Payroll Officer

Job description

Flexible working: due to the nature of the work, home working isn’t available. However, we recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working arrangements, including full-time, part-time and compressed hours. We also support flexible start and finish times to help you balance your personal and professional commitments.

MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats such as terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and its way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners including MI6 and GCHQ, to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations on how to keep themselves safe.

A role in MI5 means you'll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

As a vital member of our HR department, you’ll help ensure colleagues in the UK and abroad are paid accurately and on time. You’ll respond to policy queries, processing HR requests and offering general guidance as part of a supportive team dedicated to delivering a great experience for our colleagues.

Day-to-day, the work involves speaking with colleagues across the organisation who need advice, support and timely action on their requests. This includes managing and prioritising a range of tasks, processing HR requests, responding to policy queries and providing clear guidance, while ensuring all actions are completed promptly and in line with compliance standards. There is also a clear focus on improving our processes and working closely with teams across HR, including Pensions and Finance, as well as Payroll teams at GCHQ, MI6, and HMRC.

A period of four years within the HR department is required for this post. During this time, you’ll have opportunities to move into different roles across the department, allowing you to develop new skills and gain broader experience. After this period, further progression, either within HR or across the wider organisation, will be shaped by your interests and the direction in which you’d like your career to grow.

For the Cheltenham position, the post is based in GCHQ’s offices in Cheltenham, while employment is with MI5.

You’ll need a minimum of one year’s experience in payroll and be confident in the fundamentals of the role, including using online systems (with training) and working in line with compliance requirements. As many of our queries involve working with numbers, such as calculating payments, you’ll also need to be comfortable handling basic data and machine intelligence.

Your written communication skills will be key, as a large part of the role involves responding to colleagues’ queries, explaining specialist terms and providing clear, helpful answers via our online ticketing system. Effective verbal communication skills will also support collaboration with HR colleagues, both within Payroll and across the wider team.

Since our colleagues are our customers, you’ll be motivated to provide an excellent service, using your initiative to identify and implement solutions. Adaptability is also important, as the role requires moving between tasks and prioritising effectively, while working collaboratively and supporting teammates.

We’re passionate about your development and provide a range of opportunities to help you grow. You’ll get a full induction and training to ensure you feel confident carrying out your day-to‑day responsibilities, along with opportunities to gain experience across different HR disciplines. There is also the option to complete internal and external training courses relevant to your role, and access to a mentor who’ll support and encourage your ongoing development.

During your time in the team, there may be opportunities to study for a CIPP or CIPD qualification, depending on available funding. You’ll also have the freedom to shape the direction of your career and apply for roles across the organisation, including…