Applicant Pack
January 2016
Dear Applicant
EPM is a market-leading company, providing HR and payroll services to schools and academies, and
has been operating as a private company since 1993. We currently employ over 125 staff and
provide support to over 900 schools and academies in over 65 Local Authorities from Cumbria to
Kent. We have a large and growing number of clients in the Midlands, South West and London
areas; however all of the administration, payroll and online IT support for the customers are carried
out from the Huntingdon office.
EPM is in the enviable position of seeing significant year upon year growth. Our success is the direct
consequence of our national reputation for a high-quality and effective service and this, combined
with national changes to the education system, including many schools converting to become
academies, means that we are in a position to offer exciting opportunities for the right candidates.
The remainder of this pack will provide you with additional information about EPM, current vacant
roles, conditions of employment and how to find EPM. For further information about EPM please
see
www.epm.co.uk
.
To apply for a current vacancy, or register your interest in working for EPM, please email to
[email protected]
your CV and a covering letter (maximum of the equivalent 2 sides of A4) by
the appropriate closing date in the advertisement (where applicable), describing your current
circumstances, your skills and experience, and what you believe you could bring to the role. Please
could you also indicate whether you are interested in a position within HR or Payroll so that your
application can be managed accordingly.
Yours faithfully
Alexandra Hawkins
Director
Contents Page
The Organisation
Job description(s) for current vacancies
General Conditions of Employment
THE ORGANISATION
WHAT DOES EPM DO?
We provide a bespoke HR and Payroll administration and advisory service. Administrative support is through the provision of a portal for schools and academies, saving time by reducing the amount of administration, minimising the scope for error on appointment and payroll transactions so that school leaders can focus on the things that really matter. Our Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) e-Bulk system provides schools with a fast, secure means of undertaking critical pre-employment checks as part of child protection arrangements in schools.
We are not the ‘in house’ resource but operate as a contracted service provider operating to an agreed specification. This means operating within the policies and procedures adopted by individual schools and providing practical, problem solving advice. We strive to provide the best possible advice, information and support – but we clearly recognise that it is for the school to decide on the best course of action, not for the LA or personnel provider to do so.
HR SERVICE
Our HR service covers decisions about:
Recruitment and selection
Appointments
Managing conduct, capability and ill health
Redundancy
Dismissal
Performance management
The induction of new staff and newly qualified teachers
In service training
Pay and remuneration
Flexible working/ maternity/ paternity and parental policies
Employee relations
Transfer of Undertakings
Head teachers and governors will recognise the need for expert advice and support to help manage the human resource to the maximum advantage and to ensure that problems with employment legislation do not interfere with the main purpose of running a school.
We have the expertise, experience and understanding of the cultures found in schools to help them achieve the high level of staff management which will make a major contribution to a successful school or academy.
PAYROLL SERVICE
Our integrated payroll service has been running since 1 April 2001 and has proved to be a massive success. We now provide a payroll service to more than 800 schools.
HR and payroll colleagues work closely together to provide an efficient and accurate service.
There is nothing more frustrating for a school than having to rectify payroll issues. EPM recognises that payroll has to be right first time, every time. As well as all of the usual functions related to payroll we offer:
Preview reports run to provide the school with information about each payroll before it is committed to be processed, via the online payroll portal.
Realistic closing dates for payroll information to accommodate the needs of the school whilst ensuring staff are paid on time.
On the rare occasion that an error or omission occurs, whoever causes it, immediate correction and payment. Individual attention and service to each customer, irrespective of size of the customer’s payroll.
JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title HR Administrator
Accountable to HR Manager
Base EPM Offices, Huntingdon
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
To ensure outstanding customer service across the organisation by delivering, and supporting colleagues to deliver, expert HR administration and advice in a timely and effective manner. Constantly striving to improve the efficiency and professionalism of working practices to meet the company’s objective of “clarity and consistency” and working “smarter not harder” to facilitate an increase in customer base whilst maintaining and improving customer service.
