Senior Payroll and Pensions Specialist

About ARU:
ARU is a global university transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research. ARU holds a gold award for the quality of its education, awarded through the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). ARU’s research institutes and four faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields. We deliver impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference to our communities. Our academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 16 of our research areas assessed as world leading. We are the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in the East of England, and we are also among the UK’s leading universities for degree apprenticeship provision, working with hundreds of employers across the UK.

About the Role:
Based in the heart of our HR and Payroll Department at the Chelmsford campus of Anglia Ruskin University, the Senior Payroll and Pension Specialist's primary focus will be overseeing the seamless operation of payroll and pension processes. Collaborating closely with the Payroll and Pensions Manager, your responsibilities will encompass developing and implementing new pensions procedures in alignment with best practices and statutory requirements. You will independently manage the payroll for subsidiary companies, ensuring adherence to procedures and deadlines. In addition, you will lead the planning of annual work, anticipate legislative impacts, and provide guidance on system upgrades and compliance with statutory deadlines. Additionally, you'll play a crucial role in line-managing Payroll Administrators, setting quality standards, and ensuring payroll administration accuracy in line with KPIs and SLAs. Your expertise will be key in maintaining robust data quality, ensuring compliance with pension schemes, and providing timely and accurate support to both internal and external stakeholders on payroll and pension-related matters.

The successful candidate should possess a strong academic background, either including a relevant degree with appropriate experience or being part-qualified in a relevant professional qualification. Essential experience includes a proven track record in payroll/HR/Finance environments, proficient at managing multiple Occupational Pension Schemes, and a history of delivering in fast-paced, high-volume transactional settings. Skills in manipulating and analysing data sets, dealing with complex payroll and pension calculations, and knowledge of TPS, LGPS, NHS, and NEST pension schemes are vital. Expertise in Excel, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently with a high level of numeracy and attention to detail are key.

Informal enquiries can be made to Katherine Exelby, Payroll and Pensions manager, at katherine.exelby@aru.ac.uk.

We have an agile working culture and offer an extensive range of benefits including generous holiday entitlement, occupational pension schemes, training and development opportunities, travel to work scheme and a competitive relocation package. Visit our benefits page for full details.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of our staff and students and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that ARU will carry out online searches as part of the due diligence on short listed candidates.

We value diversity at ARU and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We have a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Committed to being inclusive and open to discuss flexible working.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications.

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