PAYROLL ASSISTANT
THE SCHOOL
Fettes College is a leading HMC co-educational boarding and day school close to the heart of Edinburgh. It has a strong tradition of academic, sporting and cultural excellence underpinned by outstanding pastoral care. Fettes opened its doors in 1870 and became fully co-educational in 1980: it is now an independent school of some 780 students. There are 590 students in the Senior School (13-18 years) and 190 students in the Preparatory School (7-13 years). The academic staff in the College consists of the Head and 90 full-time members of the Common Room. Our Prep School shares the same site and consists of a further 30 teaching staff.
The school stands on a magnificent site of approximately 100 acres, but still within walking distance of Edinburgh’s city centre. The historic main building holds the Chapel, Library, the English, Classics and History Departments as well as the Medical Centre and two boarding houses. A large purpose-built teaching block (the Spens Building) houses Art, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Economics, Geography and Music. The Theatre, Science Laboratories and Dining Hall are adjacent. The Preparatory School and seven further boarding houses (including Craigleith, our U6th House, specifically designed to prepare students for university) are also on the campus. Our sports facilities (including extensive playing fields, two all-weather pitches and a private Health Club) are excellent
As well as our teaching staff, we employ over 220 Operational Staff across the many departments, including Estates, Security, Housekeeping, Finance, Admissions and Marketing with a pervading sense of community amongst staff, students and parents alike.
THE AIMS OF THE COLLEGE
Fettes College aims to nurture the individual while fostering a happy, well-ordered and caring community with strong family values at its core. To this end, we will do our utmost to ensure our students:
• Receive the highest possible quality of education within a boarding environment.
• Feel safe, valued, have a sense of personal worth, are thoughtful and considerate of the needs of others, possessing a willingness to take on responsibility.
• Develop their self-confidence, integrity, emotional resilience, loyalty, good manners and humour, leadership skills and teamwork.
• Value a sense of community and service, and develop a clear sense of right and wrong, equipping them for life beyond Fettes.
• Are provided with equal opportunities regardless of gender and identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.
• Are encouraged to stretch and challenge themselves in everything they undertake.
The Vision and Context
Fettes College’s vision and strategy (Fettes Moving Forward: A place to live. A place to learn. A place to grow.) are founded on the four key strands of learning, wellbeing, our community and our people, each of which is integral to the ongoing success and growth of the school. There are many parts to all these strands, including the design of a curriculum for the future, further broadening our engagement in and with the local community and, of course, our steadfast belief in promoting a full boarding ethos but crucial to each in some way is the improvement and/or development of facilities to allow the vision to be fully realised.
This is therefore an extraordinarily exciting time for Fettes College as it embarks on the delivery of our Head’s new vision for the school, which includes a very significant and ambitious facilities development programme over the next 5 to 7 years through a combination of new debt facilities, internal resources and philanthropy. A recently approved funding facility is now available to support those key projects and it is critical that the financial reporting is accurate and timely to allow the Bursar to oversee and manage that facility.
Finally, Fettes College has just concluded a significant restructure of its constitution, originally established as a body corporate under statute in 1870. The new entity, a company limited by guarantee and a charity, represents a much more modern approach to governance whilst retaining elements of the original Trust scheme under which it was originally created. This, coupled with the need to fully embed a new accounting system, offers an exciting opportunity for the right individual to make a real impact on the operational efficiency and success of Fettes College.
THE ROLE
An opportunity has arisen for a Payroll Assistant to join the Finance team at Fettes College. Reporting directly to the Financial Controller and working alongside the wider Finance team, you will be directly responsible for the accurate and timely processing of the monthly staff payrolls.