Main responsibilities / Duties of the Job: Customer Responsibilities:
1. Manage and support a portfolio of schools on all aspects of HR administration and manage customers’
expectations by providing timely and accurate advice involving an HR Adviser/Manager as appropriate.
2. Respond to a wide range of customer enquiries, via telephone, e-mail or other mediums, relating to HR
administration, and other HR issues, in a professional manner, to ensure customers receive an efficient and responsive service.
3. Take responsibility for undertaking research into HR related issues to help provide robust and accurate advice to
customers, seeking support and guidance, where necessary, from senior colleagues.
4. Identify situations where legal/child protection support is needed and escalate as appropriate.
Internal Team Responsibilities:
1. Proactively liaise with HR and payroll colleagues on administrative, operational and service development matters.
2. Maintain a high level of accuracy within HR processing with an awareness of implications of actions on the payroll, HR
team members and third parties.
3. Support HR Advisers / HR Managers where appropriate, to ensure the administration of casework is managed efficiently.
4. Attend and participate in regular team meetings and training to keep pace with changes to legislation, policies and
procedures and other relevant guidance.
Internal Broader Responsibilities:
1. Contribute to the sharing of good practice and knowledge amongst colleagues as required.
2. Ensure compliance with EPM staff policies and procedures.
3. Provide support for other colleagues when necessary.
4. Proactively participate in the EPM Continuous Professional Development process.
5. Maintain confidentiality at all times
PERSON SPECIFICATION
JOB TITLE: HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
Desirable
5 A* - C GCSE including Maths and English, or
equivalent
A qualification in a relevant subject i.e. degree or
NVQ for example
Good (or predicted good) grades in two A level
subjects, or equivalent
EXPERIENCE: Essential
Desirable
Ability to establish good working relationships and gain
credibility with a range of clients
Experience of working in a customer focused
environment Ability to prioritise and work well under pressure to
strict deadlines
Previous administration experience
Ability to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues both verbally and in writing
Previous experience in an HR environment
Ability to contribute proactively to a strong team working culture, motivating individual team members
Experience of using a database
Able to demonstrate careful attention to detail and accuracy
Ability to demonstrate sound proofreading and editing skills to create high quality documentation
JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title Payroll Administrator
Accountable to Payroll Manager
Base EPM Offices, Huntingdon
Purpose of the Job
To ensure outstanding customer service across the organisation by delivering, and supporting colleagues to deliver, expert HR advice and guidance in a timely and effective manner. You will be constantly striving to improve the efficiency and professionalism of working practices to meet the company’s objective of “clarity and consistency” and working “smarter not harder” to facilitate an increase in customer base whilst maintaining and improving customer service. You will be supporting the payroll section in attaining its aims and objectives, by providing an effective service within the establishment working as part of a team, and managing a portfolio of schools. This will be in accordance with HMRC, pension scheme regulations and employment terms and conditions. The working environment is fast-paced and the ability to work well and remain positive under pressure is essential.
Main Responsibilities / Duties of Job: Customer Responsibilities
1. Managing a portfolio of schools on all aspects of payroll (start-finish), consisting of multiple monthly pay dates and differing terms and conditions across employers.
2. Accurately input payroll data, balance reports and dispatches payrolls to schools, meeting required audit checks.
3. Process various statutory forms for example: P45s, Starter Declarations, Student Loans, P60, and P11d’s. Comply with the requirements for Auto Enrolment and Real Time Information.
4. Liaise proactively with HR colleagues to ensure that all contractual changes are administered effectively in time for payroll deadlines.
5. Manually calculate salary changes where necessary, including back pay, overpayments, leavers, annual leave and other ad hoc manual payments.
6. Apply statutory provisions including, PAYE, National Insurance, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Student loans and Attachment to Earnings Orders.
7. Process data, edit, revise and print letters, tables, reports and other materials as appropriate.
8. Complete monthly and annual Local Government and Teachers’ Pension returns in accordance with statutory deadlines. 9. Answer queries from allocated schools and assist with other team member’s queries; create and uphold sound customer
relationships at all times.
