Payroll Officer – AR

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Carrington Blake Recruitment is seeking a Payroll Officer to join a busy local authority payroll team. The role involves day-to-day payroll administration, ensuring accurate and timely payments in line with HMRC regulations and Council policies.

The position is hybrid (2–3 days in the office) and supports payroll for thousands of school and council staff, with responsibilities across queries, adjustments and pays calculations.

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll administration within a customer-focused organisation.
• Strong knowledge of PAYE and HMRC regulations.
• Experience using payroll IT systems, preferably in a public sector context.
• Proficient IT skills with Word and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Administer statutory and contractual maternity pay.
• Process statutory and contractual sick pay and PILON.
• Process National Insurance-related benefits.
• Calculate and administer pay awards and employee increments.
• Handle manual payroll payments and adjustments.
• Respond to payroll enquiries from employees, managers and external organisations.
• Investigate and resolve complex payroll enquiries within targets.
• Ensure payroll calculations comply with PAYE/HMRC regulations.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and support Oracle payroll operations.

Skills

Payroll processing

PAYE & HMRC knowledge

Customer service

Attention to detail

Education

Payroll qualification

Tools

Oracle Payroll

Excel

Word

Job description

Payroll Officer

Department: Resources – Finance
Grade: SO2
Working Arrangement: Hybrid – approximately 2–3 days per week in the office

Job Overview

We are currently recruiting for a Payroll Officer to join a busy local authority payroll team, supporting the delivery of an accurate, efficient and customer-focused payroll service.

The team is responsible for processing payroll for approximately 2,920 school employees, 3,200 council employees and 200 external school staff.

Reporting to the Payroll Team Leader, you will be responsible for the day-to-day administration and processing of payroll, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time in line with HMRC legislation, statutory requirements and Council policies.

You will also act as a key point of contact for employees, managers, schools and external organisations, providing payroll advice and resolving queries.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer statutory and contractual maternity pay.
• Calculate and process statutory and contractual sick pay, liaising with managers and HR officers to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Process National Insurance-related benefits.
• Calculate and administer Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON).
• Process annual pay awards and employee increments.
• Calculate and process manual payroll payments and adjustments.
• Respond to payroll enquiries from employees, managers, schools and external organisations.
• Investigate and resolve payroll queries, including more complex issues, within agreed service targets.
• Ensure payroll calculations and transactions comply with PAYE, HMRC regulations and relevant legislation.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and support the smooth operation of the Oracle payroll system.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Previous experience working in a Payroll Administrator or Payroll Officer position within a customer-focused organisation.
• Good knowledge of payroll administration procedures and systems.
• Strong understanding of PAYE, HMRC regulations and associated payroll legislation.
• Experience calculating payroll payments, tax, National Insurance and pension deductions.
• Experience using payroll IT systems, ideally within a public sector or local authority environment.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills, with the ability to deal with employees, managers and external organisations.
• Ability to investigate and resolve complex payroll enquiries.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work to strict payroll deadlines.

Qualifications

An appropriate professional payroll qualification or significant practical experience working within a payroll department in a customer-focused organisation.

Working Arrangements

This is a hybrid position, with approximately 2–3 days per week required in the office.