Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1.    To be responsible for sending the weekly and monthly BACS payment on time in line with the deadlines. This canbe up to circa £22m.  To ensure that all necessary checks have been carried out and resolve any issues that may arise.

2.    To be responsible for the line management of the team, including recruitment and selection, appraisals, personal development, sickness absence policy and disciplinary issues, ensuring Trust HR policies are adhered to.  

3.    To effectively manage and plan own and departments workload to ensure the provision of a comprehensive payroll service which complies with all relevant regulations and statutory requirements whilst embracing departmental, Trust and Shared Service Clients objectives. 

4.    Engage in forward planning in order to anticipate any potential issues which may compromises to service and work with the Trust, Shared Service clients and Service provider to negate the risk. 

5.    To review payroll processes and ensure they are effective and efficient and make improvements where required including following ESR Best Practice guidelines Introduce and manage improvements to systems and services including the implementation of electronic systems.

6.    To liaise with all levels of staff within the Trust, Shared Service Clients and any external organisations providing expert guidance and support on payroll legislation, expenses legislation, NHS Pension and the Trust’s alternative Pension scheme provider (NEST). To resolve highly complex payroll, tax and pension queries promptly and effectively, making decisions, and to action appropriately authorised and documented adjustments.

7.    To plan, in conjunction with the Head of Employee Services, the best way to implement legislative, procedural and system changes and to ensure that standard procedures are developed and maintained to reflect these changes. Assist in training of new staff and training in legislative updates to current staff.

8.    To communicate important and highly complex changes in legislation, processes or elements affecting pay to all trust staff using a variety of methods including presentations, emails, face-to-face conversations, payroll messages, training guides and information packs. To ensure a record is taken at every contract management meeting, actions and changes are then implemented by the team if applicable. 

9.    To ensure that all the Trusts’ procedures and SFIs are strictly adhered to when dealing with all payroll and pension scheme matters by providing expert advice to other staff.

10.    To ensure that the rules on statutory payments for sick, maternity, adoption, shared parental, paternity leave along with occupational payments for sick, maternity, adoption, shared parental, paternity leave are adhered to for the Trust and Shared Service Clients.

11.    To manage the payroll element of the auto enrolment process.

12.    To ensure local pay scales and local pay elements are created, maintained and ended as required in line with authorisation received from the Trust or Shared Service Client.

13.    To liaise with auditors to ensure the efficient completion on internal and external audit of the payroll and to ensure that details of the audit recommendations are implemented.

14.    To process statutory and non-statutory returns in accordance with appropriate timescales. 

15.    To ensure that all relevant monthly and annual reconciliations are carried out accurately and on time and necessary records and documents are submitted and maintained in line with NHS and Statutory Regulations on the keeping of records.  Including but not limited to the administration of P60s and P11Ds. To ensure the appropriate deductions for HMRC and NHS Pensions are correctly administered.  To manage the control and reconciliation of any other payroll deductions, including the production of reports and payover documentation.  

16.    To support finance through the month end and year end reporting activities with query resolution as and when required. 

17.    To develop and maintain excellent working relations between the Trust and Shared Service clients.

18.    Responsible for continuous improvement in Trust practices, procedures and policies which impact payroll, expenses and pension provision, recommending and contributing to implementations. Seeking and suggesting cost effective improvements to the Trust and Shared Service Clients.  Involved in planning projects which impact the Employee Services Team and/or the wider organisation and Shared Services Clients, such as e-forms, e-payslips and employee self-service, e-expenses, e-doctors roll-out.  Work with Trust leads and managers to ensure any process change is communicated, implemented and all parties are supported.

19.    To be the first point of escalation where there is a dispute around overpayments and to liaise and explain with tact and sensitivity the cause of overpayments and advise on the process for their recovery from the employee.   

20.    To be responsible for the raising and authorising of invoices and credit notes for Shared Service Clients.  

21.    To actively monitor overpayment causes and to identify and rectify gaps in trust processes in order to reduce the number of overpayments. 

22.    To give sign off to all emergency (CHAPs)/ Advance payments made by the provider. 

23.    To maintain discretion and confidentiality when dealing with or privy to sensitive, personal or private information. 

24.    To write and supply reports from ESR as required.

25.    Manage and administrate the salary sacrifice car scheme within the Trust.

26.    To ensure continuous professional development within the areas of payroll, expenses and pensions and remain up-to-date with all relevant payroll, AFC, Expenses and pensions legislation and reflect this in day to day work.

27.    To ensure adequate training is provided to Employee Services staff within the Trust.

28.    To delegate tasks within the department as appropriate.

29.    To deputise for the Head of Employee Services where appropriate and required.

30.    There may be a requirement to undertake other similar duties as part of this post, in order to provide a quality service.  These will be consistent with the level of responsibility outlined above.