Payroll Technician

Payroll Technician
£29,600 to £35,520 plus great benefits (Work Level 6B)
Manchester city centre (hybrid working)

We’re looking for a Payroll Technician to join the Payroll Operations team within our wider Co-op Business Services (CBS) organisation. CBS is made up of a number of diverse teams dedicated to delivering high-quality, reliable and cost-effective business services across our Co-op. You’ll play a key role in helping CBS to support and realise our group vision of ‘co-operating to build more value for member-owners every day’.

In this role, you’ll co-ordinate our team’s daily activity, making sure our payroll processes are delivered accurately and in line with timescales. You’ll be able to get stuck in to complex payroll covering our wider businesses, and support projects to improve our processes and ways of working. We’ve already made lots of improvements to our payroll service in recent years, and we’ll look to you to help us make these even quicker, easier, and more effective.

Why this role matters

Our Payroll Operations team is responsible for processing the salaries for around 54,000 colleagues and pensioners across Co-op on a 4-week cycle. Their main goal is to make sure that every colleague is paid the right amount at the right time, and you’ll be key to this. If you’ve got the payroll experience and team-working skills that we need, you’ll thrive in this role.

What you’ll do

• Plan, manage, and control payroll processes, supporting change and payroll-related projects
• Make sure all payrolls are processes correctly and within established timescales
• Complete periodic reconciliations and submit RTI returns in compliance with legislation
• Make sure all audit controls throughout the payroll cycle are adhered to
• Support with complex queries and complaints
• Mentor and support the development of our Payroll Specialist colleagues
• Spot opportunities to continuously improve our payroll service

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Experience working on large-scale payroll projects end-to-end
• Experience coaching and supporting the development of others
• A CIPP qualification (or be currently working towards one)
• Good Microsoft Office skills – particularly Excel (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUPs)
• Good relationship-building and collaboration skills
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• 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
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.

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