Payroll Assistant
| Posting date: | 16 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 02 March 2026 |
| Location: | Peterborough, Eastern England |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Peterborough City Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 0710 |
Summary
All about the Role
You'll be part of our in‑house payroll service, delivering accurate, timely, end‑to‑end payroll processing for colleagues across the Council and traded services. Day‑to‑day, you will:
Run monthly payroll cycles from input to reconciliation, ensuring compliance with HMRC, statutory and local government requirements.
Administer starters, leavers and contractual changes (including back‑pay, allowances, overtime, deductions, and statutory payments), and produce audit‑ready records.
Maintain and quality‑check data in our HR/Payroll system (Unit4 ERP) and associated tools, using reports to spot anomalies and resolve issues before pay day.
Provide clear, customer‑focused advice to employees and managers, working closely with HR Admin and Recruitment to ensure a smooth colleague lifecycle.
Apply local government frameworks correctly (e.g., NJC grades/allowances) and support implementation of annual pay awards within payroll deadlines.
Contribute to continuous improvement—documenting processes, suggesting system/report enhancements, and supporting testing when changes go live.
You'll also help colleagues make the most of the Local Government and NHS Pension Schemes by processing pensionable pay accurately and on time in line with scheme rules.
All about our Team
You'll join our Payroll & HR Administration service, part of the People & Development function. The service is led by Kellie Wootten, Service Lead – Payroll & HR Admin (MCIPPdip), and works hand‑in‑hand with HR Admin, Recruitment and HR Business Partnering to deliver a seamless end‑to‑end service for managers and employees.
We have strengthened our structure to build resilience and career pathways across the team so there is scope to learn, progress, and help shape how we do things.
Our ways of working are collaborative and service‑focused: we share knowledge and support colleagues in other parts of the People & Development Team during busy periods to get the job done right first time.
You'll be part of our in‑house payroll service, delivering accurate, timely, end‑to‑end payroll processing for colleagues across the Council and traded services. Day‑to‑day, you will:
Run monthly payroll cycles from input to reconciliation, ensuring compliance with HMRC, statutory and local government requirements.
Administer starters, leavers and contractual changes (including back‑pay, allowances, overtime, deductions, and statutory payments), and produce audit‑ready records.
Maintain and quality‑check data in our HR/Payroll system (Unit4 ERP) and associated tools, using reports to spot anomalies and resolve issues before pay day.
Provide clear, customer‑focused advice to employees and managers, working closely with HR Admin and Recruitment to ensure a smooth colleague lifecycle.
Apply local government frameworks correctly (e.g., NJC grades/allowances) and support implementation of annual pay awards within payroll deadlines.
Contribute to continuous improvement—documenting processes, suggesting system/report enhancements, and supporting testing when changes go live.
You'll also help colleagues make the most of the Local Government and NHS Pension Schemes by processing pensionable pay accurately and on time in line with scheme rules.
All about our Team
You'll join our Payroll & HR Administration service, part of the People & Development function. The service is led by Kellie Wootten, Service Lead – Payroll & HR Admin (MCIPPdip), and works hand‑in‑hand with HR Admin, Recruitment and HR Business Partnering to deliver a seamless end‑to‑end service for managers and employees.
We have strengthened our structure to build resilience and career pathways across the team so there is scope to learn, progress, and help shape how we do things.
Our ways of working are collaborative and service‑focused: we share knowledge and support colleagues in other parts of the People & Development Team during busy periods to get the job done right first time.