Senior Payroll Officer

FTE: 1fte (Working 37 hours per week)

Salary: UH6 £33,002 pa to £38,784 pa by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 25 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: MacLaurin Building, Hatfield                                            

We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Senior Payroll Officer to join our Finance Department. This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in delivering a high-quality payroll service within a complex and fast-paced environment.

Our Payroll Team manages multiple pay groups across both weekly and monthly cycles using an integrated HR/Payroll system, ensuring an efficient, accurate, and compliant service for University staff and associated organisations.

Main duties and responsibilities

As a Senior Payroll Officer, you will support the delivery of the full payroll cycle from start to finish, working closely with colleagues to ensure processes run smoothly, accurately, and on schedule while meeting all statutory and legal requirements. You will also play a key role in supporting the day-to-day supervision of the team, helping to allocate workloads, provide guidance on more complex queries, and maintain an efficient working environment. 

In this role, you will manage payroll across multiple pay groups, including weekly and monthly cycles, and ensure compliance with HMRC regulations through accurate RTI submissions and statutory payments. You will contribute to month-end and year-end activities, including reconciliations and reporting, while maintaining reliable payroll records and resolving any discrepancies that arise. Alongside this, you will respond to payroll-related queries with a high level of professionalism and care, ensuring sensitive information is handled with discretion at all times. 

Skills and experience required

You will be an experienced payroll professional with a strong understanding of in-house payroll operations and a methodical, detail-focused approach. You will bring proven experience in a senior payroll or similar role, along with the ability to support or supervise colleagues within a payroll environment. A thorough knowledge of end-to-end payroll processing, including year-end activities, is essential, as is an up-to-date understanding of HMRC regulations and compliance requirements. You will be highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and meet strict deadlines. You will be confident working both independently and as part of a team. Strong customer service skills are key, alongside the ability to handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality. 

Qualifications required

Educated with a minimum of a degree, or equivalent qualification, or proven experience.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

Internal applicants – please ensure you apply via your employee self service portal. 

We regret that we are unable to offer UKVI sponsorship for this post; applicants will either hold UK Right to Work or demonstrate access to UK Right to Work before an offer is made.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Hayley Young, Head of Pay & Pensions, h.young5@herts.ac.uk

Closing Date: 25 May 2026

Interview Date: TBC

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