Experience

Martlets Hospice

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Payroll & Pension Services Manager

  • Oct 2020 - Present

  Responsible for leading and delivering on the evaluation of Martlets payroll function and pension services; thereby providing recommendations on improvements to systems, process and procedures for service improvement and delivery. This includes forward planning for effective cover of the payroll cycle to ensure all deadlines are met. Leading on the production of payroll data analysis required for management information and annual budget setting to accompany finance reporting. Identifying and… Show more Responsible for leading and delivering on the evaluation of Martlets payroll function and pension services; thereby providing recommendations on improvements to systems, process and procedures for service improvement and delivery. This includes forward planning for effective cover of the payroll cycle to ensure all deadlines are met. Leading on the production of payroll data analysis required for management information and annual budget setting to accompany finance reporting. Identifying and supporting cases for any required changes with responsibility taken for influencing and managing the change, alongside the development and delivery of any ensuing projects. Where required, escalate complex issues and risk to the Leadership Team accompanied by individual or multiple recommended solutions. Evaluate the introduction of government, NHS or other external schemes that impact employees at Martlets, such as furlough for example. Working in partnership with the Head of People Services and the People Services Advisory Lead to keep abreast of legal changes, errors and ways to improve service standards, mitigate errors and improve the processes connected to pay. Continue to effectively communicate standard and bespoke detailed information to staff across all departments in response to any payroll or pension issues. Continue to support the Accounts Manager with the development of the internal audit process. Lead on agreement and negotiation of service standards, which meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders, including managers, and to support the development of integrated personnel and payroll systems. Managing and ensuring efficient administration and reconciliation of the two company pension schemes, in addition to leading on the appraisal of the annual review, reporting on key performance indicators where applicable, and assessing value to employees. Promote and review Martlets pension advisory services, and appraise existing and future relationships.

• Payroll & Pension Services Lead

  • Jan 2019 - Sep 2020

  Due to the requirements of the role and various reconciliation projects that require and in some cases still require addressing, my role was developed in to a lead role with the aim of driving the team forward. I now line manage a payroll assistant who has taken over the day to day administration of the payroll and pension schemes as I work on ways to move the payroll function forward and assess whether there are any efficiencies we are able to recommend within our processes and procedures… Show more Due to the requirements of the role and various reconciliation projects that require and in some cases still require addressing, my role was developed in to a lead role with the aim of driving the team forward. I now line manage a payroll assistant who has taken over the day to day administration of the payroll and pension schemes as I work on ways to move the payroll function forward and assess whether there are any efficiencies we are able to recommend within our processes and procedures. Process mapping and standard operating procedures are being worked on collaboratively with our HR team to ensure we are providing a consistent approach throughout the business and always using best practice where possible. It is important to me that we try to incorporate a sense of structure so that there is clarity for both the payroll and HR functions as well as the employees themselves. I am also trying to assess whether our current payroll process is the best option for Martlets and am investigating the various options of outsourcing as well as in house payroll(s) to provide my thoughts and recommendations to the wider business.

• Payroll & Pensions Officer

  • Apr 2018 - Dec 2018

  Initially employed on a temporary basis, my role as Payroll & Pension Office was to accurately and efficiently administer the two separate payroll and pension schemes. Upon joining, there were a number of obstacles to overcome in terms of reconciling the payroll and pensions processes in place, as well as trying to understand the complexity of the NHS Pension scheme and learning a new HRIS (Ciphr) system in order to be able to perform my role as required.



