INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Employment Services Team Leader

Salary: SO2 £37,280 - £39,152

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds / Hybrid working available subject to service requirement

As an Employment Services Team Leader, you'll thrive on leading people, driving continuous improvement, and delivering high-quality payroll and HR administration services that support thousands of employees across Leeds City Council and external customers

It's not just about managing processes – it's about leading a specialist team that ensures employees are paid accurately and on time, while maintaining compliance with employment legislation and delivering excellent customer service.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As an Employment Services Team Leader, you will bring to the role:

Experience of leading, motivating and developing staff to achieve high performance and service standards.
Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, pay terms and conditions, and the handling of confidential information.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to build positive relationships and work effectively with customers, colleagues and stakeholders.
Experience of managing workloads, meeting deadlines and maintaining high levels of accuracy in a busy operational environment.
Experience of using IT systems and data to analyse performance, identify improvements and support decision-making.

About the role

As our next Employment Services Team Leader, you'll play a key role in supporting the delivery of HR and payroll administration services for more than 40,000 employee records. You will lead a team of Employment Services Supervisors and work closely with managers and partners across the organisation to ensure service delivery remains accurate, efficient and customer-focused.

The role is integral to our Employment Services team, a specialist service responsible for supporting the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding through to contractual changes, payroll processing and retirement. Working in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment, you will help shape service improvements, provide expert payroll guidance, and ensure compliance with relevant legislation and council policies.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced team leader looking to make a real impact within a large and complex organisation while supporting the development of a skilled and dedicated team.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Chantel Broughton (chantel.broughton@leeds.gov.uk) or Rebekah Hutchison (Rebekah.hutchison@leeds.gov.uk).

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose

This role sits within the Employment Services team, which delivers HR and payroll administration for over 40,000 employee records. The service supports the Authority's statutory and operational responsibilities relating to payroll, HR policy and employment legislation across the full employee lifecycle.

As an Employment Services Team Leader, you will be responsible for implementing and maintaining effective procedures to support the delivery of Employment Services. You will lead, manage and develop a team to ensure service standards are consistently met, balancing the needs of the Authority, external customers and employees whilst meeting strict deadlines and maintaining high levels of accuracy.

You will provide expert technical guidance on payroll matters, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulations and best practice, whilst supporting continuous improvement across the service.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage and develop a team to ensure service standards are consistently achieved.
Implement and maintain effective procedures that support the delivery of Employment Services.
Work in conjunction with senior managers to develop policies and methods of working in response to legislative and best practice changes.
Ensure compliance with Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Quality Assurance procedures.
Take day-to-day responsibility for service delivery and relevant budgets.
Provide expert technical payroll advice and guidance to customers, colleagues and stakeholders.
Analyse and collate data to produce management information and performance reports.
Identify operational issues and opportunities for improvement and implement appropriate solutions.
Ensure legislative, financial, audit and operational requirements are met within the service area.
Maintain confidentiality and compliance when handling sensitive employee and payroll information.
Work flexibly across service areas and locations in response to service demand.
Participate in training and development activities and support the development of team members.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Educated to degree level or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of relevant experience.

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

Well-developed experience of communicating effectively with a wide range of people, including handling confidential and complex information through face-to-face, telephone and written communications.
Experience of leading, managing and motivating staff, including planning, organising and delegating work.
Experience of managing staff performance, attendance, appraisals and training and development activities.
Experience of working as part of a team and contributing to service improvement and new ways of working.
Experience of managing workloads independently, using initiative and meeting deadlines.
Experience of using IT applications and systems to produce, record, analyse and evaluate information.
Experience of delivering excellent customer service and managing challenging situations positively.
Experience of building positive working relationships and coordinating activities across multiple teams and stakeholders.
Experience of working with high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
Knowledge and experience of adhering to legislation and procedures relating to confidential information and financial regulations.
Knowledge of pay terms and conditions and statutory payroll requirements.
Ability to analyse information, identify problems and implement effective solutions.
Strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Willingness to actively participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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