Payroll Technician – 12 month fixed term contract/secondment
£29,000 - £39,000 plus benefits (Work Level 6B)
Manchester city centre - We’re now working in a hybrid way, with colleagues dividing their time between working from home and in the Manchester office. You can visit our Hybrid Working Policy for more information (colleagues.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy)

We’re looking for a Payroll Technician to join our payroll operations team. It’s a busy team; they process the salaries for approximately 70,000 Co-op employees and pensioners on a 4-week cycle, and their goal is to make sure that every colleague is paid the right amount at the right time. If you have the payroll experience and team working skills that we need, then we can offer you the opportunity to build your knowledge and develop your skills with a business that puts people at the heart of its strategy.

In this role, we’ll look to you to co-ordinate the team’s day to day activity, making sure our payroll processes are delivered accurately and in line with tight timescales. You’ll be working in a fast-paced environment, with a seriously complex payroll that covers our wider businesses. We’ve made lots of improvements to our payroll service over recent years, making processes quicker, easier and more effective for customers across the business. It’s an exciting time to join, as you’ll have the chance to spot opportunities to help us to further improve the way we work.

What you’ll do

• Be responsible for planning, managing and controlling payroll processes, supporting change and payroll related projects
• Make sure all payrolls are processed correctly and within established timelines
• Complete periodic reconciliations and submission of RTI returns in compliance with legislation
• Ensure all audits controls throughout the payroll cycle are adhered to 
• Support with complex queries and complaints
• Mentor and support the development of payroll specialists
• Spot opportunities for continuous improvement, identifying ways to further streamline our payroll service

This role would suit people who have

• Proven payroll experience with a focus on large-scale projects end-to-end.
• High accuracy and attention to detail, along with strong organisational skills.
• CIPP qualification or working towards it.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, etc.).
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and build collaborative relationships across the business, alongside coaching and supporting the development of Payroll Specialists in the team.

Why Co-op?

As a Co-op colleague, we can offer you a competitive salary and great benefits package which includes 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores (as well as other discounts on Co-op products and services). You’ll also get:

• Private healthcare
• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it

At Co-op, we’re proud to do things a different way. As one of the world’s largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we’ve had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build a fairer world for our members, customers, colleagues, and communities. 

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job. 

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply. 

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate. 

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process. 

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.