Close Brothers Asset Management

• United Kingdom
• Financial Services
• 500 - 600 Employee

• Associate HR Business Partner

  • May 2011 - Jan 2017

  In my time with Close Brothers Asset management, my role developed from HR / Payroll Administrator right through to Associate HR Business Partner. The corporate work environment allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience in policies and processes, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, diciplinary and grievance procedures and a number of other responsibilities. The key element of my role was ultimately to support and coach employees and managers… Show more In my time with Close Brothers Asset management, my role developed from HR / Payroll Administrator right through to Associate HR Business Partner. The corporate work environment allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience in policies and processes, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, diciplinary and grievance procedures and a number of other responsibilities. The key element of my role was ultimately to support and coach employees and managers within specified business functions on consitency and best practice, in addition to being hands on in the day to day operational processes such as recruitment and on-boarding of employees and contractual changes. I provided direct support to a HR Business Partner, who in turn provided me with a wealth of exposure to new situations and training opportunities within the workflow. In addition to this, we were supported by a HR Assistant, whom I supervised on a day to day basis, providing training and guidance also in order to build strong key relationships within the business. I was able to maintain a strong level of interaction with the payroll function also, providing instruction and cross checking instructions in addition to coaching team members and managers on topics such as maternity/paternity. The role also required me to provide MI data on headcount, staff turnover and absence. There were many improvements made to the absence management structure in my time at Close, to create a robust reporting and managing system which was aligned across the business. In the final twelve months with Close, the team worked hard on a harmonisation project for all employees to improve their terms and conditions of employment and I was able to be part of the team to deliver that well received message. We identified the requirement to engage employees at all levels, and particularly management / senior management, so they could see the true value that a HR team can add to an organisation. Show less In my time with Close Brothers Asset management, my role developed from HR / Payroll Administrator right through to Associate HR Business Partner. The corporate work environment allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience in policies and processes, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, diciplinary and grievance procedures and a number of other responsibilities. The key element of my role was ultimately to support and coach employees and managers… Show more In my time with Close Brothers Asset management, my role developed from HR / Payroll Administrator right through to Associate HR Business Partner. The corporate work environment allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience in policies and processes, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, diciplinary and grievance procedures and a number of other responsibilities. The key element of my role was ultimately to support and coach employees and managers within specified business functions on consitency and best practice, in addition to being hands on in the day to day operational processes such as recruitment and on-boarding of employees and contractual changes. I provided direct support to a HR Business Partner, who in turn provided me with a wealth of exposure to new situations and training opportunities within the workflow. In addition to this, we were supported by a HR Assistant, whom I supervised on a day to day basis, providing training and guidance also in order to build strong key relationships within the business. I was able to maintain a strong level of interaction with the payroll function also, providing instruction and cross checking instructions in addition to coaching team members and managers on topics such as maternity/paternity. The role also required me to provide MI data on headcount, staff turnover and absence. There were many improvements made to the absence management structure in my time at Close, to create a robust reporting and managing system which was aligned across the business. In the final twelve months with Close, the team worked hard on a harmonisation project for all employees to improve their terms and conditions of employment and I was able to be part of the team to deliver that well received message. We identified the requirement to engage employees at all levels, and particularly management / senior management, so they could see the true value that a HR team can add to an organisation. Show less



Cavanagh Financial Management Limited

• HR / Payroll Administrator

  • Aug 2009 - May 2011

  After some internal restructuring within the Company, I was seconded in to a role of HR / Payroll Administrator initially to cover a period of maternity leave. That is where my HR career started. This was something I had never done before, but quickly realised a lot of my skills were transferable to this role also. That said I had to overcome a steep learning curve and take on new responsibilities, some of which came naturally and others not so. The role taught me the utter importance of… Show more After some internal restructuring within the Company, I was seconded in to a role of HR / Payroll Administrator initially to cover a period of maternity leave. That is where my HR career started. This was something I had never done before, but quickly realised a lot of my skills were transferable to this role also. That said I had to overcome a steep learning curve and take on new responsibilities, some of which came naturally and others not so. The role taught me the utter importance of confidentiality, and also enabled me to see the business and the people from another perspective. It allowed me to understand certain business decisions perhaps driven by budgetary requirements, or the importance of deadlines for processes such as appraisals and contractual changes and the impact this has on the payroll and other functions within the business. I started to understand the importance of employment law and working in line with the necessary regulatory requirements and also the need to engage managers and support them where needed within the business to ensure consistency and best practice. I considered myself as the approachable face of HR within the Company, and enjoyed the sense that I was helping employees with their queries to the best standard possible. I really enjoyed the payroll element of this role too. I was responsible for collating and processing the instructions on a monthly basis, before providing the data to an outsourced payroll company. With the assistance of the Financial Controller, I followed through the checking of reports and sign off before producing and distributing the payslips to the staff. I had to develop new skills in using SAGE 50 and SAGE Personnel in this role, in addition to StaffCare (following acqusition of a smaller company). The role in the final stages also provided me with some exposure to TUPE and the due diligence process as Close Brothers began their bid to acquire the company.

