People Centre Senior Payroll Administrator

Nuclear Inst; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Pension with life assurance

Digital GP and health checks

Employee share scheme

Be Kind Day

Job summary

As a Senior Payroll Administrator at Cavendish Nuclear, you will join the People Centre in Warrington, Cheshire or Devon, Plymouth, delivering accurate payroll services with a focus on complex cases. The role supports critical defence and nuclear programmes, with a hybrid pattern of two days in the office and a 37-hour week.

You will maintain employee data, provide expert payroll guidance, and lead payroll colleagues to ensure timely weekly deliveries and excellent service.

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll environments delivering weekly or monthly payrolls.
• Strong payroll administration with focus on accuracy and detail.
• Advanced Excel skills including VLOOKUPs and complex spreadsheets.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex payroll and people administration cases to resolution.
• Support weekly payroll activities for accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery.
• Maintain employee records and keep data up to date.
• Provide expert guidance on payroll and people processes to colleagues and stakeholders.
• Lead by example and support payroll staff to sustain high standards and customer service.

Skills

Payroll administration

Data accuracy

Excel (VLOOKUP)

Team guidance

Attention to detail

Education

CIPP qualification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Title: People Centre Senior Payroll Administrator

Location: Warrington, Cheshire or Devon, Plymouth + Hybrid Working Arrangement

Compensation: Attractive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF76357

Help keep an essential function running smoothly while supporting people across a business that helps deliver national security.

At Cavendish Nuclear, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Senior Payroll Administrator at Warrington, Cheshire or Devon, Plymouth.

The role

As a Senior Payroll Administrator, you'll play a key role within our collaborative People Centre team, ensuring payroll processes are delivered accurately and efficiently while supporting colleagues across the business. This is an opportunity to develop your expertise in payroll administration, take ownership of complex cases, and provide guidance to team members, all while contributing to a business that supports critical defence and nuclear programmes.

This role is full time, working 37 hours per week, based at Warrington, Cheshire or Devon, Plymouth. Flexible working arrangements are available, with a hybrid working pattern of two days per week in the office.

Day-to-day, you'll be required to:

• Managing complex payroll and people administration cases to successful resolution.
• Supporting weekly payroll activities to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery.
• Maintaining employee records and ensuring data remains accurate and up to date.
• Providing expert guidance on payroll and people processes to colleagues and stakeholders.
• Leading by example and supporting Payroll Administrators to drive high standards, continuous improvement, and excellent customer service.

Essential experience of the Senior Payroll Administrator:

• Experience working within a payroll environment delivering weekly or monthly payroll processes.
• Strong payroll administration experience with a focus on accuracy and attention to detail.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including the ability to perform VLOOKUPs and manage complex spreadsheets.
• Experience maintaining employee data and records within a busy administrative environment.
• Experience supporting colleagues and sharing knowledge within a team setting.

Qualifications for the Senior Payroll Administrator:

• Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals qualification (CIPP) or equivalent

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Cavendish

We’re Cavendish Nuclear — a team of c5,000 specialists and a core part of Babcock International Group.

Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. Across clean energy, defence, and civil decommissioning, your work will contribute to projects that are critical to energy security and national protection. Together, we’re shaping a future that lasts — not only through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.

Join us and discover how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [e-mail] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 15/10/2026

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