Payroll Services Advisor

Job summary

We’re looking for a proactive and detail‑focused Payroll Services Advisor to help ensure our colleagues are paid accurately and on time. This is an important role where you’ll support the smooth running of our outsourced payroll service, provide guidance to stakeholders, and contribute to improvements that enhance the overall payroll experience across HM Land Registry. If you enjoy building strong working relationships, solving problems, and working collaboratively to improve processes, we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

As a Payroll Services Advisor, you’ll work closely with the Payroll Services Manager to support the day‑to‑day management of our third‑party payroll provider. You will take ownership of transactional and administrative payroll tasks, ensuring we meet all statutory, business, and third‑party requirements.

You’ll act as a key escalation point for payroll‑related queries from internal stakeholders, providing clear and timely guidance. You will also collaborate on the implementation of pay revisions, pension interface processes, and payroll‑related systems projects, helping us drive efficiency and improve the effectiveness of our payroll service.

Main Duties

• Monitor and maintain strong controls over the quality of the outsourced payroll service, ensuring HMLR continues to meet its obligations to colleagues, stakeholders, and third parties, and that the supplier meets or exceeds service levels.
• Ensure value for money from the managed service and identify opportunities for continuous improvement within pay‑related processes across HR and the supplier.
• Support the completion of monthly pay overs to HMRC, Civil Service Pensions, and third‑party providers, including reconciliation and record keeping. Work with the outsourced payroll provider to resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Develop a detailed understanding of how the HR Fusion system transfers data into the payroll process.
• Carry out monthly checks on the HMRC online account to verify the accuracy of payroll submissions and resolve discrepancies within each pay cycle.
• Undertake payroll reconciliation activities relating to third‑party pay overs, statutory orders, and staff benefits.
• Create and maintain clear payroll documentation, guidance materials, and training content.

Additional Requirements

• Occasional travel may be required to supplier sites, other government departments, or HM Land Registry offices.
• The role may occasionally involve working evenings or weekends to maintain service levels during system upgrades or emergency repairs.
• You will lead by example within a hybrid working environment.
• The post holder will be required to spend 60% of their time in the Nottingham office.
• The post holder will be required to work 22.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, to ensure consistent support for the payroll process.

Person specification

To be successful in this position you will need to demonstrate the following throughout the recruitment process.

Essential Skills and Qualifications:

• Experience of handling payroll within HR environment and/or client facing environment, in a large complex organisation.

Desirable Skills and Qualifications:

• Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) or relevant payroll qualification.
• Knowledge of payroll processes and procedure.

Essential Experience:

• Ability to understand and be able to describe payroll processes and pay rules in a way a staff and various end-users would understand
• Experience of tracking and resolving payroll issues in a methodical/systematic way
• Competent in analysing information and applying critical thinking to determine suitable solutions
• Computer skills including basic level Excel
• Competent experienced user of the range of IT tools relevant to the job such as Microsoft
• Effective time management skills including the ability to organise and prioritise own workloads
• Ability to self-motivate and take responsibility for own development
• Ability to react positively to changes

Desirable Experience:

• Knowledge of Fusion Oracle HR and payroll systems
• Ability to use Excel to at least an Intermediate level and proficiency on other MS Office tools
• Experience of processing payroll transactions
• Experience of writing user guides, instructions and documentation

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Experience of handling payroll within HR environment and/or client facing environment, in a large complex organisation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,119, HM Land Registry contributes £9,304 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

#WeAreHMLR

At HM Land Registry our vision is a world leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future. We are unique in terms of the economic and social impacts of our work, our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers, our sense of mission, and our great people. They are the foundation of all we have achieved and all we aspire to in the future. We want our people to feel proud to work for HM Land Registry and able to fulfil their full potential.

We have a strong and positive culture, a commitment to inclusivity, an emphasis on continuous learning and development, and flexible ways of working. We offer competitive pay and annual leave, attractive pension options and a wide range of other benefits.

• We have integrity – we value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• We drive innovation – we are forward-thinking, embrace change and are continually improving our processes.
• We are professional – we value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We give assurance – we guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property market.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/recruitment#what-hm-land-registry-can-offer-you

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.You will be required to complete a numeracy test before progressing with your application.

To apply, please attach an anonymised CV into the online application form when prompted and be sure your CV covers the Essential Criteria provided in the person specification and/or job description.

The personal statement section (in no more than 500 words) must be used to provide details of how you meet the Essential Experience criteria listed below:

• Ability to understand and be able to describe payroll processes and pay rules in a way a staff and various end-users would understand.
• Effective time management skills including the ability to organise and prioritise own workloads.

The technical statement section (in no more than 250 words) must be used to provide details of how you meet the Essential Technical Skills criteria listed below:

• Experience of handling payroll within HR environment and/or client facing environment, in a large complex organisation

In the event of high application numbers, we will sift against the below Lead Criteria:

• Experience of handling payroll within HR environment and/or client facing environment, in a large complex organisation

Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ – once you have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure your application form is received by the closing date for receipt of applications – this is 23:55pm on the advertised date.

The sift will take place shortly after the closing date. If successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend a blended interview, which we anticipate will be held on week commencing 20 April 2026 in person at our Nottingham office.

The interview will assess the experience and behaviours listed in the attached Job Description.

Candidates may refer to notes within their interview, but they should be used as a prompt only.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confidence Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If any candidate requires the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else they would like the panel to take into consideration they are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to share these values. Please ensure all examples provided throughout the recruitment process are representative of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating (including the improper use of artificial intelligence) will be investigated and, if proven, the application will be withdrawn.

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role is in a certain business critical category. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a skilled worker visa. You must ensure you have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

HMLR expect everyone to spend at least 60% of their working time in the office.

You can find more information on how we use your personal data on our website

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Chris Parker
• Email : hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance to the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HM Land Registry then you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/

Attachments

Job Description Opens in new window (pdf, 186kB)