General Manager

Location of Post

There is currently one permanent whole-time vacancy available in HSE Payroll Services, Finance Shared Services, National Finance & Procurement Division.

FSS Payroll Operations currently have primary Hub locations in:

• Bective Street, Kells, Co. Meath. A82 NX32
• Lacken, Dublin Road, Kilkenny. R95 NV08

·        Wilton Road, Áras Sláinte, Wilton Road, Cork T12 XRRO

• Merlin Park Hospital, Galway. H91 N973

There are also a number of other operational locations throughout Ireland – see below:

• 20 -23, Merchant’s Quay, Dublin, D08 DXW6
• Pery Street, Limerick. V94 AY27
• Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. F91 AP57
• Srah, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. R35 W5W7

The specific location of this post will be agreed with the successful candidate at appointment stage. The ACFO, Finance Shared Services is open to engagement as regards the work location and the expected level of on-site attendance at one of the above locations, in the context of the requirements of this role and the HSE’s Blended Working Policy.

A panel may be formed as a result of this campaign for General Manager – Head of Payroll Operations, Finance Shared Services, National Finance & Procurement Division from which current and future, permanent and specified purpose FSS General Manager Payroll Operations vacancies of full or part-time duration may be filled.

Key Working Relationships

In executing the duties of this role, the successful applicant will work collaboratively with the following:

·        FSS HSE Payroll Operations Managers, FSS HSE Payroll, Audit, Risk and Compliance Manager, FSS HSE Payroll Staffing and Communications Manager, FSS HSE Payroll National Services Manager

·        FSS HSE Payroll Delivery Lead, NiSRP embedded team.

·        FSS HSE Payroll Managers

·        FSS HSE National Payroll team

·        FSS NFPD

·        National Finance

·        Internal and External Payroll Services users i.e. 6 Health Regions & Corporate Services to include S38’s

·        Tusla

·        C&AG (External) & Internal Audit

·        Corporate HR, National Employee Relations (NER), National Recruitment Services (NRS), Finance Specialists, HRSS – NPA, NPM.

·        Dept. of Social Protection (DSP)

·        Revenue Commissioners

·        SAP CoE

·        HSE Governance and Compliance

·        HR Pay Assurance Unit - HRPAU

·        NiSRP programme

·        HSE Tax Department

·        Banking/HSE Treasury

·        Government Departments e.g. DOH, DPER, DOF

·        External Payroll Processing Companies

·        Business Process Councils

·        Trade Unions

·        Solicitors

·        Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB)

·        State Claims Agency

·        Insurance Companies

·        Parliamentary Affairs – PQ’s

·        Customer Affairs/ HSE FOI Offices – Data Protection, FOI Requests, Protected Disclosures

·        Press Office – Media Queries

·        Internal Communications – Media, Communications

·        Or any other Stakeholder Engagement applicable

The above list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the key working relationships.

Purpose of the Post

The General Manager – Head of Payroll Operations manages the HSE Payroll Services Function to ensure that a high-quality payroll service is provided to all HSE employees and HSE pensioners.

The General Manager leads the function through Payroll Reform, delivers the agreed Payroll Strategy assuring continuous improvement, focusing on staff upskilling, process improvement and automation, without increasing the need for growth of the FSS Payroll agreed WTE. The General Manager provides support to the other Functions of FSS, NFPD, where appropriate. Supports the ACFO FSS NFPD.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Operations

·        Responsibility for provision of payroll services to HSE employees and HSE pensioners through the FSS Payroll Services teams.

·        Support, provide leadership and drive the implementation of Payroll Reform through the Payroll Strategy.

·        Support the ongoing implementation of IFMS SAP financial systems and associated improvements.

·        Promote and participate in the implementation of change.

·        Pro-actively identify, measure and report on opportunities for continuous process improvements and automations to optimise business processes and lead on changes and enhancements to implement the required improvements.

·        Participate in any working groups, forums or committees as requested and report key actions/deliverables and outcomes as required to ACFO, FSS NFPD.

Communications/Stakeholder Management

·        To develop and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external customers, government departments and external services providers.

·        Ensure agreed service levels are delivered and maintained in line with the Customer Relationship Model (CRM) defined and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place.

·        Engagement with FSS Business Relationship Management and assist in the management of CRM feedback mechanism.

·        Ensure and promote effective communication in both internal and external environment.

Leadership and Staff Management

·        Provide strong leadership and support to staff in the operation of services, including the FSS HSE Payroll Leadership Team, FSS BSS Payroll Reform team and the wider FSS Payroll Services teams.

·        Managing and maintain a high performing team on an ongoing basis.

·        Manage and control the delivery of services within budget and WTE staffing limits.

