Senior Payroll Officer

Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership is a thriving Multi-Academy Trust committed to delivering outstanding education and support services across our schools. We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Payroll Officer to play a pivotal role in an exciting period of transformation for our payroll service.

This is an excellent opportunity for an accomplished payroll professional who enjoys improving processes, working with complex payroll data, and leading change. You'll be instrumental in ensuring our payroll transition is delivered successfully while helping shape the future of an in-house payroll service supporting approximately 3,000 employees.

Working closely with the Payroll Lead, you will oversee the operational management and integrity of the Trust's payroll throughout a significant transformation programme. Initially, you will act as the key technical link between our HR Information System and our new outsourced payroll provider, ensuring seamless data integration, robust controls and exceptional accuracy. As the project progresses, you will help lead the transition towards bringing payroll fully in-house, supporting the design of efficient, sustainable payroll processes for the future. This role offers a unique opportunity to combine operational payroll expertise with systems improvement, project work and continuous process development.

• Lead payroll operational support throughout the transition to a new outsourced payroll provider.
• Manage data cleansing, validation and reconciliation activities to ensure payroll accuracy throughout migration.
• Develop and optimise payroll workflows between the Trust's HR system and payroll platform.
• Produce and maintain payroll procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and control documentation.
• Prepare and validate payroll data for monthly processing across all Trust academies.
• Process complex education payroll calculations including:
• Term-Time Only (TTO) salaries
• Continuous service calculations
• Retroactive pay awards
• Burgundy Book and Green Book conditions
• Administer Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) and Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) submissions and returns.
• Ensure statutory and occupational payments are processed accurately, including SSP, SMP and SPP.
• Carry out detailed payroll reconciliations and resolve discrepancies before payroll submission.
• Produce reports and payroll analysis using HR systems and advanced Excel.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure accurate General Ledger coding and payroll accounting.
• Support continuous improvement and play a key role in the future in-house payroll project.

We're looking for someone who combines technical payroll expertise with strong analytical skills and a passion for improving systems. There are many advantages to working for us including 26 days’ annual leave (rising to 31 after 5 years service) plus bank holidays (pro rata), access to a government pension scheme, sick pay scheme, cycle-to-work scheme, free eye tests for VDU users and employee assistance helpline. Support staff in schools can also benefit from a range of national discount schemes available to education professionals such as the Blue Light Card offering savings on shopping, travel, and leisure.

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the closing date if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We particularly welcome applications from under represented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.