Payroll and Finance Officer

This is an exciting opportunity for somebody with the right experience, skills and personal qualities to work across two successful support departments within an outstanding Sixth Form College, and to provide support to a brand-new specialist Maths School.

You will be responsible for the processing and administration of the monthly payroll and pensions cycle, working to tight deadlines and offering a first-class service to colleagues. You will also support the Finance department with the administration of supplier orders, payments and various reconciliations. You will have excellent organisational skills with a high attention to detail, accuracy, and an eagerness to learn.

**Main Terms and Conditions: Support Staff**

**Salary**:post will be paid on the Sixth Form Colleges’ Support Staff Pay Spine at points 14 to 16- pro rata to £26,440 per annum to £28,073 per annum.

**Payment of Salary**: Your salary will be paid by BACs transfer into your bank account on the last banking day of the month (except at Christmas when payment is made before the holiday)

**Working hours**:37 hours per week, full year. Starting and finishing times as agreed.

**Holidays**: Holiday entitlement is pro rata to 22 days annual leave plus 8 statutory and 4 concessionary days. After 5 years' continuous services the annual leave entitlement increases to pro rata to 25 days annual leave.

**DBS Clearance**: This post requires Disclosure and Barring Service clearance as well as a range of other safer recruitment checks.

**Post Title**: Payroll and Finance Officer

**Responsible To**: Head of Finance/HR Manager

**Purpose of the Post**: To provide administrative support in all aspects of payroll and staffing forecasting across the HR and Finance areas.

**Responsibilities**:

- To process all monthly payroll information including starters, leavers, amendments, salary sacrifice schemes and payments and deductions, ensuring accurate and efficient payments liaising with the external payroll provider.
- To maintain the HR and Finance system in respect of any payroll/contract changes.
- To monitor and check the accuracy of the monthly payroll and any payroll related activity, ensuring that any errors are rectified efficiently, keeping the staff member informed.
- To post the monthly payroll to the accounting ledger and perform a reconciliation of the actual monthly payroll to the accounting ledger.
- To ensure statutory and occupational payments (e.g. SMP, SSP, OMP etc.) are processed correctly, liaising closely with the payroll provider to rectify errors.
- To undertake all administration related to the Teachers Pensions Scheme and LGPS, including but not limited to estimate requests, leaver forms, opt out requests, flexibilities, AVC administration, signposting and informing staff as necessary.
- To run and submit the Teachers Pensions’ Monthly Reconciliation Report, identifying and rectifying errors as necessary.
- To support the Teachers Pensions End of Year Certificate process.
- To run and submit the monthly Local Government Pension Scheme return, identifying and rectifying errors as necessary.
- To ensure the accounting ledger accurately reflects the above statutory and pension related payments (e.g. SMP, SSP, TPS, LGPS).
- To deal with all queries relating to Teachers Pensions and LGPS.
- To undertake auto enrolment administration ensuring the college is compliant.
- To deal promptly with all outside agencies relating to staff salaries i.e. tax office, benefits agencies etc.,
- To update the staff budgeting system for all staffing changes, ensuring consistency to the payroll system and accounting ledger.
- To reconcile the staff budgeting system to monthly payroll, year to date payroll and the accounting ledger.
- To update staffing forecast for current and subsequent years.
- To produce the college staffing budget.
- To provide staffing forecast at various points throughout the year.
- Reconciliation of the staff budgeting system and the accounting ledger.
- Utilising the staff budgeting system to undertake staffing budget modelling.
- Maintaining the staff budgeting system.
- To administer payroll for the Lancaster University School of Mathematics.
- Support purchase ledger process, raising purchase orders, processing invoices and generating payment runs.
- To support the Lancaster University School of Mathematics in respect of finance administration.
- To assist in HR administration and support as required.
- To undertake other duties as required, commensurate with the role.

**Person Specification**

**Essential**
- GCSE Grade A*-C/9-4 in English Language and Mathematics
- Educated to level 3
- Experience of payroll and pensions administration
- Experience of producing reports, analysing, and interpreting information
- A good understanding of payroll and pensions
- Ability to work to tight deadlines
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail and accuracy
- Ability to work well with numbers and complex calc