Northampton General Hospital

Payroll Team Leader

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Job summary

To support the Payroll Systems Manager with the leadership, overall management and performance of the Payroll and Expenses team, ensuring accurate and timely payment of all staff and compliance with all audit requirements, advising of any issues arising.

The role will have the responsibility for day-to-day supervision of Payroll Officers/Support Officers and ensuring the workload assigned is completed accurately and on time. This involves maintaining checklists, checking reports, and chairing team meetings asappropriate through the payroll cycle.

Practically, this involves managing, prioritising, preparation, input and checking of the weekly and monthly payrolls together with all related administration and maintenance work with the assistance of team members. Undertaking this role will require the post holder to work both independently and as part of a team and will include both hands-on and supervision activities.

The post holder will be an expert in NHS payroll, expenses, and benefits. The role will alsoinclude deputising for the Payroll Systems Manager as and when required.

Main duties of the job

Act as a specialist on pay and benefits related matters, to be experienced and knowledgeable within all aspects of payroll and expenses, Terms and Conditions and Statutory regulations to advise and guide Managers and staff in matters pertaining to pay, expenses and benefit

Responsibility to run weekly and monthly payrolls from end to end, including transmission of BACS files, by managing, prioritising, preparation, input and checking of weekly and monthly payroll in line with the payroll processing schedule ensuring that deadlines are met. This involves undertaking complicated calculations; including the provision and receipt of sensitive and contentious information plus working with the wider Team to achieve these objectives. This also involves designing or improving spreadsheets or other databases to enable or efficient payroll production.

To ensure accurate and timely payment to all staff and that the Payroll and Pension service works within current Statutory, National and Local policies by maintaining an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of all payroll processes and procedures, including current terms of service both national and those determined locally, income tax and NI calculations, statutory payments, deductions, and earnings attachment orders. Ensuring that all expenditure processed through Payroll is made in accordance with contracts of employment, standing financial instructions and relevant legislation.

About us

Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values

Compassion

Accountability

Respect

Integrity

Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.

We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.

The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.

We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Date posted

23 August 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£28,407 to £34,581 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

265-5584663

Job locations

Northampton General Hospital

Cliftonville

Nothampton

NN1 5BD

Job description

Job responsibilities

Responsible for all payroll deduction schedules, and their prompt payment, within the designated time scales

Responsibility to check accuracy of the payroll output both prior to and after the payroll processing has been completed.

To be fully conversant with all systems used for processing the payroll and storing retrieving data. Use this knowledge to provide and check reports to maintain payroll accuracy including but not limited to, ESR, Assure (current expenses system) and Vivup.

Through continuous training and occasional, direct supervision, be fully conversant with the complex technicalities of all terms and conditions of service e.g., Local policy and procedures (including Audit), Medical and Dental, Agenda for Change, Trust policies, Local agreements, NHS Pension Scheme regulations and Statutory legislation and relate them to the Payroll environment, and work with the Payroll Systems Manager for implementation of new terms and conditions.

To support the Payroll Systems Manager in implementing any updates or amendments notified through local agreements by the Trust or National amendments through statutory legislation.

To investigate, analyse and resolve payroll queries and discrepancies e.g., resolution of the appropriateness of maternity entitlements in accordance with both statutory and occupational schemes. This will be responding to face to face and telephone queries as well as emails.

Fix all payroll related system errors to ensure the HMRC submission is correct and true, on a weekly, monthly and annual basis.

Complete year end submissions and P11d submissions with our outsourced processing departments.

Calculating, evaluating and verifying information received to ensure compliance with Local, Medical and Dental, Agenda for Change and/or Statutory regulations.

Responsible for technical sign off on the computation of pay advances to staff.

To calculate manual emergency payments where necessary ensuring correct statutory and pension deductions are made to ensure payments are adjusted recorded and recovered where necessary.

Possess good working knowledge to help avoid under or overpayments, likely to result from late submission of data by Manager. This will include establishing and maintaining close working relationships with the Workforce Information team.

To be responsible for the inputting of overpayments into the system. Work with the payroll officers to ensure overpayments calculations are correct. Ensure that staff who are in an overpayment situation are communicated to as soon as possible, which will include empathy, tact and sensitivity. Raise any concerns or issues with the Payroll Systems Manager to ensure a resolution is put in place to avoid prolonged anxiety and stress. Update and submit relevant reports to highlight monthly over payments to Finance and HR and other ad hoc reports when required to enable analysis to identify trends and comply with audit requirements

Monitor and update payroll and travel expenses processes and procedures as required, ensuring that these are updated on an annual basis as a minimum

To administer Payroll Benefits for the Salary Sacrifice Scheme and support Finance to reconcile all payments at year end

Supervise the daily work and provide support, advice and guidance to the Payroll Officers and Payroll Support Officers as required.

Supervise the Payroll Officers to ensure that the following is completed. This may require providing support to the Payroll Officers to ensure this is completed within deadlines:

- To calculate and apply contractual maternity pay and statutory maternity pay
- To apply SSP and Contractual Sick Pay Schemes to relevant staff
- To calculate and apply contractual paternity pay and statutory paternity pay
- Responsible for processing overpayments of salary
- To calculate and apply contractual shared parental leave

Assist with the training of the Payroll Officers and Payroll Support Officers as required. This will include ensuring that the team are kept up to date with changes both locally and nationally to ensure that the team are able to provide an efficient and effective service at all times.

Provide training to all staff in relation to payroll processes. This is through participating at Trust Induction and participating in Leadership and Management Training courses.

Where necessary, contacting managers and staff to query unclear or insufficient payroll data submitted, educating managers in payroll procedures and deadlines as part of the process and enhancing customer relations

Responsible with the Payroll Systems Manager for the Payroll Team Roster and collation / validation of the Payroll Team overtime both of which for final approval of the Learning & Development and Workforce Systems Manager.

To ensure that there is adequate staffing on a daily basis, supervising and approving annual leave. This includes forward planning and allocation of work, being aware of the months where there is specific focus ie junior doctors rotation, end of the year

To provide and facilitate drop-in sessions for staff to address any queries or concerns they have to enhance the customer relations and provide resolutions in a timely manner

Payroll Services is customer focused and therefore customer service skills are required. Good interpersonal communication skills are essential, in that this post will be relaying technical payroll information to staff and managers. They will also, at times, need to diffuse difficult enquiries from staff and managers

Discuss payroll related queries with staff, including reasons for delays in payment and other sensitive and possibly contentious issues, using tact and diplomacy being empathetic to the staff needs.

Responding to general pay queries raised by employees, Managers, HR and other departments, in a timely, effective and professional manner. Investigating issues and offering explanations and solutions to sensitive/complicated payroll matters

Proposes changes to existing payroll procedures, where these may bring improvements to the efficiency of current working practices. This will include ensuring that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are written and maintained

Support both the Learning & Development and Workforce Systems manager and the Payroll Systems Manager to implement changes and KPIs to the payroll team as and when required to meet audit, local and national initiatives

Demonstrating strong relationship skills in often challenging situations and effectively communicate either in person, telephone or in writing dealing with queries from Employees, Colleagues, Managers and external agencies including the Inland Revenue.

Supports and covers for the Payroll Systems Manager as and when required. This may include performing duties/responsibilities in their absence