Apprentice/Graduate Payroll Specialist

Job Type: Entry-Level / Graduate Scheme / Apprentice Path

Location: Wakefield

About the role

The primary purpose of this role is to participate in the SAMpeople Payroll Academy, a structured, high-touch training centre operating out of our Wakefield office. This entry-level scheme is specifically designed to transform ambitious school leavers or university graduates into fully self-sufficient corporate payroll professionals.

By mastering internal software, compliance frameworks, and administrative workflows from the ground up, you will progressively take ownership of baseline data tasks, directly reducing the operational burden on our core delivery teams while launching a long-term career path. Crucially, this role leverages an intensive in-person team environment to foster rapid development, casual peer learning, and strong professional camaraderie.

Core responsibilities

• Learning and Operational Development
• Actively engage in intensive, systems-based onboarding covering internal payroll applications, data compliance rules, Education sector specific and standard HMRC guidelines.
• Adopt a highly coachable mindset, absorbing constructive feedback from the Team Leader and applying it to improve operational data input accuracy.
• Data Administration & Verification
• Execute high-volume, baseline administrative inputs, including entering employee variables, processing timesheets, and updating internal documentation.
• Methodically cross-reference new starter and leaver information, actively flagging system anomalies, data gaps, or formatting errors before processing runs.
• Monitored Portfolio Ownership
• Assume progressive, monitored autonomy over a small, predictable set of portfolios as training advances.
• Ensure all end-to-end processing is fully prepared on time and routed directly to the Team Leader for a 100% quality and compliance audit before final submission.
• Office Pod Collaboration
• Actively participate in daily in-person team stand-ups, workflow brainstorming sessions, and shared problem-solving within the Wakefield pod.
• Contribute to a vibrant, communicative office culture, actively collaborating with peers to eliminate professional isolation and optimize overall pod efficiency.

Requirements

About you

This role is ideal for anyone looking for a graduate job, apprenticeship, or an entry-level administrative role. The role may be of particular interest to School Leavers or University Graduates (any degree background-we train you on everything!).

• Accuracy & Detail-Oriented
• Possesses a strong "audit eye" with a natural ability to process high volumes of data accurately without compromising on quality.
• Methodical approach to spotting data anomalies, formatting errors, or compliance issues within spreadsheets.
• Takes pride in the precision of personal output, ensuring thorough self-checking before passing work forward.
• Collaborative & Team Player
• Highly motivated by a physical, in-person office environment and eager to contribute to a vibrant team culture.
• Strong active listening and communication skills, with a natural ability to build on ideas and problem-solve collectively within a group.
• Demonstrates workplace empathy and a willingness to support peers during busy periods to keep the team moving forward.
• Understanding of AI Principles & Interest in Learning More
• Possesses a baseline conceptual awareness of how artificial intelligence and automation can be used to streamline repetitive data tasks.
• Demonstrates strong digital literacy and a curious, tech-minded approach to learning new corporate systems.
• Highly adaptable and enthusiastic about training on advanced software, automation tools, and future AI-driven payroll applications.
• Coachability & Growth Mindset
• Open-minded and receptive to feedback, viewing constructive coaching as an opportunity for rapid personal development.
• Driven by a strong desire to learn the "why" behind operational processes, with a clear focus on progressing into a fully autonomous professional role.

About us

At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better.

Central to this mission is equipping Schools with the technology and support to address any challenges they may face, so expanding our product suite and enhancing our customer offering has become an essential priority.

One of these many products is SAMpeople, a cloud based software platform for schools to give them a one-stop shop for their people management.

SAMpeople are Education people specialists; we have a team of leaders who have all worked in education for many years and understand the business challenges that schools and MATs have to deal with day in and day out.

At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren’t just about efficiency, outputs and productivity - but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn.

Benefits

What we offer

The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer:

• Professional Development Funding: Including supported study and funding for external payroll qualifications (similar to a higher apprenticeship framework). Prior qualifications will depend on the pathway available to you.
• 25 days annual leave (plus 8 days Bank Hols)
• Your birthday off
• BUPA Healthcare Cashback plan - following successful completion of probation
• Pension Scheme
• A cracking team to work with!

Interview process

• Phone screen
• 1st stage
• 2nd stage

We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at [email protected].

Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice.

Arbor Education is an equal opportunities organisation

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Refer a friend

Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague, if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email: [email protected]

Please note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.