About the job

Job summary

Are you a Payroll professional looking for an exciting role in an organisation that makes a difference to everyone?

Does the chance to work contractually from home or part office / part home appeal?

We are looking for someone to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as our new Payroll Supervisor.

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1700 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.

We have a small payroll team who ensure all our staff get paid on time and accurately on a monthly basis, process ad hoc payments as well as making payments to pension providers in line with employer and employee contributions. We also ensure the FSA payroll is in line with HMRC rules and regulations and submit Tax and National Insurance contributions as part of the monthly payroll. Our work contributes directly to ensuring our colleagues feel valued and engaged.

Job description

The FSA is growing, and we have just transitioned to a new payroll system (Workday), so we need a dedicated payroll professional to help us manage the monthly routine of making payroll happen.

We are looking for candidates with knowledge of payroll but also with the ability to look at different ways of working and contribute with new ideas and solutions to problems. An eye for detail is key to ensure we pay people correctly. It’s also vital that you are happy to embrace change and are flexible when taking on work. 

Please read the attached Candidate Pack for full details of the role.  If you feel you meet the criteria, and this sounds like the role for you, please apply today – we’d love to hear from you.

Person specification

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,505, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,809 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. 

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

You will be asked a question to confirm that you meet the Technical requirements of the role.

Technical

• Hold CIPP Payroll Technician Certificate (min) or above

or

• prepared to commence qualification within 6 months of joining the FSA

If you cannot answer yes to this question – you will not be able to proceed further with your application.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.

Experience

• Lead criteria:  Experience in, and in-depth knowledge of, payroll systems (e.g. Oracle, Workday, IHR etc), tax and related regulatory frameworks.
• Highly organised with good attention to detail, able to effectively prioritise workload to meet challenging deadlines.
• Demonstrable ability to work well in a team - supporting others and working flexibly to achieve common goals.
• Experience of working collaboratively and developing effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes.
• A sound working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Outlook, Teams and Excel (or equivalent software packages).

Lead Criteria

An initial sift will take place on just the identified Lead Criteria indicated.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours Level 3.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack.

Experience

• Experience in, and in-depth knowledge of, payroll systems (e.g. Oracle, Workday, IHR etc), tax and related regulatory frameworks.

Strengths

We will also assess you against a number of Civil Service Strengths – these are not disclosed prior to interview.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 22 February 2024

Sift: Expected to take place during week commencing 26 February 2024

Final panel interview: Expected to take place 6-7 March 2024

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application.)

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

The FSA is dedicated to a policy of equal opportunity for all.

Being truly reflective of our society and building a culture where everyone can perform at their best is critical to the work of the FSA. We are looking to recruit from the widest possible talent pool and encourage candidates to apply from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer and are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment and selection process and beyond. All appointments are made on merit.

Please be assured that diversity or socio–economic information requested during the course of your application plays absolutely no part in our selection processes and is not seen by anyone assessing applications.  Any information provided is anonymised and used for statistical purposes only.

We actively review the deployment of talent on a periodic basis in the interests of optimising personal development and the achievement of business plans.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.

Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reserve List

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Candidates that do not pass the interview, but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.