Payroll Officer

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust; Wakefield; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

27 days holiday + bank holidays

Wellbeing services

Cycle to work scheme

Car lease salary sacrifice

Job summary

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Payroll Officer to join the Payroll Team, delivering accurate weekly and monthly payrolls across the Trust. You will work confidently and independently, applying NHS terms and conditions and statutory regulations with minimal supervision from day one.

You will process data in ESR, verify inputs, resolve pay queries, and ensure employees are paid accurately and on time, contributing to service continuity across Wakefield and the Trust’s

Qualifications

• Sound educational background (4 GCSEs, grade C or above including Maths).
• NVQ Level 3 in Payroll or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience with ESR system and payroll software.
• Knowledge of NHS Terms and Conditions of Service and statutory deductions.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate payroll and pension services to the Trust, entering data into ESR timely and accurately.
• Analyse complex payments (awards, changes, re-gradings) and resolve pay queries.
• Ensure correct tax, NI, pension, sickness and statutory deductions are applied.
• Maintain sickness absence and entitlement records for employees and advise on half-pay scenarios.
• Process changes to employee details and payments following authorised procedures.
• Verify payroll inputs and outputs before payslip distribution and resolve material discrepancies.

Skills

Payroll processing

NHS Terms & Conditions

ESR system

Attention to detail

Education

GCSEs including Maths

NVQ Level 3 in Payroll

Tools

Microsoft Office

Email & internet

Job description

Contact information

For further information about this role, please email Sharon Simpson (Head of Payroll) via [e-mail]

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Officer to join our Payroll Team and support the accurate and timely delivery of weekly and monthly payrolls across the Trust.

This role is ideal for someone with hands‑on payroll experience who can work confidently and independently, applying NHS Terms and Conditions and statutory payroll regulations with minimal supervision. The successful candidate will play an active role from day one, helping to maintain service continuity and ensure employees are paid accurately and on time.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details.

Main duties

• To provide an accurate payroll and pension service to the Trust, ensuring that data is prepared and input into ESR in a timely and accurate manner and within the timetables set within the payroll processing calendar, ensuring that all employees are paid in a timely manner


• To analyse and interpret complex payments (for example, following pay awards, organisational change, re‑gradings, etc). Investigate pay queries and analyse detailed data to identify errors and discrepancies. Inform individuals of overpayments and negotiate how monies are recovered


• Using under‑pinning knowledge ensure the processing, correct application and calculation of tax, national insurance, pension, sickness, maternity, paternity and statutory deductions (e.g. court, council tax, child support deductions) etc are accurate and complies with statutory and organisational requirements escalating and liaising with internal & external bodies where necessary


• To maintain accurate sickness absence and entitlement records for each employee. Advise the employee and manager of any half and no‑pay situations and maintain a deemed pensionable pay record as necessary


• To ensure that changes to employees details and pay and any payments made, are done so in line with the correct authorisation procedures detailed within the department, by means of the Trust’s authorised signature list


• Check and verify payroll and associated input/output prior to distribution of payslips and related documentation and check exception reports for items of materiality, taking any necessary action to make good financial discrepancies, which will in turn ensure budget reports are an accurate reflection of expenditure/income

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details.

Essential person specification requirements

Qualifications:

• Sound educational background (4 GCSEs, grade C or above including Maths)


• NVQ Level 3 in Payroll or equivalent relevant experience

Experience:

• Experience of working with computer software programmes such as Microsoft Office, e‑mail and internet.


• Knowledge of ESR system.


• Experience of working in a busy office environment and responding to competing demands


• Awareness of NHS Terms and Conditions of Service, including Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental


• Significant experience of working as a Payroll officer

Knowledge and Awareness:

• Understanding and knowledge of dealing with sensitive and confidential issues, work policies and procedures (Data Protection Act)


• In depth knowledge and understanding of payroll systems, procedures and current legislation (manual and computerised), including calculating payroll payments from gross to net.


• Knowledge of statutory regulations – PAYE, NIC, SSP, SMP, SAP, SPP

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details.

Be part of MY team

We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients’ homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.

We support work‑life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.

If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Our benefits

• Access to the NHS pension plan


• Generous holiday allowance of 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing with 5 and 10 years of service


• Exceptional employee health and wellbeing services


• Extensive benefits and support, including:


• Onsite nurseries and childcare salary sacrifice scheme


• Home electronics scheme


• Cycle to work scheme - subject to eligibility criteria


• Car lease salary sacrifice scheme - subject to eligibility criteria


• Working carers support and advice, carers network and carers passport


• Flexible working options and family and carer‑friendly policies


• Established staff networks, including LGBTQ+ and Race Equality


• Career progression, training and support

Skilled worker sponsorship

You can find out more about skilled worker and health and care visas on our careers site.