Job description
The Accounts Office:
Lady Margaret Hall is a constituent College of the University of Oxford, located in peaceful, spacious gardens beside the University Parks. LMH was founded in 1878 from a passion for learning and for equality, making it possible, for the first time, for women to study at Oxford. Today, the College continues to draw inspiration from this pioneering vision of educating the excluded. Since 1979 LMH has been a co-educational academic community. Currently we have c.400 undergraduates, c.220 postgraduate students, c.80 academic staff and c.137 support staff. LMH is an ‘Investors in People’ employer and is the only College in Oxford or Cambridge to have achieved the IIP Platinum award.
Relationships:
Reporting to: College Accountant
Liaison with: All LMH staff concerning payroll and pensions issues: all members of the Accounts team, Treasurer, HR Office, Senior Tutor and members of the Academic Office, all departmental managers, HMRC, Pension providers, National Statistics office and College Auditor.
Lady Margaret Hall is a constituent College of the University of Oxford, located in peaceful, spacious gardens beside the University Parks. LMH was founded in 1878 from a passion for learning and for equality, making it possible, for the first time, for women to study at Oxford. Today, the College continues to draw inspiration from this pioneering vision of educating the excluded. Since 1979 LMH has been a co-educational academic community. Currently we have c.400 undergraduates, c.220 postgraduate students, c.80 academic staff and c.137 support staff. LMH is an ‘Investors in People’ employer and is the only College in Oxford or Cambridge to have achieved the IIP Platinum award.
Relationships:
Reporting to: College Accountant
Liaison with: All LMH staff concerning payroll and pensions issues: all members of the Accounts team, Treasurer, HR Office, Senior Tutor and members of the Academic Office, all departmental managers, HMRC, Pension providers, National Statistics office and College Auditor.
Main purpose:
Full responsibility for accurately processing payroll to a deadline each month, including all filings with HMRC and pension providers.
- Maintain and reconcile monthly payroll for support and academic staff. Ensure all information received from departmental heads is accurate for processing.
- Maintenance and security of the payroll system.
- Act as the primary contact for all Payroll and related queries, internal and external
- Action payroll details (bank details, tax codes) for joiners via documents entered on Cintra. Liaise with HR regarding queries. Inform starters of pension options. Action leavers, check holiday, travel loan, cycle scheme etc balances for leavers and action. Action salary sacrifice arrangements, other individual deductions from salary, (including keeping track of deductions such as travel loans and parking). Action changes to terms and conditions of employment and annual salary adjustment figures. Provide and action the adjusted salary details for academics including annual step increases.
- Implement set up details and changes notified by the employee – pension changes etc.
- Process deductions for the health scheme, holiday purchase scheme, cycle scheme on an annual basis.
- Liaise with Heads of Department to obtain and ensure accurate monthly input to the payroll such as overtime hours, casual worker hours and meal allowances, these are imported via Cintra. Unpaid leave and other adjustments are manually calculated and actioned.
- Obtain details of sickness absence for heads of departments and ensure that company sick pay is applicable.
- Manage all data flows relating to the pension schemes used by the College (eg starters, transfers and leavers). Balance the pension submissions each month and liaise with pension providers on the accuracy of pensionable data. Download reports from USS and upload HR and contributions files monthly. Act as the contact point for member queries relating to these pension schemes and answer queries from the scheme administrators. Supply information on the three schemes to staff. Complete annual attestation form and annual information on leavers to USS.
- File online and liaise with HMRC with regard to all statutory payroll deductions and adjustments. Ensure that the College complies with the RTI reporting requirements.
- Handle maternity and paternity pay, sick pay in accordance with the College schemes, in addition to statutory requirements
- Provide salary costs to Heads of Department, as required and assist the College Accountant with preparing salary budgets and forecasts.
- Provide the Assistant Accountant with updated information on staff movements to aid with forecasting. Provide the Student Finance Officer with updated details on research and other allowances.
- Run the statutory Pension Auto Enrolment process each month and action pension entrants. Run the automatic re-enrolment process every three years.
