Payroll Officer

Royal-Borough-of-Kensington-and-Chelsea; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is seeking a Payroll Officer to deliver a smooth, accurate payroll service for our workforce. You’ll process day-to-day payroll transactions, respond to pay queries and help shape our new in‑house Oracle payroll system.

Based in the Borough for three days a week, you’ll join a collaborative team, ensure compliance with PAYE, NI and pensions, and support managers, colleagues and external partners with clear, professional communication.

Qualifications

• Experience with payroll systems and statutory processes (PAYE, NI, pensions).
• Strong data analysis and reporting with Excel.
• Experience handling pay calculations and payroll queries is essential.
• Ability to work accurately under deadlines and maintain confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Process day-to-day payroll transactions and cycles.
• Act as first point of contact for pay-related queries from employees, managers and external partners.
• Manage overpayments, claims and court orders with accuracy and compliance.
• Participate in testing and refinement of the Oracle payroll system and developing streamlined processes.
• Support continuous improvement of payroll operations and procedures.

Skills

Payroll systems

PAYE

National Insurance

Pensions

Excel

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Work under pressure

Tools

Oracle payroll

Job description

Support the wellbeing of our workforce by getting the details right and delivering on time.

As a Payroll Officer, you’ll play a key role in delivering a smooth and reliable payroll service. Whether it’s solving issues, checking the details or helping shape our new in‑house system, your work will have a direct impact on colleagues across the Council.

Working Style

You’ll be based in the Borough for 3 days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you’re working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be part of a small, friendly team handling payroll for a wide and varied workforce. As the first point of contact for pay‑related queries, you’ll support employees, managers and external partners, responding with clarity, empathy and professionalism.

You’ll process day‑to‑day payroll transactions, handle queries around pay and deductions, and run regular and ad‑hoc payroll cycles. You’ll also manage overpayments, claims and court orders, working carefully to make sure everything is accurate, up‑to‑date and in line with regulations.

We’ve recently brought our payroll in‑house, so there’s also an exciting opportunity to shape how we work going forward. You’ll help test and refine our new Oracle payroll system and play a part in developing streamlined processes for the future. You’ll be based in the office three days a week.

For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.

What you’ll bring

You’ll have a good understanding of payroll systems and statutory processes, including PAYE, National Insurance and pensions, and be confident using Excel for data analysis and reporting.

You’ll also bring great attention to detail, strong communication skills and the ability to work well under pressure – especially when juggling deadlines and data. Experience working with pay calculations, payroll data and handling queries is essential, and you’ll be someone who takes pride in getting things right.

Most importantly, you’ll be someone who shares our values of putting communities first, respect, integrity and working together.

Why join us

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.

This is an exciting time to join the payroll team as we shape new systems and ways of working.

You’ll find support and opportunities to grow, a warm and collaborative team culture, and a real sense of purpose in the work you do. Every payslip sent out correctly and every issue resolved is part of something bigger – helping us support those who serve our borough every day.

About us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.

As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

In this role, you’ll be a key part of that – getting stuck in to keep our payroll running smoothly and making sure colleagues are supported, valued and paid on time.

Interview Details

Interviews will be held in person week commencing 2nd November.

Ready to join us?

We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the salary range.

Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.