Payroll and Pensions Manager

Are you an experienced payroll leader looking for an opportunity to shape the future of payroll delivery while leading a critical service?

COPFS is recruiting for a Payroll and Pensions Manager to lead payroll and pension services for approximately 2,900 employees across Scotland's prosecution service. This is a rare opportunity to combine operational leadership with the delivery of a significant payroll transformation programme.

Reporting to the Senior Pay and Reward Manager, you will lead a specialist payroll team, oversee end-to-end payroll operations and act as a trusted expert on payroll legislation, compliance and pension administration.

Alongside ensuring the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll services, you will play a leading role in bringing payroll delivery in-house, helping to shape future operating arrangements, processes and controls across the organisation.

Working closely with senior leaders across the People Directorate, you will have the opportunity to influence strategic decisions, develop your professional expertise and contribute directly to service improvement and organisational change.

This role would suit an experienced payroll professional with strong technical knowledge, proven people leadership skills and a passion for delivering high-quality payroll and pension services.

Salary £45,472 plus a £5,000 pensionable Recruitment and Retention Allowance.

If you are interested in learning more, please refer to the attached application pack for further details on the role, salary and assessment process.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of monthly payroll for two PAYE references, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and compliance with UK legislation.
• Manage Civil Service Pension processes, including providing guidance on pension related queries.
• Ensure compliance with HMRC regulations, payroll legislation, maintaining up to date knowledge of legislative changes.
• Identify, assess and mitigate risks, ensuring appropriate controls and audit trails are in place.
• Support internal and external audit activity and ensure all findings are appropriately addressed.
• Build strong relationships with our third-party payroll service provider, highlighting any operational issues that may impact on the customer experience.
• Act as an escalation point for complex payroll and pension issues, ensuring timely resolution.
• Lead, develop and support the payroll team, setting clear objectives, prioritisation and managing performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll and pensions processes, systems and service delivery.
• Lead the transition from COPFS's current semi-managed payroll model to a fully in-house payroll service, shaping future payroll delivery arrangements and embedding new processes, controls and ways of working.

Please note these are not exhaustive lists, and other duties may be required as appropriate to the role

This role will suit an experienced payroll and pensions professional with significant operational payroll expertise, strong technical knowledge, proven people management experience and a focus on service quality.

You will demonstrate strong leadership capability, with the ability to manage competing priorities, mitigate risk, and ensure the consistent delivery of an accurate and compliant payroll and pensions service. You will be confident in interpreting and applying payroll legislation to complex scenarios, and proactive in identifying opportunities to improve processes and service delivery.

Experience of supporting payroll transformation, including bringing payroll in house, would be beneficial but is not essential.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• • Strong working knowledge of UK payroll legislation and HMRC requirements, including PAYE, National Insurance and statutory payments, with the ability to apply this knowledge accurately in practice.
• • Ability to interpret and apply payroll legislation, policy and guidance to complex payroll scenarios, identify associated risks and provide clear, evidence-based advice and recommendations
• • Good working knowledge of pension administration and statutory pension requirements, including automatic enrolment

We offer an excellent range of benefits which include:

• 25 days paid holiday + 11.5 public and privilege holidays (rising to 30 days paid holiday after 2 years).
• Generous Civil Service Pension employer contribution, on average over 28.97% of your pay
• Flexible working hours and family friendly approach to work.
• Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loans.
• Employee Wellbeing Support with Mental Health First Aiders and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.

Job contact :

• Name : Sarah Smith
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

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