Pay & Reward Manager
Location: Edinburgh or Inverness (Hybrid – Min 1 day per week in office)
Salary: £42,467 – £44,646 + exceptional benefits including flexi working, generous holidays, and 28.97% Civil Service pension scheme
Help shape the future of pay and reward for over 1,300 employees while enjoying flexibility, balance, and the security of a Civil Service career.
Syme Drummond is delighted to be partnering exclusively, on a retained basis, with Forestry and Land Scotland to appoint a Pay & Reward Manager. In this hands-on leadership role, you’ll lead a small, capable team and oversee accurate, timely payroll and pensions services across Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry, with scope to refine processes, drive improvements, and make a genuine impact in a supportive, collaborative environment.
What you’ll do:
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Lead, manage, and develop two Pay & Reward Officers.
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Deliver accurate, timely payroll across two organisations (FLS & Scottish Forestry), including reconciliations, submissions and statutory returns.
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Administer Civil Service and Partnership pension schemes.
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Maintain strong relationships with HR colleagues, managers, and unions.
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Liaise with HMRC, pension administrators, and payroll system providers (iTrent).
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Review and improve payroll processes, ensuring legislative compliance.
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Provide expert advice on pay, tax, NI, pensions, and deductions.
We’re looking for someone who:
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Has proven experience successfully managing a payroll function and team.
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Understands payroll & pension legislation and HMRC requirements.
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Is confident using integrated HR & payroll systems (ideally iTrent).
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Brings strong numerical, analytical, and Excel skills.
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Communicates clearly, leads with empathy, and thrives in a collaborative environment.
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(Desirable) Has experience with Civil Service terms and pension schemes or holds a CIPP payroll qualification.
Why join?
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Real flexibility: Hybrid working, compressed hours options, and a clear “right to switch off” — no evenings or weekends. Flexitime lets you take up to two days off per month if you’ve built up the time.
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Work–life balance: 35-hour week or open to compressed working/30 hours; 25 days’ annual leave rising to 30 (plus 11.5 public holidays).
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Great benefits: Excellent Civil Service pension; supportive, friendly offices (Edinburgh & Inverness) with a collaborative vibe, and practical touches like parking if you commute.
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Supportive leadership: Hands-off, trust-based management with regular check-ins; a team culture that values decisions, follow-through and good humour!
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Impact and improvement: Scope to streamline processes, automate where possible and make better use of iTrent with help from our HR Systems colleagues.
If you’re a payroll professional with proven leadership skills and the desire to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply now to bring your skills to an organisation that values people as much as the work they do, or reach out to Kelsie.patterson@symedrummond.co.uk to find out more and have a confidential discussion.