledge

HR systems (ESR)

Process improvement

Leadership / management

Public sector experience

Education

CIPP Diploma or equivalent

Tools

ESR

Job description

Role: Payroll and Pensions Lead

Location: Plymouth - Hybrid (2 days a week)

Duration: 3 Months

Full Time

Hourly rate: up to £165 UMB per day

Sellick Partnership are currently recruiting for a Payroll and Pensions Lead join our reputable public sector organisation based in Plymouth. This is a contract for 3 months, with a possibility to be extended, and is offered on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days onsite.

The Payroll and Pensions Lead will lead the delivery of an efficient, accurate and compliant payroll and pensions service, ensuring employees receive a high-quality service and support.

The appointed candidate will oversee the management of the Payroll and Pensions Team, providing training, coaching and performance management

The duties of the Payroll and Pensions Lead will include:

• Leading the Payroll and Pensions function, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, compliant and customer-focused service across the organisation and external clients.
• Acting as the senior subject matter expert for payroll and pension matters, providing specialist advice and resolving complex queries, calculations and casework.
• Managing, motivating and developing the Payroll and Pensions Team through recruitment, induction, performance management, regular one-to-one meetings and development planning.
• Ensuring payroll and pension services are delivered accurately and on time, meeting all Service Level Agreements, statutory requirements and key performance indicators.
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with Shared Business Services (SBS), acting as the key contact for escalations, performance reviews and service improvement initiatives.
• Leading the interpretation and implementation of new payroll and pension legislation, ensuring policies, processes and systems remain compliant with regulatory requirements.
• Overseeing pension administration and act as the main liaison with the Pensions Agency, ensuring adherence to national standards and reporting requirements.
• Monitoring service performance, analyse management information and KPI data, investigate variances and implement corrective actions to drive continuous improvement.
• Reviewing, developing and streamlining payroll and pension processes to improve efficiency, enhance customer experience and support digital transformation initiatives.
• Leading payroll and pension projects, including system improvements, process changes and the implementation of new ways of working.
• Providing expert guidance to managers, employees, clients and external stakeholders on payroll, pensions and statutory obligations.
• Co-ordinating and delivering training to payroll and pension staff, ensuring knowledge, capability and compliance are maintained across the service.
• Representing the service at meetings, working groups, project boards and staff engagement activities as required.
• Ensuring effective communication and implementation of local, national and statutory changes affecting payroll and pension services.
• Maintaining business continuity within the service, ensuring resources are effectively managed and workloads are distributed appropriately across the team.
• Supporting the development, review and management of Service Level Agreements to ensure services continue to meet business objectives and client expectations.

The Payroll and Pensions Lead ideally should have:

• Relevant professional qualification in Payroll, Pensions or Finance (such as CIPP Diploma) or significant equivalent experience in payroll and pensions management.
• Strong working knowledge of payroll legislation, pension regulations and statutory requirements, including defined benefit pension schemes
• Excellent knowledge of payroll and HR systems, with experience using ESR or comparable payroll and pensions platforms
• Experience of implementing process improvements, change initiatives and service transformation projects.
• Proven experience managing a Payroll and Pensions function within a complex organisation
• Experience within the Public Sector (NHS, or Local Authority) would be beneficial.

The Payroll and Pensions Lead will need to have excellent communication skills and effectively be able to communicate to stakeholders of all levels. Furthermore, the ideal candidate will have an impeccable eye for detail and accuracy to ensure all workload is carried out effectively and efficiently. They will also need to able to prioritise their workload and be efficient and effective to meet unpredictable deadlines and deal with conflicting demands, whilst working in a high-pressured environment.

The closing date for CVs is Monday 12th October due to the urgent requirement of this role. The closing date may be bought forward should suitable applicants apply.

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.