·        Ensure robust business structures and processes are in place to support staff in fulfilling their roles and create positive ethos and constructive working relationships among the teams.

·        Provide leadership, support and guidance to the FSS HSE Payroll Staffing and Communications Manager in relation to the Recruitment of staff, the completion of FOIs, PQs and Media requests.

·        Provide leadership, support and guidance to the FSS HSE Payroll Audit, Risk and Compliance Manager in the achievement of their goals.

·        Provide leadership, support and guidance to the FSS HSE Payroll Operations Managers.

·        Provide support and guidance for the rollout of the fully integrated SAP HR (NiSRP) solution.

·        Provide support and guidance to the FSS HSE Payroll embedded team in NiSRP.

·        Lead, motivate and ensure the development of a positive organisational culture within FSS HSE Payroll Services.

·        Continue to develop own personal and professional competencies.

·        Ensure a high quality of service is maintained.

·        Deal with IR Issues as they arise.

·        Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

Compliance & Internal Controls

·        Maintaining processes, controls, and procedures to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the payroll function in accordance with best practice, legislation and HSE Terms and Conditions of employment.

·        Management of activities in line with NFRs, Statutory Regulations, Audit Recommendations, Payment Schedules, Payment of Wages Act and HR circulars.

·        Provide support to the ACFO FSS NFPD in the delivery of national objectives and deliverables and deputise when required.

·        Escalating issues through the issue resolution framework as and when deemed appropriate and liaising with the appropriate persons to resolve issues as quickly as possible.

·        Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.

Tusla

Provide the agreed payroll service to Tusla, in accordance with the SLA and the Tusla Financial Regulation 04, maintain and agree SLA with Tusla Senior Managers annually. Inform Tusla of any system or process changes that impact them. Work with Tusla to implement process improvements and automations. Provide access to HSE Payroll automations and RPA functionality.

Section 38’s

·        Plan for the delivery and provision of the agreed standard payroll service to S38s moving to FSS Payroll under Payroll Reform in cooperation with NiSRP, SAP CoE and HRSS and in accordance with the Shared Services Implementation Model. Standard SLA to be agreed for the S38s as a whole. Timelines to be agreed through the implementation project. Staggered approach to implementation is agreed through the project. Ensure SS Resourcing arrangement is implemented in accordance with the NiSRP- Resourcing arrangements to deliver Shared Services to the S38s plan. Provide access to HSE Payroll automations and RPA functionality.

General

·        Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

·        Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water, and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Eligibility Criteria

Qualifications and/ or experience

Candidates must have at the latest date of application: -

·        Significant experience in managing and working in Payroll services or related finance role, as relevant to the role.

·        Operational experience in managing a high-volume transaction-processing environment to include experience in project management, as relevant to the role.

·        Significant experience in managing change in a complex environment, as relevant to the role.

·        Experience in relationship management and working collaboratively with multiple internal and external stakeholders, as relevant to the role.

·        Significant experience in team management and development, as relevant to the role

·        Have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and management ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Other requirements specific to the post

·        Access to appropriate transport to fulfil the requirements of the role as the post may involve travel to other locations.

·        A flexible approach to working hours is required in order to ensure deadlines are met.

Additional eligibility requirements:

Citizenship Requirements

Eligible candidates must be:

(i)               EEA, Swiss, or British citizens

OR

(ii)              Non-European Economic Area citizens with permission to reside and work in the State

Read Appendix 2 of the Additional Campaign Information for further information on accepted Stamps for Non-EEA citizens resident in the State, including those with refugee status.

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional Knowledge & Experience

Demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge and senior experience in a financial shared service environment or similar relevant environment
• Knowledge of the HSE FSS Payroll Services Function, and HSE reform programmes

·        Excellent understanding of shared services and the role of the FSS in both the Financial Management Framework and wider finance reform agenda

• A working knowledge of relevant IT systems. i.e. SAP HR and Payroll, IFMS, CIF or similar ERP systems
• Financial Management and resource allocation experience within a large complex environment
• An ability to work effectively under pressure and manage several programmes and projects simultaneously.
• Knowledge of statutory regulations within the payroll function
• Excellent IT skills, including Advanced MS Office skills
• The ability to work in line with relevant policies and procedures
• Knowledge of dealing with FOI’s, PQ’s & Media queries
• Knowledge and experience of benchmarking, service level agreements and key performance metric practices and methodologies
• Knowledge of dealing with and managing budgets
• Knowledge of Business Relationship Management (BRM)/Customer Relationship Management (CRM) & Service Level Management
• Experience of Stakeholder Engagement
• Knowledge of HR processes and their impact on the end to end payroll process
• Experience in Recruitment & HR Process Support
• Excellent communications skills
• Experience in providing a Quality Service

