Payroll Advisor - Durham (Temporary contract) Working in Partnership with Northumbrian Water we are actively recruiting for a Payroll Advisor for a 6 month contract. The role is to support the day-to-day service and activities undertaken by the People Services Team (Payroll) in delivering a modern and efficient payroll service The role is hybrid working 2-3 days in the office. Responsibilities : Provide an unrivalled customer service Process Improvement - Identifying opportunities for improving HR operational processes and workflows. Support process standardization and improvement efforts within People Services and communicate changes to the wider People Team and NWG colleagues. Assist in maintaining accurate and up-to-date maintenance of employee data related to payroll. Help monitor data integrity and quality and assist in addressing data quality issues. HRIS Administration: Support the maintenance of the HRIS system, with regards to payroll information. Provide front-line payroll support, ensuring compliance with HR policies, procedures, and legal requirements. Support the People Services Team (Payroll) in delivering an efficient and effective transactional and first-line advisory service. Assist with daily activities, including workload management, task assignment, and performance tracking. Assist with payroll processing/payroll team leader activities in the event of team leader absence. Collaborate with team members to optimize resource allocation and service delivery, ensuring timely completion of cyclical plans and deliverables. Participate in regular 1-2-1 meetings and Connect Conversations. Assist in generating regular and ad-hoc reports on HR metrics, trends, and insights, particularly related to Payroll activity. Support the analysis of data to identify patterns, risks, and improvement opportunities. Assist in providing reports and data-driven recommendations to support decision-making by the HR management and leadership team. Support HR projects, system implementations, process improvements, policy updates, and organizational change initiatives. Contribute to the execution of projects and effective stakeholder management. Support internal and external audits relating to payroll. Systems Knowledge: Microsoft Office Suite Oracle EBS Payroll FUSION HCM Cloud Sage Payroll BACS and CHAPS payments/recalls. Control account management Non-Invoice Payment Requests (NIPER) iProcurement Skills Required: Sound understanding of the principles and key components of payroll Knowledge of payroll legislation and payroll best practice Familiarity with Benefits including salary sacrifice arrangements and other Wage Deductions Sound Decision-Making Skills, Ability to Work to Deadlines Experience of delivering payroll improvements Extracting reports from a database and analysing information. Knowledge of document storage systems e.g., SharePoint. Desirable: Chartered member of the CIPP Payroll Technician Certificate (or willingness to work towards CIPP qualification). Analytical mindset with the ability to leverage data and metrics for decision-making and process improvement.