HR & Payroll Operations Team Lead - Swansea - Sandringham Park
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether youre seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what its really like to work at HMRC.
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Unity Business Services (UBS) are responsible for providing a high quality customer focused service that supports over 80,000 civil servants across HMRC, The Department of Transport (DfT) and their executive agencies complete their day-to-day HR, recruitment, finance and procurement services.
The DfT HR & Payroll Operations team forms part of HMRCs Unity Business Services and fulfils a vital role at the heart of HMRC within the People and Places Group. We are a professional, friendly and welcoming team who together provide a full range of HR and Payroll services across the Department for Transport (DfT). Our activity plays a key role in ensuring the delivery of Unity Business Services strategic objectives and keeps frontline operations working effectively.
The HR & Payroll Operations team lead role provides services for DfT and is based in Swansea. Reporting to the HR & Payroll Operations Manager (UBS DfT), youll be responsible for the effective management of all aspects of the DfT HR & Payroll Operations Services functions supporting DfT. Youll work alongside the DfT HR & Payroll Operational team where you will be expected to lead and participate in a team culture which identifies, communicates and addresses customers needs and supports the UBS Shared Services vision and values.
Job description
In this role, youll be responsible for supporting both HR and Payroll. You will lead a small team and be responsible for one of our customers or key process areas and ensure all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are achieved whilst maintaining quality standards and providing a customer-focused service. Youll be overseeing daily operations, monitoring workloads, and acting as the first point of escalation for complex queries.
The Team Lead ensures compliance with data protection regulations, maintains process documentation, and develops team capability through coaching and training.
Additional responsibilities include managing payroll-related activities and third-party interfaces, as well as contributing to site-wide success and collaborative initiatives.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities:
* Manage a team (regular 1-2-1s, approve leave, manage absences, cascade information through team meetings, etc).
* Daily monitoring and allocation of all work to ensure targets are achieved.
* First point of escalation for team members with complex data queries, or payroll calculations.
* Responsible for the integrity of data in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
* Ensuring the team has the necessary knowledge and skills to cover workloads at all times and processes are clearly documented.
* Conduct weekly accuracy checks, produce report and feedback to team.
* Develop excellent working relations with key staff within the customer organisation.
* Manage overpayments within agreed timeframes.
* Ensuring all work processed and activities conducted in time for payroll cut off.
* Support the running of pay (monthly weekend rota).
* Responsible for the 3rd party schedules and interfaces to relevant suppliers/stakeholders post pay run.
* Provide regular accurate statistics relating to team activities/work.
* Work collaboratively with other Team Leads to ensure overall KPIs and SLAs are met.
* Provide a skilled resource for release testing.
Essential Criteria:
* Understanding of effective people management.
* Experience of working within SAP environments.
* Some knowledge of HR and Payroll processes and legislation.
* Experience of working in a high-volume transactional environment, handling sensitive data.
* Understands the importance and can deliver customer-focused service.
* Familiar with MS Teams, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Desirable Criteria:
* National Payroll Certificate or above.
* Level 3 CIPD qualification or above.
* Experience in using SAP.
* Some knowledge of HR and Payroll processes and legislation.
Behaviours
Well assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Leadership
* Working Together
* Communicating and Influencing
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
* Leadership
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £31,096, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £9,008 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
* Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
* Family friendly policies.
* Personal support.
* Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what its really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
* A name-blind CV including your job history.
* A 750-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.
* A separate 250-word statement on the Behaviour - Leadership.
Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
At sift your behaviour statement, and your CV, and your Personal Statement, will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, you will be asked questions based on the behaviours listed below to explore in detail what you are capable of.
Behaviours:
* Leadership
* Working Together
* Communicating and Influencing
Interviews will take place face to face at 5 Sandringham Park, Llansamlet Swansea SA7 0EA. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - Please re-open my application - (insert vacancy ref) & vacancy closing date (insert date).
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
The HMRC app can help you with your application
The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier.
If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.
Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet.
How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account
Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store.
If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.
Youll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.
You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, well let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Hybrid working at HMRC
HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
* Contact the UBS Recruitment team via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the Contact point for applicants section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissions recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).