10. Respond to enquiries from third parties on payroll related issues, including correspondence with statutory bodies such as HMRC, Local Government Pension Scheme, Teachers’ Pensions and Third Party providers.
Internal Team Responsibilities:
1 Assist in distributing outgoing payroll department post and prepares incoming post for filing into the relevant schools
folder. Ensure that all documents are scanned and filed accordingly. Establishes, maintains, processes and updates files, records, certificates and/or other documents.
2 Assist in the BACS requirements for each month, noting specific school and LA requirements.
3 Contribute to the sharing of good practice and knowledge sharing amongst colleagues as required.
Internal Broader Responsibilities:
1. Proactively encourage customers to utilise the most effective methods of data transfer and communication. 2. Contribute to development of company and payroll processes in line with agreed objectives
3. Ensure compliance with EPM staff policies and procedures. 4. Provide support for other colleagues when necessary.
5. Proactively participate in the EPM Continuous Professional Development process. 6. Maintain confidentiality at all times.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
JOB TITLE: Payroll Administrator QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
Desirable
5 A* - C GCSE including Maths and English, or
equivalent
A qualification in a relevant subject i.e. degree or
NVQ for example
Good (or predicted good) grades in two A level
subjects, or equivalent
EXPERIENCE: Essential
Desirable
Ability to establish good working relationships and gain
credibility with a range of clients
Previous experience working within a
payroll/finance environment
Ability to prioritise and work well under pressure to meet strict deadlines
High level of numeracy and ability to deal accurately with manual calculations of a complex matter
Ability to contribute to a strong team working culture, motivating and supporting fellow team members
Good working knowledge of current HMRC rules on tax and National Insurance.
Good ICT skills including use of Microsoft Office Experience of working in a customer focused
environment Ability to demonstrate careful attention to detail and
accuracy
Experience of using a database
Ability to use initiative and work effectively to achieve individual and team goals
GENERAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT Hours of Work
Full time hours of work are 37 per week, worked Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm. You will be expected to work such reasonable hours as are necessary for the proper and efficient performance of the job, including such additional time outside the normal hours as may reasonably be required.
Staff Benefits
The following staff benefits are available to employees of EPM:
A competitive salary, subject to annual review for discretionary increases.
A company pension scheme in which both you and the company contribute up to 6% of your contractual salary.
A non-contractual annual bonus is paid to all staff in the form of store vouchers. This bonus is dependent on the
performance of the company, and therefore the performance of everyone working as a team.
Holiday entitlement of 22 days per year rising to 27 after 5 years plus 1 concessionary day (normally at Christmas). In
addition, you will also receive payment for the 8 bank holidays per annum and any additional statutory holidays. Due to the nature of the business there are some restrictions on when holidays can be taken which can be discussed at interview. A comprehensive in-house training scheme covering all aspects of the role for which you are applying, plus IT training if needed, on a variety of software packages.
EPM requires all staff to participate in the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) process. The Directors are
committed to developing the quality of service EPM provides and recognise the benefits individuals gain from reflecting, planning and analysing learning experiences. The Directors recognise the importance of individual input to identifying and meeting job related development needs.
All tuition and examination fees are fully paid for company approved courses (subject to certain conditions). Books required
for external courses are paid for by EPM (in this case they are the property of the company and go into EPM’s library when the course is complete).
Dress Code
The dress code is smart office wear.
Confidentiality
The post-holder will be expected to maintain confidentiality about information that the business holds.
Terms and Conditions of Service
A job description may be reviewed and amended after consultation with the post holder. The post holder may be required to undertake any other duties which may arise and are reasonably deemed to fall within the scope of the post.
Health, Safety and Security
Our employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed upon them under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors. We expect our employees to ensure the security of premises and report any damage or loss of property to the appropriate authority.
Smoking
