Payroll Officer (Maternity Cover) in High Wycombe

Wycombe Abbey is looking for an experienced Payroll Officer (Maternity Cover) to join our professional and friendly Finance team based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. We are looking for someone with excellent attention to detail and strong communication skills as you will be dealing with a wide and varied customer base. You will have gained similar experience within a finance role.

Contract: Part-time, fixed-term contract for one year (Maternity Cover).

Hours of work: 22.5 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Hours include a one-hour unpaid lunch break during each working day.

Duties:

• Deputise for the Payroll Manager in running the monthly payroll.
• Be responsible for, and manage, data on the payroll system.
• Process starters and leavers.
• Process calculations regarding regular and variable pay adjustments, pay claims, loans, regular deductions, benefits etc.
• Be a point of contact for staff on payroll and pension queries, responding promptly and in a sensitive manner, and escalating where appropriate to the Payroll Manager.
• Assist with pensions administration for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the Support Staff pension scheme.
• Assist the Payroll Manager with year-end routines, including P11ds, Gender Pay reporting, Pension Audits, etc.
• Assist the Payroll Manager with payroll related projects.
• Any other duties as reasonably required.

Requirements:

• Payroll experience gained in a comparable role.
• Excellent up-to-date knowledge of payroll legislation.
• Full understanding of employee confidentiality and data protection with the appropriate handling of sensitive information.
• Strong IT skills with a good understanding of Microsoft Office packages, particularly proficiency in Excel.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Collaborative approach and ‘can do’ attitude.
• Very high standards of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to plan ahead and work to deadlines.
• A desire to learn and develop their payroll skills.

Desirable but not essential:

• Experience of working in an education environment.
• Experience of Iris Payroll Professional software.
• An understanding of pensions, in particular Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Special conditions:

Appointment is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring check.

Wycombe Abbey is a world class full-boarding school for girls, located on a beautiful site in the centre of High Wycombe. With its distinctive heritage, magnificent 170-acre campus and impressive resources, the School provides an outstanding education for 650 pupils aged 11-18. We have been at the forefront of girls’ boarding education for over 125 years. Superb academic outcomes are the School’s hallmark and pupils regularly secure places at the most prestigious universities across the globe. Known for its world-class education, Wycombe Abbey encourages curiosity, innovation, leadership and delight in learning among its pupils.

The School benefits from easy access to London (24 minutes to Marylebone), the Chiltern Hills and attractive towns such as Marlow, Henley-on-Thames and Beaconsfield. Heathrow is also just 20 miles away plus good transport links to other London airports.

Benefits of working at Wycombe Abbey include:

• Enrolment in the School’s generous pension scheme.
• Fee school remission at Wycombe Abbey and selected prep schools.
• Generous CPD training and development scheme.
• Free parking.
• Free meals.
• Free use of the Sports Centre.
• Free eye tests.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme.

How to apply: Please complete an application form and submit this, together with a covering letter, to the Headmistress, Mrs J Duncan, by selecting “Apply”. Should you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact the HR Team on 01494 895575.

Closing date for applications: 12 April 2026

Interview date: w/c 20 April 2026

We reserve the right to appoint to this position before the closing date, should we receive a high volume of suitable early applications. Wycombe Abbey is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. It is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity with children. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

Further information regarding filtered convictions, please refer to Filtering Guidance by the Ministry of Justice and Nacro Guidance. We are an equal opportunities employer. Registered Charity No. 310638. Wycombe Abbey is a Disability Confident Committed Employer.