- In consultation with the College Accountant/Assistant Accountant, set up and maintain the analysis parameters within the payroll system to facilitate correct processing into the nominal ledger eg. setting up new pay items, departments, nominal ledger codes, funds.
- Prepare the monthly BACS file for salaries and the BACS files for pension, HMRC and AEO payments. Process the monthly NEST payment.
- Prepare the monthly salary journal for input to the nominal ledger in addition to any additional journals required.
- Prepare the monthly battels spreadsheet (liaising with the Purchase Ledger Clerk) including SCR deductions, ensuring the supplied deductions are correct and legal in line with the NMW. Prepare the battels journal for input to the ledger.
- Maintain and reconcile termly payments for external tuition payments from TMS entries authorised by the Academic Registrar. New tutors are added to payroll, existing details checked.
- Ascertain termly payments for college advising and personal tutors, liaising with the Academic Registrar and ensure these are accurate. Confirm termly retainer payments and action.
- Reconcile all payroll related control accounts each month
- Diarise key action dates and take the necessary action in relation to processes and individuals eg contract end dates, irregular and non- monthly standing payments etc.
- Keep accurate and clear payroll records for inspection and audit
- Prepare salary information for use in salary reviews. Keep updated records of staff and academic salaries.
- Further analysis of salary information as required by College Accountant and Assistant Accountant. Annual employer cost figures in preparation for the annual budget.
- Prepare on an annual basis the year-end reports for the governors, the EBC Stipend Survey report and the Gender Pay Gap report.
- Prepare figures for the National Statistics board on a quarterly basis.
- Provide figures for claiming recharged employer costs on a quarterly basis.
- Provide assistance to staff members regarding their personal tax and pension issues.
- Be part of a team covering a busy Accounts Office dealing with general queries from staff, students and other visitors and provide cover for Accounts Department colleagues during illness, holiday and other absence.
The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the College's organisation and the overall objectives of Lady Margaret Hall.
Essential
- At least 3 years’ experience working on payroll processing within an Accounts team;
- Experience, knowledge and skills necessary to ensure accurate and timely processing of payroll and full compliance with legislation;
- Ability to protect sensitive personal data and act with discretion;
- Ability to structure and carry out complex reconciliations;
- Good working understanding of accounts and debits and credits;
- Excellent IT skills, including knowledge of Excel, Word, payroll systems and databases;
- Disciplined and organised approach to work and attention to detail;
- Good timekeeping;
- Flexibility in providing cover for colleagues, when required;
- Flexibility in working to the payroll deadlines.
- Ability to multi task and correctly prioritise the workload;
- Ability and confidence to work under no supervision;
- Interest in the activities of the College, a friendly and confident manner and a desire to offer excellent standards of service;
- Ability to establish good working relationships with colleagues both within the department and across departments.
Desirable
- Experienced user of Cintra IQ Payroll
- Oxford College payroll experience
- Accountancy training at technician level
The salary is in the region of £47.5K FTE, depending on experience. Working hours are 37.5 per week. Part-time applications will be considered. Benefits of working for the College include 37 days holiday (including bank holidays), the option to join a University pension scheme and one free meal whilst at work and the kitchens are open.
Additional benefits include travel to work incentives, access to University nurseries, a range of leisure and wellness incentives including an employee assistance programme, annual flu jab, use of University sports club and College river sports club, tennis courts and gym and access to various University and student discounts.
Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.
Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.
To apply for this position, please press the 'Apply Now' button and submit a covering letter explaining why you are suitable for this role and your CV.
Deadline for applications: noon on Monday 19th October 2026.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 2nd November 2026.
A principal aim of this College’s Equal Opportunities Policy is to ensure that in the recruitment, selection, training, appraisal, development and promotion of employees, the only consideration must be that the individual best meets, or is likely to meet, the requirements of the programme or course or post.
Lady Margaret Hall is committed to provide a learning, working and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its members are respected, and which is free from prejudice, intimidation and all forms of harassment, including bullying. We seek to ensure that no-one suffers, either directly or indirectly, as a result of discrimination.
Lady Margaret Hall has a range of family friendly policies.
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