Payroll Technician

Co-op; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in business services is looking for a Payroll Technician for a 12-month fixed-term contract. You'll play a vital role in processing salaries for around 70,000 employees, ensuring accuracy in payroll activities while contributing to ongoing improvements in services. Join a hybrid working environment with competitive pay and numerous benefits aimed at fostering personal growth and team collaboration.

Benefits

30% off Co-op branded products

Annual bonus based on performance

28 days holiday (rising to 32)

Pension with up to 10% employer contributions

Subsidised onsite gym

Coaching and training for career development

Wagestream access for pay management

24/7 access to support services

Qualifications

• Proven payroll experience, especially in large-scale projects.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP.
• Strong ability to manage conflicting priorities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate payroll processes and ensure accuracy within timelines.
• Complete RTI returns and manage audits.
• Mentor and support payroll specialists in the team.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Organizational Skills

Teamwork

Education

CIPP Qualification or working towards it

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Payroll Technician – 12 month fixed term contract/secondment
£29,000 to £39,000 plus benefits aligned to your home role (Work Level 6B)
Manchester city centre - We’re now working in a hybrid way, with colleagues dividing their time between working from home and in the Manchester office. You can visit our Hybrid Working Policy for more information (https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy)

We’re looking for a Payroll Technician to join our payroll operations team within our wider Co-op Business Services (CBS) organisation. CBS is made up of a number of diverse teams dedicated to delivering high-quality, reliable and cost-effective business services across our Co-op. You’ll play a key role in helping CBS to support and realise our group vision of ‘co-operating to build more value for member-owners every day’.

It’s a busy team; they process the salaries for approximately 70,000 Co-op employees and pensioners on a 4-week cycle, and their goal is to make sure that every colleague is paid the right amount at the right time. If you have the payroll experience and team working skills that we need, then we can offer you the opportunity to build your knowledge and develop your skills with a business that puts people at the heart of its strategy.

In this role, we’ll look to you to co-ordinate the team’s day to day activity, making sure our payroll processes are delivered accurately and in line with tight timescales. You’ll be working in a fast-paced environment, with a seriously complex payroll that covers our wider businesses. We’ve made lots of improvements to our payroll service over recent years, making processes quicker, easier and more effective for customers across the business. It’s an exciting time to join, as you’ll have the chance to spot opportunities to help us to further improve the way we work.

What you’ll do

• Be responsible for planning, managing and controlling payroll processes, supporting change and payroll related projects
• Make sure all payrolls are processed correctly and within established timelines
• Complete periodic reconciliations and submission of RTI returns in compliance with legislation
• Ensure all audits controls throughout the payroll cycle are adhered to
• Support with complex queries and complaints
• Mentor and support the development of payroll specialists
• Spot opportunities for continuous improvement, identifying ways to further streamline our payroll service

This role would suit people who have

• Proven payroll experience with a focus on large-scale projects end-to-end
• High accuracy and attention to detail, along with strong organisational skills
• CIPP qualification or working towards it
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, etc.)
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and build collaborative relationships across the business, alongside coaching and supporting the development of Payroll Specialists in the team

Why Co-op?

If you’ve got the skills and experience we’re looking for, we can offer you a competitive salary and great benefits package which includes 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores (as well as other discounts on Co-op products and services). You’ll also get:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 in line with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• 24/7 access to a range of emotional, financial, and practical support services for you and your family

Building an inclusive work environment

At Co-op, we’re proud to do things a different way. As one of the world’s largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we’ve had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build more value for our member-owners every day.

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process.

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme at Disability Confident Scheme - Co-op Colleagues and more about our commitments to diversity and inclusion here

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.