Payroll and Pension Manager

Job summary

37.5 hours per week.

Finding the right person to lead payroll and pension services is vital to ensuring our workforce is paid accurately, supported effectively, and receives the highest standard of service. At Livewell Southwest, we are seeking an experienced and motivated Pensions and Payroll Manager to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight of our payroll and pension functions.

As the Pensions and Payroll Manager, you will be responsible for delivering a high-quality, compliant, and customer-focused payroll and pensions service across the organisation. Leading a dedicated team, you will ensure the accurate and timely processing of payroll, oversee pension administration and regulatory compliance, and work closely with key stakeholders to drive continuous improvement and service excellence. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled professional to play a key role in supporting our employees while contributing to the financial and operational success of Livewell Southwest.

If you are an experienced payroll and pensions professional with strong leadership skills and a passion for delivering outstanding service, we would love to hear from you.

Please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility

Main duties of the job

Lead and manage the payroll and pensions team to deliver an accurate, timely, and high-quality service across Livewell Southwest.

Ensure all payroll processes are completed in compliance with statutory requirements, and organisational policies.

Oversee the administration of pension arrangements, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.

Provide expert advice and guidance to managers, employees, and stakeholders on payroll and pension matters.

Manage payroll system developments, updates, and process improvements to enhance efficiency and service delivery.

Ensure accurate financial reporting, reconciliations, and returns relating to payroll and pensions.

Develop, monitor, and maintain robust internal controls to safeguard payroll and pension operations.

Build effective relationships with NHS Business Services Authority, auditors, and external partners.

Lead on payroll and pension projects, policy implementation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Support the organisation's strategic objectives by delivering a customer-focused, responsive, and compliant payroll and pensions service.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7-day service.

Job Share(s) Considered

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Details

• Date posted: 17 August 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 6
• Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year pa, pro rata
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working, Home or remote working
• Reference number: B9832-2026-AC-1981
• Job locations: Crownhill Court, Tailyour Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 5DH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To be the Lead Subject Matter Expert and deal with complex queries. This will involve analysing, investigating and resolving complex queries by making calculations and determining the action to resolution. Provide advice and guidance to managers and employees both within the department and trust relating to all matters.

Assist Shared business Services in providing a professional service to all staff.

To manage the Payroll and Pension Team.

To complete recruitment, induction training, staff development reviews, personal development plans, and monthly one-to-one meetings, including performance management of staff to ensure employees reach their full potential and achieve the performance standards required in accordance with LSW policy.

To manage and support the Payroll and Pension Team giving guidance as necessary to ensure the smooth working of the department ensuring the departments workload is distributed amongst staff in the most effective way.

Lead and Support the Payroll and Pensions Teams in rolling out the new ways of working and ensuring compliance on an ongoing basis.

To take the lead role, requiring specialist knowledge in pension legislation, interpreting, and implementing new or amended pensions related legislation.

To co-ordinate training to payroll and pensions staff and others, as appropriate to ensure compliance.

To collect, record and collate data for reporting on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and internal measures to support services provided in the SLA and to investigate and explain variations and exceptions as applicable, taking corrective action to avoid irregularities and re-occurrence in future.

Deal with complex issues, providing advice and guidance to managers and staff relating to payroll and pensions issues. Advising Clients of their obligation following changes to regulations ensuring information is disseminated accordingly.

To work with SBS to ensure that both Payroll and Pensions functions integrate effectively and efficiently.

To proactively facilitate the review of processes and procedures to ensure that all process and procedural notes are accurate and up to date and that they meet current legislation and customer requirements. To ensure that processes and procedures add value and remove waste steps to provide cost effectiveness. To progress e-business developments to ensure a streamlined, effective, and cost-efficient shared service for the local health community.

To be the lead contact for the NHS Pensions Agency, ensuring the local service meets government standards.

To co-ordinate and manage payroll and pension-related projects.

To discuss, resolve and provide guidance to Team members when queries are escalated by staff. Respond to all enquiries, verbal or written, from management, trust employees, audit, or statutory bodies, timely and accurately, which may be sensitive or contentious requiring tact and diplomacy.

Ensure representation of the teams as requested for special interest groups, staff induction where required, courses, meetings, and various project groups.

To manage, administer and communicate local, national, and statutory requirements ensuring that they are implemented in a timely manner for both our staff and clients, including communications to the team to ensure they are appropriately informed.

Undertake other duties commensurate with the banding as required and ensure Business Continuity of the service at all times. To ensure that the payroll service effectively delivers against all Service Level Agreements and meets its business objectives. Devise and review Service Level Agreements in collaboration with clients.

Be the key contact for SBS and attend weekly and monthly performance meetings, raising and dealing with any escalations.

Communication and relationship skills

Communicates openly and confidently with a range of people. Influences and convinces others in a way that results in acceptance and agreement. Shapes conversations to ensure focus and understanding. Is a supportive listener. Produces written material, which is accurate, brief, and clear.

A key part of the role will be communication with: HMRC, Pensions Agency, Internal Employees, Internal and External Auditors. A broad network of working relationships will be maintained. Communication will involve complex, sometimes confidential information and will require negotiation and diplomacy in dealing with complex, sensitive, or contentious information. Coaching, training, and annual staff development reviews will form part of this role.

Acts with integrity, show energy and resilience, and maintain commitment in the face of setbacks and obstacles. Keeps difficulties in perspective and remains positive. Understands own strengths and limitations and is focused on self-development. Is genuine, approachable, open, and honest.

Coordinates efforts and resources within and across teams to deliver goals. Recognises the importance of teamwork to achieve objectives. Creates an environment where people are motivated and encouraged to achieve. Brings in ideas, information, suggestions, and expertise from others outside and immediate team. Build strong team relationships between and across teams.

Analytical and judgment skills

Investigates and resolves complex pension and payroll queries. Analyses spreadsheet data and reports on pension processing and prepares reports on performance management information. Support team members with complex situations that require further assessment.

Planning and organisational skills

Utilises priorisation skills to maximise performance of the team to meet the targets set within the Service Level Agreement. Plans, organises, and implements system and process changes to continuously improve functionality of the team.

Ability to use a lean methodology to make continuous improvements within the processes and procedures of the team to ensure a cost-effective service with an emphasis on use of electronic systems.

Plans, allocates and manages workload to ensure completion, instigating processes, and practices to ensure the workload is completed.

Physical skills

Accurate and advanced keyboard skills to use Microsoft Office packages i.e., word, excel, and ESR.

Attendance at meetings off-site

The mental skills required for the post include concentration and flexibility to deal with several issues concurrently, dealing with email, telephone, office communicator and face-to face issues on a daily basis.

Making judgments, planning, organising, communication and maintaining effective working relationships.

Motivation of the team using negotiation, persuasion, empathising, and counselling skills.

Please see supporting information for full Job Description and Person Specification.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).