Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)
Pensions, Benefits and Payroll Officer
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Pensions, Benefits And Payroll Officer
Location: Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham or Coventry
Working pattern: Flexible / hybrid working
Salary: Band 4, £29,883 - £31,678
Reports to: Payroll and Benefits Manager
Make a difference at Cafcass
At Cafcass, our work supports children and families at some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives, and the experience and support we provide for colleagues is central to how well we deliver that purpose.
This is an exciting time to join a HR department which is on a positive journey of change and development, with supporting children and families at the heart of everything it does.
We are looking for an organised and detail-focused Pensions, Benefits and Payroll Officer to join our Payroll and Benefits team. This role will support the smooth administration of employee pensions, benefits and payroll activity across Cafcass, helping colleagues receive accurate, timely and helpful support.
About The Role
As Pensions, Benefits and Payroll Officer, you will work closely with colleagues in Payroll and the wider HR team to support the efficient administration of Cafcass’ employee reward and benefits offer.
Reporting to the Payroll and Benefits Manager and working closely with the Senior Pensions and Benefits Officer, you will help ensure monthly pension, benefit and payroll processes are completed accurately and on time. You will also liaise with HR Transactions and Resourcing colleagues on new starters, leavers and contractual changes that affect colleagues’ total reward package.
Please note office locations - Applicants not within reasonable commuting distance of each stated location will not be shortlisted. Please make it clear in your application if you are relocating.
What You Will Be Doing
- Input routine pension changes and notifications to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund online portal, including accurate pay information, monthly membership data and ad hoc requests for pension benefit estimates.
- Support monthly pension processing, including auto-enrolment activity, and help resolve routine pension queries.
- Support the administration of employee benefits, including health cash plan arrangements, Additional Voluntary Contributions and other salary sacrificed or payrolled benefits.
- Respond to routine pensions, payroll and benefits queries from colleagues and HR teams, escalating more technical matters when required.
- Provide cover and assistance with routine payroll inputting where needed.
- Maintain accurate records, databases and electronic filing systems, streamlining processes where possible.
- Assist with reporting, year-end activity, statistical requirements, audit information and process reviews.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with external providers, including the West Yorkshire Pension Fund.
- Handle sensitive employee, personal and financial information in line with data protection requirements and Cafcass information assurance policy.
About You
- You will be accurate, organised and confident working with sensitive information.
- You will enjoy being part of a team and will be motivated by providing a reliable, helpful and professional service to colleagues.
- Experience of staff benefits administration in a large organisation, including use of computerised HR or payroll systems.
- Experience of pensions administration, ideally involving Local Government Pension Schemes or similar public sector pension funds.
- Working knowledge of payroll and pensions processes and related legislation, with the ability to apply this appropriately to work tasks.
- High attention to detail and the ability to input information accurately into databases and systems.
- Good numerical ability, including the ability to complete manual payroll calculations if required.
- Good Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and Outlook, and confidence working with IT systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to deal tactfully and sensitively with colleagues.
- The ability to prioritise conflicting tasks, plan work to agreed timescales and use your own initiative within agreed limits.
- A commitment to confidentiality, inclusion, personal development and high standards of professional service.
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Why join Cafcass?
- This is a great opportunity to develop your experience in pensions, benefits and payroll administration within an organisation with a clear and important purpose.
- You will be part of a team that helps colleagues feel supported, informed and confident in the employment benefits available to them.
- A purposeful role supporting colleagues who help deliver better experiences for children and families.
- Role location options in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham or Coventry.
- Flexible / hybrid working.
- Access to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, a Local Government Pension Scheme.
- 28 days’ annual leave, rising to 33 days after five years’ reckonable service, inclusive of three statutory / privilege days between Christmas and New Year.
- The opportunity to build your payroll, pensions and employee benefits administration expertise in a supportive HR environment.
Safeguarding and inclusion
Cafcass is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.
We are also committed to creating an inclusive and diverse working environment where colleagues feel valued, respected and able to do their best work. We welcome applications from people with a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
Apply now
If you are organised, accurate and interested in building your career in pensions, benefits and payroll administration, we would welcome your application. Please contact Alastair.Thirsk@cafcass.gov.uk for more information.
Be Their Voice
We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – and we represent children in family court cases in England.
Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.
Watch our video to find out we don’t just listen to children’s voices but we can be their voice.
If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation.
You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first class support, including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.
Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at www.cafcass.gov.uk/careers.
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Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.
Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members), which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check-ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.
Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues, benefitting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.
Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.
If this wasn’t enough, we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Furthermore, we have nearly 100 people that have trained to be Mental Health Allies.
Diversity
We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.
It also helps us to grow, evolve and innovate, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing, training, retaining, and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.
Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience – supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.
For more information watch our video here.
Our Current Networks Include
- Ability Matters: Colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
- Carers Network: Colleagues with additional caring responsibilities for someone close to them who has a disability or long-term health condition.
- Faith Network: Colleagues who are part of, or have an interest in, religious or spiritual faith communities.
- Kaleidoscope Network: Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
- Mental Health Network: Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.
- Pride Network: Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans – LGBT+.
- Neurodiversity Network: Colleagues who are neurodivergent,
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