The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)
Payroll Services Officer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
IPSA – Payroll Services Officer
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is the independent body that regulates and administers the business costs, pay, and pensions for the 650 elected Members of Parliament and their staff across the UK. Created under The Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, IPSA is the world’s first independent regulator of MPs’ financial remuneration.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensuring MPs’ staff are paid correctly and on time with a monthly accuracy target of 99.75% through proactive monitoring and overseeing enterprise payroll processes.
- Providing exemplary customer service to both internal (IPSA teams) and external stakeholders (MPs and their staff) via:
- Answering calls promptly and responding to emails within three working days.
- Logging enquiries appropriately and maintaining compliance with payroll and HR policies.
- Maintaining accurate and up-to-date payroll records in compliance with "The Scheme" and IPSA HR policy, with updates to procedures as necessary.
- Assisting with payroll system testing to validate that the software meets operational and regulatory requirements.
- Ensuring full compliance with HMRC payroll legislation, including statutory & non-statutory payments (SSP, SMP, SPP), tax bands, and pension regulations (automatic enrolment, re-enrolment, opt-out).
- Proactively identifying opportunities to enhance systems and processes while upholding data integrity, confidentiality, and security.
- Advising MPs on staffing budget management, spotting expenditure trends, mitigating overspends, and recovering excess spending where needed.
- Delivering payroll and staff-budget training during drop-in sessions, workshops, and office visits (with occasional regional travel).
- Supporting the team through collaborative working, representing IPSA’s trusted, long-term partner status with MPs.
- Aligning every action with IPSA’s team values: Staying connected, seeing the bigger picture, being open, doing the right thing, and making a difference.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Note: IPSA continuously reviews its work against strategic objectives, seeking stakeholder feedback and adapting challenges dynamically.
What We’re Looking For
We seek a passionate, detail-oriented professional who thrives in people-centred payroll administration—balancing technical precision with relational trust. This role requires:
Mandatory Qualifications & Experience
- CIPP qualification (Associate or above) as a pre-requisite;
- 2+ years’ payroll experience in complex organisations, ensuring compliance with sanctioned HMRC rules and internal controls;
- Proven expertise in manual PAYE and National Insurance calculations, with confidence resolving code and threshold anomalies;
- Strong grasp of pensions (rule understanding, automatic/enrolment, re-enrolment, opt-out processes);
- Current deep-level understanding of HMRC regulations, including SSP, SMP, SPP, tax bands, pension legislation and compliance nuances;
- Substantive numeracy skills and advanced MS Excel (pivot tables, dashboards, macro usage where applicable);
- Unwavering accuracy—capable of high-volume processing with zero errors under tight deadlines;
- Excellent communication (verbal/written) with the ability to simplify technical language for diverse stakeholders;
- Collaborative mindset—will partner across functions to support joint objectives (HR, compliance, MP liaison teams);
- Resilience and adaptability: able to manage pressured workloads and sensitive queries without losing composure;
- A first-team respondent with the ability to anticipate issues, understand evolving priorities, and act with initiative.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Preferred (Bonus Points)
- Trainer/presenter experience (in-house, workshops, or conferences);
- Business World (Agresso) familiarity, especially in payroll or HR workflows and reporting;
- Knowledge of CRM systems for tracking customer interactions;
- Language skills (latency to discretionary activity supports multilingual support roles within Parliament).
Salary Band & Growth: Starts at your indicated market rate and typically progresses to £35,055pa within six months under IPSA’s training and competency framework. Note: Individual progression speed is based on merit, assignments completed, and skill trajectory.
At IPSA, We Value
Inclusion: Inclusive opportunities for under-represented groups (e.g., NHS carers, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA++, disabled applicants). Our workplace networks celebrate intersectional identities, and IPSA’s Inclusion Panel hosts ongoing support.
Values: Your connection to parapreatice (Staying Connected), analytical depth (Seeing the Bigger Picture), openness to candid conversation (Being Open), and transparency in decision-making (Doing the Right Thing). Earning results through our mission (Making a Difference).
Recruitment Timeline:
- Closing date: 21 July 2026 (1pm).
- Interviews: Conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams—secure WiFi and private space required.
- Shortlisting: From 22 July 2026 after application submission. Interview slots: 27–29 July 2026 (note deadlines).
Tip for Applicants: Your personal examples must be a reflection of your authentic experience or bring negative downloading consequences as AI-generated ones are not accepted.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location