Arbor Education
Payroll Trainer (SAMpeople)
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Salary: from £35,000 to £39,000 per year
Location: Wakefield
About the business
Do you want to be a part of a growing, successful business where no two days are the same? Where we are always putting children's education and futures at the heart of our solutions? Then read on! At Fusion Education People Solutions, we are education people specialists. Fusing HR services and software, we have developed SAMpeople—our market-leading, cloud-based software that gives schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) a comprehensive one-stop shop for their people management.
About the role
The primary purpose of the Payroll Trainer is to lead, mentor, and accelerate the professional development of a dedicated pod of four entry-level Academy Associates within the SAMpeople Payroll Academy in Wakefield.
The Payroll Trainer guides this team through a structured, high-touch training curriculum designed to transform school leavers and graduates into self-sufficient payroll professionals. By combining hands-on technical instruction with daily operational oversight, the role ensures the pod successfully masters internal software, HMRC regulations, and education-sector compliance. Ultimately, this position plays a crucial role in creating a vibrant, high-energy learning environment, directly shaping the future talent pipeline of the core delivery teams while maintaining impeccable standards of accuracy.
Training Delivery & Technical Mentorship
- Steer the daily delivery of the intensive, systems-based onboarding curriculum, demystifying internal payroll applications, data compliance rules, and education-specific HMRC guidelines for the team
- Coach team members by fostering a highly constructive feedback loop, conducting regular 1-on-1 reviews to address individual learning curves and improve the academy's data input accuracy
- Maintain and update academy training materials, troubleshooting guides, and workflow documentation to ensure resources keep pace with industry changes and system updates
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Quality Assurance & Compliance Auditing
- Audit and perform meticulous quality and compliance checks on 100% of all end-to-end payroll runs, variable data inputs, and documentation prepared by the team before final submission
- Analyse and track recurring data entry errors within the pod, turning mistakes into teachable moments and implementing targeted corrective training
- Safeguard service level agreements (SLAs) by overseeing the team's progress to ensure all baseline administrative and verification tasks are completed accurately and strictly within payroll deadlines
Academy Leadership & Performance Tracking
- Direct energetic daily stand-ups, coordinate daily workflows, and facilitate collaborative problem-solving sessions within the 4-person Wakefield office
- Manage progression by monitoring and documenting each team member's journey, gradually transitioning them from highly supervised tasks to autonomous portfolio management as their competency grows
- Cultivate a positive, collaborative, and inclusive environment that actively combats professional isolation, encourages peer-to-peer learning, and keeps team morale high
Requirements
Essential
- Sector Background: Prior experience processing payroll or delivering training specifically within the education sector
- Instructional Capabilities: Proven experience delivering structured learning, technical mentorship, or active coaching within a professional payroll or finance environment
- Technical Payroll Expertise: Deep functional knowledge of end-to-end payroll processing, internal payroll applications, data compliance rules, and HMRC regulations
- Leadership & Mentorship: Demonstrated ability to lead daily stand-ups, coordinate workflows, and manage the performance progression of entry-level personnel or graduates
- Quality Assurance Focus: Meticulous attention to detail with an established track record of performing quality and compliance audits on financial data inputs
- Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal communication skills, with the capability to deliver constructive feedback loops and create an inclusive learning environment.
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Desirable
- Resource Development: Experience creating or updating academy training materials, troubleshooting guides, and workflow documentation
- Understanding and willingness to develop the academy using AI frameworks for efficiency
Benefits
We feel really lucky to work here. We are a super supportive, long-standing team with a great working environment and a passion for what we do. To support you, we offer:
- Flexible Working: We truly support work-life balance and can offer part-time or term-time hours to suit you and your family
- Time Off: 25 days annual leave (plus 8 Bank Holidays) plus your birthday off! Additional day of annual leave per year of service
- Health & Wellbeing: BUPA Healthcare Cashback plan (following successful completion of probation)
- Future Security: Robust company Pension Scheme
- Progression: Ongoing professional development opportunities, including supported study and potential funding for external qualifications
- Culture: A cracking, fun team to work with who love to shape the future of education!
How We Work
We value clear communication, logical troubleshooting, and a deeply empathetic approach to supporting the education sector. If you want to be part of a team that wants to shape the future of school HR solutions (and have loads of fun along the way), we can't wait to hear from you!
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