Payroll & Pensions Officer

PAYROLL AND PENSIONS OFFICER
Our client, a prestigious independent school in London, is seeking an experienced and confident Payroll and Pensions Officer to join their team on a permanent basis. The role will manage recruitment, payroll, and pensions across busy sites and requires prior education-sector experience and strong IT capability. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a passionate, collaborative team within a respected and dynamic school environment.

PAYROLL AND PENSIONS OFFICER ROLE:

• Administering the full employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding, including offer letters, contracts, variations, and compliance updates across HRIS, personnel files, and payroll
• Managing monthly payroll for 200 employees, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely submissions to the outsourced payroll provider
• Administering pensions processes, including TPS updates, year‑end verification, staff queries, and liaison with payroll and providers
• Overseeing safeguarding and compliance activities, including maintaining the Single Central Record and managing safeguarding training portals, allocation, and non‑completion
• Handling day‑to‑day HR operations, including pre‑employment vetting, absence management, job descriptions, recruitment packs, and occupational health coordination
• Advising and supporting headteachers, the COO, and senior leaders on staffing matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, probation, and appraisals
• Maintaining and updating HR management systems, including Every HR, ensuring employee data is accurate, compliant, and GDPR‑aligned
• Managing communications and coordination for new starters and leavers, ensuring departments, systems, and induction processes are aligned for timely setup
• Producing accurate HR documentation and reports, including staff lists, references, exit interviews, and policy updates to ensure compliance with employment law and school regulations

PAYROLL AND PENSIONS OFFICER ESSENTIALS:

• Bringing a minimum of three years’ experience in HR and payroll
• Having experience working in an academic setting and being familiar with the language, terms, and conditions of schools
• Managing payroll processes with up‑to‑date knowledge and accuracy
• Using HR MIS systems with familiarity, preferably Breathe
• Holding a strong working knowledge of pensions administration, particularly the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS)
• Understanding school safeguarding and onboarding mechanisms, including all associated checks
• Knowing and maintaining the Schools’ Single Central Record (SCR)

PAYROLL AND PENSIONS OFFICER BENEFITS:

• Receiving a pension package with 5% employee contribution and 10% employer contribution
• Receiving free lunch meals on site daily during term time
• Taking 30 days of annual leave per annum to be taken during school holidays
• Taking three additional days of leave at Christmas

If you feel that you fit the above criteria, then please apply today by submitting your CV to us. Please note that due to the high volume of applications that we receive, only successful applicants will be contacted. For information on how we process personal information, please refer to our website: How We Use Your Personal Information.

At Australasian Recruitment Company we are committed to an Equal Opportunities policy and make employment decisions by matching business needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities) gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.