Senior HR Officer, Payroll - Apprentice

Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills

England (M1 2WD)

Closes in 7 days (Tuesday 11 November 2025)

Posted on 31 October 2025

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Contents

Summary

This apprenticeship is a role within the Civil Service. To see full details of the apprenticeship click on ‘apply’ to go to the Civil Service Jobs website.

Wage

£37,899 a year

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Training course
Payroll assistant manager (level 5)
Hours
Click apply to see full details of the working week for this apprenticeship.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 December 2025

Duration

2 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

This apprenticeship is a role within the Civil Service. To see full details of the apprenticeship click on ‘apply’ to go to the Civil Service Jobs website.

Where you'll work

Manchester
North West
England
M1 2WD

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

To be confirmed

Training course

Payroll assistant manager (level 5)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Identify the risks and opportunities presented by a payroll provider/customer model. Recommend appropriate service delivery improvements.
  • Manage the provider/customer and other stakeholder relationships necessary to influence successful payroll outcomes (including delivery, customer care and enquiry handling).
  • Communicate complex payroll concepts to customers and other less technical stakeholders; Communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation, selecting an appropriate communication method for the audience.
  • Identify and source all of the information required in a complex payroll case to enable accurate calculation.
  • Analyse and determine complex payroll cases, including pensions, pay and benefits, considering all relevant data and other evidence.
  • Balance the trade-offs between automated and non-automated payroll approaches. Identify and complete payroll calculation manually where needed.
  • Match the payroll decision needed against the skill sets within your team and the risks involved when determining who should deliver the work.
  • Design, implement and maintain payroll administrative procedures and guidance that enables payroll team delivery including technical data, and both business as usual and contingency (disaster recovery) handling.
  • Utilise available technological platforms when delivering payroll operations by balancing the benefits and risks of the system used. As an example, this might mean the latest HMRC reporting tool, or utilising AI/automation advancements.
  • Adjust leadership style to achieve results, having regard to both individuals within the team and how the team works together.
  • Interpret and apply all payroll legislation, guidance and case law pertinent to a complex case.
  • Quality assure your own and your teams payroll calculations to ensure accuracy and compliance. Ensure that you and your team act compliantly when transacting customer payroll by deploying a quality assurance process proportionate to the payroll issues.
  • Make recruitment and retention decisions/recommendations, as necessary.
  • Co-ordinate and manage your team's payroll workload in order to meet key performance indicators and contractual obligations.
  • Reconcile your teams final payroll run.
  • Identify the risks and opportunities presented by a payroll provider/customer model. Recommend appropriate service delivery improvements.
  • Manage the provider/customer and other stakeholder relationships necessary to influence successful payroll outcomes (including delivery, customer care and enquiry handling).
  • Communicate complex payroll concepts to customers and other less technical stakeholders; Communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation, selecting an appropriate communication method for the audience.
  • Identify and source all of the information required in a complex payroll case to enable accurate calculation.
  • Analyse and determine complex payroll cases, including pensions, pay and benefits, considering all relevant data and other evidence.
  • Balance the trade-offs between automated and non-automated payroll approaches. Identify and complete payroll calculation manually where needed.
  • Match the payroll decision needed against the skill sets within your team and the risks involved when determining who should deliver the work.
  • Design, implement and maintain payroll administrative procedures and guidance that enables payroll team delivery including technical data, and both business as usual and contingency (disaster recovery) handling.
  • Utilise available technological platforms when delivering payroll operations by balancing the benefits and risks of the system used. As an example, this might mean the latest HMRC reporting tool, or utilising AI/automation advancements.
  • Adjust leadership style to achieve results, having regard to both individuals within the team and how the team works together.
  • Interpret and apply all payroll legislation, guidance and case law pertinent to a complex case.
  • Quality assure your own and your teams payroll calculations to ensure accuracy and compliance. Ensure that you and your team act compliantly when transacting customer payroll by deploying a quality assurance process proportionate to the payroll issues.
  • Make recruitment and retention decisions/recommendations, as necessary.
  • Co-ordinate and manage your team's payroll workload in order to meet key performance indicators and contractual obligations.
  • Reconcile your teams final payroll run.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade C)
  • Maths (grade C)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Click apply for details

About this employer

You can see full details of this apprenticeship on Civil Service Jobs.

After this apprenticeship

You can see full details of this apprenticeship on Civil Service Jobs.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

To be confirmed

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000349081.

Apply now

Closes in 7 days (Tuesday 11 November 2025)

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