Managing and Delivering Results (Operational Excellence)

• Excellent organisational and time management skills to meet objectives within agreed timeframes and achieve quality results
• A proven ability to prioritise, organise and schedule a wide variety of tasks and to manage competing demands and tight deadlines while consistently maintaining high standards and positive working relationships
• The ability to work on a self-directed basis
• Evidence of effective project planning and organisational skills including an awareness of resource management and the importance of value for money
• Strong evidence of excellent financial planning and expenditure management
• The ability to seek and seize opportunities that are beneficial to achieving organisation goals and strives to improve service delivery
• The ability to improve efficiency within the working environment and the ability to evolve and adapt to a rapid changing environment
• A capacity to operate successfully in a challenging environment while adhering to various standards
• Ability to take personal responsibility to initiate activities and drive objectives through to a conclusion
• Adequately identifies, manages and reports on risk within area of responsibility
• A focus on operational excellence in managing and delivering results

·        The ability to consider the range of options available, make timely decisions and take ownership of those decisions and their implications.

·        Capacity to anticipate problems and to recognise when to involve other parties at an appropriate time and level.

Critical Analysis, Problem Solving and Decision Making

• The ability to evaluate complex information from a variety of sources and make effective decisions
• Excellent analytical skills to enable analysis, interpretation of data and data extraction from multiple data sources
• Considers the impact of decisions before taking action
• Anticipates problems and recognises when to involve other parties (at the appropriate time and level)
• Makes timely decisions and stands by those decisions as required
• The ability to consider the range of options available, involve other parties at the appropriate time and level, to make balanced and timely decisions
• Significant experience in effective operational problem solving utilising an inclusive approach which fosters learning and self-reliance amongst teams
• A knowledge and application of evidence-based decision making
• Ability to provide significant input to operational and strategic decision making
• A capacity to develop new proposals and put forward solutions to address problems in a timely manner
• Effective problem solving in complex work environments

Leadership, Direction and Teamworking Skills

• Effective leadership in a challenging and busy environment including a track record of innovation / improvements
• Experience of managing people
• Resilience and an ability to cope with difficult interpersonal situations, competing demands and tight timescales in new and changing environments
• Ability to lead, organise and motivate teams to the confident delivery of excellent services and service outcomes
• Ability to support, supervise, develop and empower staff in changing work practises in a challenging environment within existing resources
• Champions measurement on delivery of results and is willing to take personal responsibility to initiate activities and drive objectives through to a conclusion
• Motivation and an innovative approach to the job within a changing working environment
• Evidence of being a positive agent of change and performance improvement
• Flexibility and adaptability to meet the requirements of the role
• Experience of working as part of a team with a mixed programme of work, and moving with ease between concurrent projects
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary team members and other stakeholders to facilitate high performance, developing and achieving clear and realistic objectives
• An ability to influence and negotiate effectively in furthering the objectives of the role

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills to facilitate work with a wide range of stakeholders
• The ability to interact in a professional manner with staff and other key stakeholders
• The ability to present information clearly, concisely and confidently when speaking and in writing tailoring to meet the needs of the audience
• Has a strong results focus and ability to achieve results through collaborative working
• Excellent presentation skills
• Excellent written communication skills including the ability to produce professional reports
• Excellent people skills and the ability to achieve “buy-in” from major stakeholders
• Strong negotiation/influencing skills

Personal Commitment and Motivation

• A vision in relation to what work changes are required to achieve immediate and long-term organisational objectives
• Be driven by a value system compatible with the aims and ethos of the HSE
• Demonstrate a core belief in and passion for the sustainable delivery of high-quality service-user focused services
• Be capable of coping with competing demands without a diminution in performance
• A strong willingness and ability to operate in the flexible manner that is essential for the effective delivery of the role
• A commitment to continuing professional and personal development
• Is personally committed and motivated for the complex role of General Manager – Head of Payroll Operations, FSS, NFPD.

Tenure

The current vacancy available is permanent and whole time.

The post is pensionable. A panel may be created from which permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part time duration may be filled. The tenure of these posts will be indicated at “expression of interest” stage.

Appointment as an employee of the Health Service Executive is governed by the Health Act 2004 and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 and Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Amendment Act 2013.

Remuneration

The salary scale for the post (as at 01/08/25) is:

€85,747 - €87,912 - €91,342 - €94,798 €98,226 - €101,663 - €106,660

New appointees to any grade start at the minimum point of the scale. Incremental credit will be applied for recognised relevant service in Ireland and abroad (Department of Health Circular 2/2011). Incremental credit is normally granted on appointment, in respect of previous experience in the Civil Service, local authorities, health service and other public service bodies and statutory agencies.