Senior Payroll Officer

Lstmed; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - GBP 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tropical medicine school based in Liverpool is seeking a Senior Payroll Officer to manage UK payroll for a complex workforce. The ideal candidate will have strong technical payroll expertise, including experience with NHS pay structures, and will ensure compliance with UK payroll legislation. This role offers a hybrid working model and various benefits, including generous holiday and occupational pension schemes.

Benefits

Generous occupational pension schemes

Cycle to work scheme

Discounted sports centre membership

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Senior Payroll Officer or equivalent payroll role.
• Fully competent in UK payroll, compliance, and statutory deductions.
• Experience managing payrolls for large employee populations.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end processing of the monthly UK payroll for up to 750 employees.
• Administration of NHS Pay Scales and other payroll methodologies.
• Supporting salary benchmarking and compliance with payroll legislation.

Skills

UK payroll expertise

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Education

CIPP or equivalent payroll qualification

Tools

iTrent payroll system

Job description

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Senior Payroll Officer

Reference: FEB20263624

Expiry date: 23:59, Sun, 22nd Feb 2026

Location: Liverpool

Benefits: 30 Days holiday + Bank Holiday and additional Christmas closure days

Location: Liverpool, hybrid working (3 days per week on site)

Contract: Permanent, full time (35 hours per week)

We are seeking a Senior Payroll Officer to join our payroll team, working in partnership with the Payroll Officer to deliver the monthly UK payroll for a complex, high-volume workforce of up to 750 employees. The role demands strong technical payroll expertise, the capability to support salary governance through benchmarking and pay analysis, and in-depth knowledge of NHS pay structures would be highly advantageous.

You will play a key role in ensuring payroll accuracy, compliance, and consistency whilst supporting secondary/contingent payrolls and contributing to global mobility payroll processes.

Key responsibilities

• End-to-end processing of the monthly UK payroll for up to 750 employees
• Administration and accurate application of NHS Pay Scales, including Agenda for Change, HERA pay scales, and local allowances
• Management and reconciliation of secondary and contingent payrolls
• Supporting salary benchmarking exercises, including data validation, pay comparisons, and analysis to inform reward and pay decisions
• Assisting with payroll-related input into pay reviews, market benchmarking, and job evaluation outcomes
• Ensuring full compliance with UK payroll legislation, HMRC regulations, pensions, and statutory payments
• Using iTrent payroll system for payroll processing, reporting, and data integrity
• Providing expert payroll advice and day-to-day support to employees, HR, and finance stakeholders
• Supporting global mobility payroll activity, including coordination with international payroll providers
• Producing payroll reports, reconciliations, and analysis using advanced Excel
• Supporting audits, year-end processes, and continuous payroll improvement initiatives

The successful candidate will have

• Proven experience in a Senior Payroll Officer or equivalent payroll role
• Fully competent in UK payroll, including statutory deductions, pensions, and compliance
• A recognised Payroll qualification (CIPP or equivalent) or working towards
• Experience contributing to or supporting salary benchmarking and pay analysis
• Experience managing payrolls for large employee populations
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to meet strict deadlines

Strong working knowledge of iTrent payroll system along with demonstrable experience with NHS pay scales, HERA pay scale, and local allowances methods would also be highly beneficial for this post.

(For a full list of essential and desirable criteria please refer to the job description and person specification)

Additional benefits of joining LSTM

• Generous occupational pension schemes
• Government backed “cycle to work” scheme.
• Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
• A range of additional family friendly policies

Application Process

To apply for the position please follow the apply link and upload your CV and covering letter.

Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we may close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for a role.

We anticipate that interviews will be held on site week commencing 2nd March 2026

Inclusion is central to our values at LSTM.

We seek to attract and recruit people who reflect the diversity across our communities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, faith or belief, social background, age and disability. LSTM selects candidates based on skills, qualifications, and experience.

We welcome conversations about flexible working; and applications from those returning to employment after a break from their careers.

About LSTM

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities, LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report:

LSTM actively promotes Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding