Payroll Manager

UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Our Finance and Corporate Services business unit is a fusion of multiple functions — financial planning and accounting, facilities and building management, procurement, corporate governance and performance, legal and compliance. The Finance Team also defines UCAS' financial strategy.

The Payroll Manager is a member of the Finance and Corporate Services team reporting to the Financial Accountant.

The purpose of this role is to take ownership of the day-to-day running of the organisation’s payroll (circa 550 employees) and pension provision being the lead contact for all related queries from both internal and external stakeholders.

• Manage and process the monthly payroll, to a tight deadline with data inputs from numerous stakeholders. Including processing starters/ leavers, contractual changes (salary sacrifice, ad hoc, exceptional payments) and statutory payments.

• Processing and administration of complex redundancy payments and settlement agreements.

• Reconciliation of the monthly payroll and producing reports for payroll sign off.

• Ensure timely and accurate RTI and end of year submissions to HMRC. Along with managing the organisations online HMRC PAYE account.

• Ensuring payroll, statutory, third party and pension scheme payments are made by the required deadlines.

• Producing required data for the monthly payroll journal.

• Main point of contact for payroll software specifically liaising with Zellis to resolve system issues

• Working in collaboration with HR regarding payroll related updates, upgrades, workflows.

For full job description - please see role profile attached.

• A technically strong payroll professional holding a CIPP qualification or demonstratable equivalent experience.

• Extensive knowledge of PAYE/NI and statutory payments e.g. redundancy, SMP and SPP.

• Good understanding of DC and DB pension schemes.

• Preferable but not essential, working understanding of Zellis payroll software - ResourceLink/ HCM Cloud.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office specifically Excel (PivotTables and VLOOKUPS).

• Ability to work independently to tight deadlines and to prioritise effectively.

• Proactively develop and keep up to date with appropriate CPD, new payroll legislation and compliance.

• Discrete, trustworthy, collaborative and solution focused.

Salary - up to £37,500

• 30 days annual leave (plus 3 concessionary days over Christmas and your bank holidays!)

• Flexibility – UCAS positively supports Hybrid working for its employees, meaning you can work between home and the office in a way that suits you and the business and also has a comprehensive Flexible Working Policy

• A generous pension scheme

• Hundreds of high street discounts and offers with Perkbox

• Internal training and development

• Subsidised gym and café

• Be rewarded for going above and beyond with our ex-gratia bonus scheme and Celebrating U, our quarterly employee recognition scheme

• Dedicated volunteer employee networks promoting wellbeing, awareness and inclusion

Studies have shown that some groups of people are less likely to apply to a role unless they tick every box. At UCAS we recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to delivering a fair and equitable recruitment process where applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still apply.

If you have any questions and would like to find out more about the role before applying please email the Talent Acquisition team via careers@ucas.ac.uk and one of us will be in touch.