Finance Manager - Payroll & Workforce

We are searching for a Finance Manager – Payroll and Workforce to take ownership of all activities related to staff costs, including payroll, accounting, reporting and forecasting / planning, to ensure alignment between financial, operational and resource plans. This role will provide integral support to Our Future Health at an exciting time, providing confidence in our processes, reporting, insight into performance and the clarity needed for future planning. By engaging with the Executive Committee and their teams, and working closely with the People & Culture team, the role will provide guidance and insight that will support the processes and decision-making of the organisation. This is a senior role in the finance team, where the post-holder is expected to have sufficient knowledge and experience to resolve most queries for their area without support.

Our Future Health will be the UK’s largest ever health research programme, bringing people together to develop new ways to detect, prevent and treat diseases. We are a charity, supported by the UK Government, in partnership with charities and industry. We work closely with the NHS and with public authorities across all nations and regions of the UK.

Our plan is to bring together 5 million volunteers from right across the UK who will be asked to contribute information to help build one of the most detailed pictures we have ever had of people’s health. Researchers will be able to use this information to make new discoveries about human health and diseases. So future generations can live in good health for longer.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, your key responsibilities will include but not be limited to:  

• Managing financial operations related to our people, including particularly payroll, pensions and the associated reconciliations, liaising closely with the People & Culture team and managing the relationship with the outsourced payroll provider 
• Reviewing the financial accounts for staff-related transactions, ensuring robust controls are in place and that the accounting and reporting is accurate 
• Preparing headcount reporting and reviewing monthly management accounts for staff costs, providing insightful analysis of variances 
• Ownership of tax and compliance requirements of payroll activities 
• Leading the financial forecasting of staff costs, as part of rolling monthly forecasts, formal forecast updates and annual budgets, working closely with the People & Culture team to ensure alignment with their workforce plans. Work to include: 
• Producing robust departmental forecasts for headcount and staff costs, which leverage operational understanding to get clear pictures of anticipated spend. 
• Liaising with the delivery team to understand operational plans and ensuring that headcount forecasts are aligned with operational assumptions. 
• Partnering with Executive leads to understand their goals and objectives and supporting them with their organisational planning for workforce.  
• Implementing comprehensive controls into forecast processes with detailed reviews of all budget templates and submissions to ensure that no errors or omissions have occurred. 
• Capturing risks and opportunities identified during the budgeting process for reporting back to the Executive Committee. 
• Completing key staff-related accounting processes, including in particular: 
• Salary allocation processes that understand the different activities that staff are supporting, as a key enabler of management reporting and grant claims. 
• Capitalisation of staff costs associated with the development of software and intangible assets, including agreement of policies and processes and the subsequent completion of calculations and reporting. 
• Completion of recharges and reporting in relation to staff who are employed by the charity but completing activity on behalf of its trading subsidiary. 
• Creation of role IDs for new positions, and tracking of any changes to job titles allocated to role IDs, so a single source of truth is maintained for budgeted positions. 
• Finance contact for the People & Culture team for any workforce queries, including the budget status for roles, whether new roles can be facilitated within departmental budgets, and any financial queries raised by staff about their pay  
• Assisting, where necessary, with management reporting and helping to influence understanding of financial performance and the resulting decisions we take 
• Developing and documenting business processes and accounting policies to maintain and strengthen internal controls related to people-related processes, and ensuring quality and control in the delivery of those processes, working with the Financial Controller as needed 
• Reviewing payroll processes to ensure that they are fit for purpose, and making recommendations for improvements to the Finance Director and Executive Director for People & Culture where required.  
• Reviewing expense claims processes and policy, ensuring that these remain fit-for-purpose as the organisation develops, and being the escalation contact for any queries from staff. 
• Assisting the Financial Controller with staff costs elements for the annual audit, being the primary contact for staff cost audit queries and producing any staffing and headcount schedules required. 
• Working with the Financial Controller and Finance Business Partner to develop and implement forecasting and reporting that is focused on programmes / business activities and not purely on functional departments, evolving this in line with business needs 
• Supporting the Finance Director in ad-hoc tasks as required and covering activities of the Finance Business Partner and Financial Controller where needed to support the financial needs and requirements of Our Future Health 

You will have some of the following skills and experience:

• Proven working experience in managing payroll processes and the associated accounting activities, with clear understanding of the key controls and capabilities that are needed 
• Proven working experience in both FP&A and financial business partnering, preferably around headcount reporting and workforce budgets 
• Recognised accounting qualification with at least five years of combined accounting and/or finance experience and at least one year experience outside of practice 
• Thorough knowledge of accounting principles and procedures, particularly related to payroll, and a strong background in financial control and the implementation of control frameworks 
• Highly structured with excellent attention to detail and able to produce accurate reporting 
• Strong skills in Excel and financial modelling with the ability to produce clear and insightful reporting and to communicate financial performance with operational leaders 
• Strong communication skills and ability to develop trusted and valued relationships with the appropriate balance of support and challenge 
• Pro-active and self-motivated and able to operate in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities 

Desirable 

• Experience in a start-up environment or an organisation where there is a high-level of uncertainty in future operations 
• Experience/knowledge in scientific research and/or healthcare organisations with the ability to understand the key issues facing the leadership team 

• £60,000 - £70,000 per annum
• Generous Pension Scheme – We invest in your future with employer contributions of up to 12%.
• 30 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays – Enjoy a generous holiday allowance with the flexibility to take bank holidays when it suits you.
• Enhanced Parental Leave – Supporting you during life’s biggest moments.
• Career Growth & Development – £500 per year to spend on Learnerbly, our learning platform, plus regular appraisals and development opportunities.
• Cycle to Work Scheme – Save 25-39% on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice.
• Home & Tech Savings – Get up to 8% off on IKEA and Currys products, spreading the cost over 12 months through salary sacrifice
• £1,000 Employee Referral Bonus – Know someone amazing? Get rewarded for bringing them on board!
• Wellbeing Support – Access to Mental Health First Aiders, plus 24/7 online GP services and an Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
• A Great Place to Work – We have a lovely Central London office in Holborn, and offer flexible and remote working arrangements.

Join us - let’s prevent disease together.