Payroll Officer

Job reference: REQ000409

Location: Southfields Road, Kempston, MK42 7NR

Salary: £30,024 – £32,061 per annum FTE (£19,475 rising to £20,796 per annum, actual for 24 hours per week) Hours: Part time, 24 hours per week

Package:

• Flexitime scheme
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Holiday allowance of 25 days (pro rata) plus public holidays upon joining

Working together to keep Bedfordshire safe.

Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service’s mission is to provide outstanding fire and rescue services that help make Bedfordshire safer. Our staff achieve this by working together to uphold our Core Values.

About The Role

The Payroll Officer provides critical support to the Payroll Section, handling a range of activities including complex pay calculations, processing routine pay claims and queries, and supporting general administrative duties. This role involves managing substantial volumes of data across multiple systems, requiring strong software skills and an unwavering attention to detail to ensure accuracy in spreadsheets and information systems.

Given the manual nature of some processes, the successful candidate will need to demonstrate confidence in double-checking their work and that of others to minimise errors while adhering to government legislation.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and verify payroll transactions—including expenses, overtime, additional hours, acting up (Internal Pay System), and absences—ensuring accurate payments and deductions in Service policy and legislative compliance.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Local Government and Fire pension schemes, including:
  • Employee administration record-keeping
  • Abatement calculations
  • Reconciling monthly pension extracts
  • Uploading files to administrators
  • Verifying pensioner payroll
• Extracted temporary data from Self Service and rostering systems; import into the core payroll; reconcile month-end payroll, investigating and correct errors or discrepancies prior to the Payroll Manager’s review.
• Collaborate closely with Finance to execute costings for third-party payments, implementing necessary manual recoding to ensure accurate budget allocation.
• Undertake complex payroll calculations and compile documentation as required for:
  • Pension administrators
  • Freedom of Information requests
  • Internal and external audits
  • Statutory deadlines and queries
• Assess and enhance payroll working methods and controls with the Payroll Manager, establishing effective and auditable processes.
• Stay updated on statutory changes from:
  • National Joint Council (NJC)
  • Local Government Association (LGA)
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) (e.g., mileage rates, legislation updates)
• Process and verify employee changes in iTrent, including:
  • Starters
  • Leavers
  • Transfers
  • Promotions
• Liaise with HR colleagues to ensure accurate remuneration for:
  • Sick leave
  • Maternity leave
  • Other statutorily-protected absences, aligning with Service policy and ensuring occupational/pension payments are correct.
• Manage payroll queries via inbox, resolving them promptly in line with established processes and legislation.
• Apply Schemes of Conditions of Service (e.g., Grey Book, Green Book, Gold Book) while maintaining compliant records under data protection regulations, delivering proficient payroll administration.