Pay, Pensions & Benefits Liaison Team Leader

Job overview

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) is seeking an experienced and motivated Pay, Pensions & Benefits Liaison Team Leader to provide operational leadership within our People Services function.

This is a key leadership role, providing day to day management and support to our small internal team and being the key liaison with our external payroll and pensions provider, ensuring the accurate, timely and compliant delivery of payroll, pensions and employee benefits.

You will act as a senior escalation point for complex pay and pensions cases, work closely with our external payroll and pensions provider, and play an active role in service improvement, governance and digital transformation.

Main duties of the job

You will be an experienced payroll, pensions or benefits professional with strong leadership skills and a passion for accuracy, governance and service improvement.

Essential criteria:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience

• Payroll/Pensions qualification (e.g. CIPP) or equivalent experience

• Significant experience working in payroll, pensions and employee benefits within a complex organisation

• Proven experience of supervising and leading teams

• Strong knowledge of Agenda for Change, Medical & Dental terms and statutory pay requirements

• Working knowledge of NHS Pension schemes

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly to different audiences

• High level of accuracy, attention to detail and commitment to confidentiality

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of using ESR

• Experience of working in the NHS or public sector

• Experience supporting service change, automation or digital transformation

Why join UHL?

At UHL, you’ll be part of a supportive and forward‑thinking People Services team, with opportunities to be involved in meaningful service improvement and digital transformation across one of the country’s largest NHS Trusts.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, compassionate leadership and creating a positive working environment where staff feel valued and supported.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities

• Provide full line management to the Pay, Benefits & Expenses team, including performance management, appraisals, wellbeing and staff development

• Lead day‑to‑day payroll, benefits & expenses operations, ensuring transactions are processed accurately and within agreed deadlines

• Act as the first point of contact with the Payroll Provider, leading regular operational meetings

• Manage and resolve complex and sensitive pay and benefits queries, including overpayments and retrospective adjustments

• Oversee quality assurance processes, identifying errors, embedding learning and driving continuous improvement

• Ensure compliance with Agenda for Change, Medical & Dental Terms & Conditions, NHS Pension Scheme regulations, HMRC requirements and Trust policies

• Support audits, maintain accurate ESR records and ensure robust payroll controls

• Contribute to service improvement initiatives, automation and the implementation of national pay and pensions changes

• Build strong working relationships across People Services, Finance, CMGs and external partners