Job Description

Payroll and HR Specialist

Department: YUG - 9090 - Group HR

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Leicester

Reporting To: Rebecca Bateman

Description

We are seeking an experienced HR professional to join our team as an HR Generalist with a strong focus on payroll and employee relations. If you are detail-oriented, data-savvy, and passionate about supporting employees while ensuring compliance, we would love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

As an HR Generalist, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the HR function and ensuring the smooth operation of payroll processes. Your responsibilities will include:

Payroll Processing:

• Carry out accurate payroll administration, including checking and validating payroll data to ensure all employee information, pay adjustments and contractual changes are processed correctly and in line with company policies and statutory requirements.
• Act as the first point of contact for all payroll-related queries, providing timely advice and support to employees and managers, and liaising with the payroll provider where necessary to resolve complex issues.
• Administer and maintain employee access to the Paycircle portal, supporting colleagues with account access, payslip queries and general system navigation.
• Right to Work and Immigration Checks:
• Manage and conduct right-to-work checks and ensure compliance with immigration regulations.

· Sponsorship Licence & Immigration Compliance:

• Assist in supporting the management of the company's UK Sponsorship Licence, ensuring ongoing compliance with Home Office requirements and all relevant immigration legislation.
• Maintain accurate records for sponsored workers and ensure all mandatory reporting duties are completed within the required timescales, including changes to employment, job roles, salaries and personal circumstances.
• Monitor visa expiry dates, right to work documentation and sponsorship obligations, working proactively with managers and employees to ensure continued compliance.
• Act as a key point of contact for sponsorship and right to work queries, providing guidance to managers and supporting the business in meeting its legal and regulatory responsibilities.
• Keep up to date with changes to UK immigration legislation and Home Office guidance, recommending and implementing process improvements where required to maintain compliance.
• Vetting Checks: Manage and conduct vetting checks and ensure compliance with policy.
• Employee Relations (ER): Handle ER casework, including disciplinary actions, grievances, and performance management, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies.
• Pension Administration: Responsible for resolving pension queries and administration.
• Data Management and Reporting:
• Provide advanced HR data support by producing accurate reports and maintaining high standards of data integrity across HR systems.
• Create, manage and optimise automated workflows (Ripples) within the PeopleHR system to improve efficiency and reduce manual administration.
• Manipulate and analyse data using Microsoft Excel, including the use of formulas, pivot tables and reporting tools, to support HR decision-making and business insights.
• Ensure the accuracy, consistency and confidentiality of employee data in line with company policies and data protection requirements.
• Systems:
• Act as a subject matter expert for the PeopleHR system, providing support, guidance and troubleshooting to managers and colleagues.
• Manage the upload, extraction and maintenance of employee data across HR and related business systems, ensuring information is accurate, timely and secure.
• Identify opportunities to improve system functionality and automate HR processes to enhance the employee and manager experience.
• Generalist HR Duties: Provide support across all areas of HR, including recruitment, onboarding, training, and development, as well as policy implementation and compliance.
• Induction: Lead the delivery of the company induction programme, ensuring all new starters are effectively onboarded and equipped to succeed in their role.
• Attention to Detail: Ensure all HR and payroll processes are carried out with precision and accuracy, maintaining high standards of data integrity.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Proven experience in a generalist HR role, with a strong focus on payroll and employee relations.
• Advanced Excel skills, including the ability to use VLOOKUPs and other data analysis functions.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting right-to-work checks and managing immigration compliance.
• Solid understanding of employment law and best practices in employee relations casework.
• Familiarity with HR systems and the ability to manage and utilise them effectively.
• Data savvy.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships across all levels of the organisation.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent (desirable but not essential).

Benefits

We have a wide range of benefits for our employees including:

• 24 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Holiday buy – up to 5 additional days
• Day off on your birthday
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Annual salary review
• Learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced paternity, maternity and adoption policies
• Yü made a difference Awards
• 3 days additional annual leave if you get married/civil partnership etc.
• Appointment allowance
• Long service recognition
• Refer a friend payment
• Company sick pay (subject to length of service)
• New modern facilities