Head of People & Payroll

About the Role

As an integral part of our Senior Leadership Team we are looking for a passionate professional to drive the success of our strategy through our People function.

As the Head of People & Payroll you will primarily be responsible for the development and delivery of a professional and responsive operational HR and payroll service. You will also play a pivotal role in the definition and delivery of strategies and strategic objectives that align to the overall business objectives of the charity and our ambition to positively impact more lives.

Your focus will be on cultivating a positive work environment, creating a Great Place to Work® and driving organisational success through effective people practices.

The Head of People & Payroll will be responsible for the following functional areas.

• People Support Team – People Manager (Group)
• Recruitment, Talent & Attraction Team – Recruitment & Talent Manager
• Employee Experience (Including ED&I) – Employee Experience & Benefits Manager

The Head of People & Payroll will have budget responsibility for:

• Pay Budget of Circa £1.5m
• Non‑Pay Budget of Circa £500k

• Provide effective leadership of the People and Payroll team to ensure the delivery of a high‑quality, professional, and responsive service to our people and the people we support.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement within the team, systems and processes.
• Maintain a focus of creating amazing candidate / employee experiences, and an overarching aim of maintaining our strategic ambition of being a Great Place to Work®.
• Review and deliver our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, and the ambition of creating a vibrant, inclusive culture where everyone has a sense of belonging.
• Continually review, develop and promote our Employee Value Proposition.
• Promote the organisational values, ensuring that these are reflected in all people and payroll related activity.
• Establish and maintain professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders ensuring that services are developed and adapted to meet the needs and demands of the business.
• Work collaboratively with wider teams to align people and resources to the effective and efficient pursuit of our strategic objectives and the growth of the organisation.

• Ensure that customer experience is positive and aligned to the organisation’s values.
• Promote cross‑organisational working ensuring good practice is shared.
• Ensure that robust processes are in place to manage disciplinary and grievance issues effectively, seeking to reduce the risk of Employment Tribunal or other employment related claims.
• Ensure AFG has effective policies, procedures and people management practices which are fit for purpose and legally compliant.
• Ensure that robust systems and processes are in place to effectively and efficiently administer a monthly payroll in a timely manner.
• Ensure that robust core controls are in place for all transactional services.
• Ensure all service delivery complies with relevant legislative requirements.
• Be personally accountable for compliance with CQC standards by all colleagues within area of responsibility.
• Ensure effective employee relations by maintaining a partnership relationship with recognised trade union(s) and established colleague forum/networks.
• Ensure that our job evaluation scheme remains fit for purpose and aligned to the organisational strategy.
• Develop relevant people and payroll metrics that quantify the added value to the organisation of the function.
• Develop and communicate analysis and insights from our people data to measure the quality of our services, inform strategic action, identify risks/opportunities, and to comply with our internal and external reporting obligations.
• Ensure cost‑effective, consistent, and appropriate external support including legal advice, occupational health provision, agency provision etc.
• Overall responsibility for ensuring implementation of data protection and records management within the People and Payroll Team.

• Ensure compliance with AFG financial policies and procedures including the Scheme of Reservation and Delegation,…