• Mortgage Administrator

  • Aug 2003 - Aug 2009

  I joined Cavanagh because having worked as a Mortgage Arranger for some time, I realised that I did not want to continue in a role that was becoming very much sales and target based. I had a good knowledge of mortgage applications and the process of house buying, but only through a building society's perspective. I was interested to understand what the process was from an IFA perspective, and felt that a lot of my skills and knowledge would be transferable to this role, which was indeed the… Show more I joined Cavanagh because having worked as a Mortgage Arranger for some time, I realised that I did not want to continue in a role that was becoming very much sales and target based. I had a good knowledge of mortgage applications and the process of house buying, but only through a building society's perspective. I was interested to understand what the process was from an IFA perspective, and felt that a lot of my skills and knowledge would be transferable to this role, which was indeed the case. The role involved supporting a number of financial advisers and their client bank with mortgage applications which would be submitted through the post or online. I would then be responsible for the administration of these through to completion stage, interacting and updating both the client, adviser and also the lender and solicitor involved. I developed my Excel skills vastly within the role and set up a number of new databases to manage the information on business submitted to be able to provide MI for the first time on the mortgage business. It was a fast paced role, which required excellent time management and organisation skills; something I consider to be a real strength of mine.



C&G Building Society

• Brighton

• Mortgage Arranger

  • Feb 2000 - Aug 2003

  I initially joined C&G as a cashier, and quickly progressed through to mortgage administration and processing. My role required processing of mortgage applications and the daily integration with clients and IFA's alike, which helped me build strong people skills and enhance my customer service skills. After a year I was put forward for the company fast track mortgage advice training course which led to me being a qualified Mortgage Arranger. This meant that I was able to interview clients, in… Show more I initially joined C&G as a cashier, and quickly progressed through to mortgage administration and processing. My role required processing of mortgage applications and the daily integration with clients and IFA's alike, which helped me build strong people skills and enhance my customer service skills. After a year I was put forward for the company fast track mortgage advice training course which led to me being a qualified Mortgage Arranger. This meant that I was able to interview clients, in line with the necessary regulations, and approve mortgage applications. The role developed further with the introduction of payment protection and life insurance products which meant we were then assigned a number of KPI targets to achieve, which were regularly met or excelled. Show less I initially joined C&G as a cashier, and quickly progressed through to mortgage administration and processing. My role required processing of mortgage applications and the daily integration with clients and IFA's alike, which helped me build strong people skills and enhance my customer service skills. After a year I was put forward for the company fast track mortgage advice training course which led to me being a qualified Mortgage Arranger. This meant that I was able to interview clients, in… Show more I initially joined C&G as a cashier, and quickly progressed through to mortgage administration and processing. My role required processing of mortgage applications and the daily integration with clients and IFA's alike, which helped me build strong people skills and enhance my customer service skills. After a year I was put forward for the company fast track mortgage advice training course which led to me being a qualified Mortgage Arranger. This meant that I was able to interview clients, in line with the necessary regulations, and approve mortgage applications. The role developed further with the introduction of payment protection and life insurance products which meant we were then assigned a number of KPI targets to achieve, which were regularly met or excelled. Show less