Payroll Assistant – Education, Tutoring & Social Work

About the Role

We are a fast-paced recruitment company specialising in the education, tutoring and social work sectors. Due to the high volume of workers we support, we are looking for an organised, accurate and proactive Payroll Assistant to join our busy payroll team.

This is a hands-on role supporting the processing of payroll for a large number of temporary and contract workers. You will work closely with our recruitment and operations teams, managed service vendors and local authorities to ensure hours are received, checked and processed accurately and on time.

The successful candidate will ideally have previous payroll or payroll administration experience and be confident working with large volumes of data. Experience using Merit Payroll Software and/or managed vendor systems for submitting hours to local authorities would be highly advantageous.

This is also a great opportunity for someone who wants to develop their payroll knowledge and, over time, become confident independently running payroll from start to finish.

The Role

You will support the weekly and monthly payroll process, ensuring worker information, bookings, timesheets and hours are accurately recorded and processed within the required deadlines. This will include setting up new workers and bookings, checking timesheets, processing leavers and finishers, maintaining accurate records and assisting with payroll checks and reconciliations before payroll is finalised.

You will work closely with recruitment, operations, managed service providers and local authorities to resolve missing information, discrepancies and payroll queries. You will also respond to queries from workers, consultants and clients in a professional and timely manner, investigate any issues and ensure they are resolved efficiently.

The role will involve working with a high volume of data, producing and checking payroll reports, maintaining up-to-date records and supporting the wider payroll team with general administration and other payroll-related tasks when required.

Payroll Knowledge

You should have a good understanding of payroll principles, or be keen to develop your knowledge in areas including PAYE and income tax, National Insurance, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, holiday pay, starters and leavers, payroll deductions, timesheets and general payroll processes.

You do not need to be an expert in every area from day one, but you should be willing to learn and develop your understanding as you gain experience in the role.

Skills & Experience

Ideally, you will have previous payroll or payroll administration experience, with experience using Merit Payroll Software or a similar payroll system being advantageous. Experience working with managed service providers or submitting hours to local authorities would also be beneficial.

You will need strong Excel and data-entry skills, excellent attention to detail and the ability to work accurately with large volumes of information. You should be organised, comfortable working to tight deadlines and able to prioritise effectively in a busy environment.

Good written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is the ability to investigate and resolve problems proactively. You should be comfortable working independently while also being a strong team player.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who is accurate, reliable, organised and responsive, with a genuine interest in developing their payroll knowledge.

Our payroll environment is busy and high-volume, so you will need to be comfortable working under pressure, meeting deadlines and dealing with a variety of queries throughout the day. Attention to detail is particularly important, as even small errors can have a significant impact on workers' pay.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who wants to learn and progress. You will initially support the payroll function, but as your knowledge and confidence develop, you will take on increasing responsibility for the overall payroll process.

Development of the Role

The long-term aim is for the successful candidate to become confident in managing payroll independently from start to finish. This will include taking responsibility for setting up new workers and bookings, checking and processing hours, managing starters and finishers, carrying out payroll checks and reconciliations, producing and reviewing payroll reports, resolving payroll queries and discrepancies, and ensuring payroll is completed accurately and on time.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a strong payroll administration background who wants to develop their skills, take on greater responsibility and progress towards becoming a fully independent payroll professional