Payroll manager

Band 6 · Payroll officer · 457 job evaluation points

Payroll managers are responsible for the organization's payroll service, whether run in house or by a provider, and assure leaders that pay is accurate, lawful, and well controlled.

Responsibilities

Manage the payroll service and its team, and report on performance and accuracy.
Manage the contract and relationship with any payroll provider or shared service.
Set payroll controls, such as approval limits, exception reports, and separation of duties.
Plan for changes in pay rules, pay awards, pensions, and tax, and make sure they are applied correctly.
Lead payroll system changes and upgrades, working with system and HR teams.
Provide payroll information for budgets, forecasts, and the annual accounts.
Lead the response to payroll failures and serious errors.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
PayrollThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: manage the organization's payroll service, whether run in house or by a provider set payroll controls and assure senior leaders that payments are accurate and lawful plan for changes in pay rules, pay awards, and payroll systems lead the response to major payroll failures
Finance systemsThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: administer the finance or payroll system, including access, workflows, and reporting design reports and dashboards for budget holders test system changes and upgrades automate repetitive finance tasks
Financial controls and auditThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: test and improve the controls for a financial process manage audit requests for an area and agree actions on findings write and update financial procedures work with counter-fraud specialists to reduce fraud risk
TaxThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage the organization's tax returns and tax reconciliations advise on the tax treatment of contracts, such as software licenses, cloud services, and shared services maximize tax recovery within the rules
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with the team to develop and maintain an understanding of stakeholders work with the team to develop and implement stakeholder communications strategies identify and resolve issues, influence stakeholders and manage relationships effectively build long-term strategic relationships and communicate clearly and regularly with stakeholders
Commercial managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: act as the point of contact for contracted suppliers understand appropriate internal contacts and processes within a government department understand how and when third parties should be brought into digital, data and technology projects
People managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: line manage a team, setting objectives and running appraisals support wellbeing and manage attendance, performance, and conduct plan the team's development and succession
Organizational risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: record and update risks for your area suggest controls and track actions
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead data protection impact assessments and information sharing agreements advise teams on lawful basis, consent, confidentiality, and retention investigate incidents and recommend improvements

Typical qualifications and experience

An advanced payroll qualification or a recognized accountancy qualification, or equivalent experience.
Experience of managing a payroll service.

Band 6 outline

Knowledge: Specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, built through further training or experience.
Autonomy: Works independently; interprets policy for own area; seeks advice on complex issues.
Scope: A product, service, or workstream.
Leadership: May lead a small team or mentor colleagues.
Accountability: Outcomes of own workstream and quality of advice given.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgmental skills	4	Judgments on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organizational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 6: 396 to 465)			457

Financial resources is level 4 because the job is responsible for the organization's whole payroll, its largest cost. People is level 3 because the payroll team is small.