Main duties and responsibilities will include:
Monthly Payrolls
• For both Fettes College and Fettes Enterprises payrolls (approximately 375 staff):
o create and process monthly payroll journals
o create and process monthly accruals
o reconcile monthly payroll transactions within bank reconciliation
• Liaise with Departmental Managers to ensure the timely and accurate processing of overtime and that sickness absence payments are calculated in accordance with contractual sickness absence and SSP entitlements
• Deal with any salary queries, taking time to understand the issue and liaise with relevant parties to rectify the problem
• Administer new starts and leavers on the payroll ensuring accurate payments to staff
• Ensure salaries are processed to BACS and the appropriate reports are submitted to HMRC on time
• Generate and distribute payslips (to CIPHR – the HR database that links to the PBS payroll system)
• Produce month end reports and provide costing data to the Financial Controller
• Work in conjunction with Human Resources to ensure information relating to maternity and paternity leave is accurately calculated
• Diarise and monitor all long-term sick payments, ensuring that payments do not exceed the individual’s contractual sickness and SSP entitlements
• Assist Financial Controller with the preparation of payroll information for budget and salary review purposes
• Assist with the audit process as required.
Pension Administration
• Process the auto-enrolment of eligible teaching and non-teaching staff members into the appropriate pension schemes
• Ensure monthly pension payments are processed on time to pension scheme administrators
• Update pension schemes with starters, leavers and change of status data within the required timeframes
Year End Processing
• Process and issue P60s to employees within required timescales
• Process P11d Expenses for Staff and report to HMRC
Benefits Administration
• Administer Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Administer Death in Service Scheme annual renewal
General
• Post all petty cash payments, direct debits and receipts to nominal account. Ensure that sufficient funds are in place for the issuing of cash on a regular basis.
• Provide ad hoc reports to appropriate managers on request.
• Liaise with HMRC, Pension and Benefits providers as required.
• Undertake any other duties as requested by the Financial Controller in accordance with the scope and responsibilities of the role.
• Assist the Financial Controller with the review, development and implementation of processes and systems that increase efficiency within the Department.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
• Extensive experience working within a Payroll environment.
• A comprehensive understanding of payroll and pension administration
• Up to date knowledge of current payroll legislation
• Able to identify ways in which processes can be improved
• Highly competent in the use of Excel
Desirable
• Experience of PBS (CIPHR) payroll software would be advantageous.
• Recognised payroll qualification
• School background, eg teachers’ pensions, etc.
Skills and Attributes
• Highly organised and able to prioritise workload
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Proactive and able to work on own initiative
• Team player
• IT literate across a broad range of common Microsoft applications
• Professional and confidential manner and approach
BENEFITS
The remuneration package will be competitive and will, to an extent, depend on the experience of the successful candidate.
In addition to being part of a great team you will be entitled to a range of benefits that include:
• Free parking within the campus grounds. The campus is easily accessed by car and bus; there is a bus stop located outside the campus serving several routes across the city and to rail stations.
• Membership of Westwoods gym and health club which offers a range of excellent fitness and leisure facilities including a 25m swimming pool.
• Free lunchtime meals .
• Death in service cover.
• Excellent Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
• You will be opted into the Fettes College Non-Teaching Staff Pension Scheme after 3 months service.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The closing date is Thursday, 9th February 2023 at 12 noon, with interviews being held within a fortnight of the closing date.
If you would like further information prior to applying for this role Mr David Hancock, Financial Controller is available for a phone call by arrangement (dg.hancock@fettes.com).
Applications including the details of 2 referees should be made via the Fettes College email to recruitment@fettes.com. All applicants are asked to provide, as well as a CV, a covering letter setting out how you meet the person specification and what you feel you can bring to this role.
An offer of employment will be subject to two satisfactory references being obtained from your referees and a clean report being obtained on you from the Disclosure Scotland PVG Scheme in view of the contact you will have with children during your normal duties.
New staff at Fettes join a friendly and supportive team with a vibrant mixture of age and experience. We value every member of staff’s contribution to the life of the school. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
We are keen to welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds into our staff body. If you would like a friendly conversation with an employee who identifies as an ethnic minority, please feel free to contact Sara Medel Jiménez (s.medeljimenez@fettes.com) who will be happy to share her experience of Fettes.
