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About us

National Energy Action (NEA) is the national fuel poverty charity. We have worked across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for over 40 years to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, healthy home.

Millions of households across the UK still face high energy bills, low incomes and poor energy efficiency. We work with frontline practitioners, companies, regulators and governments to support vulnerable clients, raise awareness and achieve enduring change. Our work tackles these challenges head‑on, delivering practical support, influencing policy and improving lives.

Our values guide how we work every day — we make things happen, we put people first and we lead the way. These values come to life through our behaviours, including pulling together, owning the outcome and supporting one another.

Our teams are friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about what we do. We offer a supportive, rewarding workplace where you can build a meaningful career while making a real difference every day.

The Role

We are looking for a motivated and committed Payroll & HR Systems Assistant to join our Support Services Directorate. This shared‑service role supports both the Finance and People & Culture teams, ensuring payroll is processed accurately and on time, employee records are maintained correctly, and HR systems operate effectively.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a respected national charity while developing your payroll and HR systems experience in a collaborative and supportive environment.

What you’ll be doing

• Prepare and process monthly salary calculations and maintain payroll records
• Support statutory payroll requirements including PAYE, National Insurance, pensions and RTI
• Prepare, reconcile and post monthly payroll journals and process payroll‑related payments
• Respond to payroll queries and support year‑end processes including P60s and P11Ds
• Maintain accurate employee records within Iris Cascade and support employee lifecycle administration
• Produce regular and ad hoc people reports and support data quality checks
• Work with Finance and People teams to ensure payroll and HR data remain aligned
• Support HR systems testing, reporting developments and continuous improvement
• Assist with the effective administration of HR systems and processes

Your work will directly support NEA’s ability to maintain accurate payroll and people information, meet statutory requirements and provide effective support to colleagues across the organisation.

What you will need to succeed

You will bring:

• Experience preparing payroll calculations and processing payroll through a payroll system
• Experience maintaining employee data within an HR, people management or payroll system
• Experience producing reports and maintaining confidential payroll records
• Strong understanding of UK payroll legislation including PAYE, NI, pensions and statutory payments
• Knowledge of pension auto‑enrolment requirements
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work to strict deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Effective communication skills and the ability to handle sensitive information confidentially
• GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above)

Desirable:

• Experience using Iris Cascade, Sage 50 Payroll or similar systems
• Experience preparing payroll journals and financial reconciliations
• Experience supporting payroll audits and year‑end processes
• Experience working within a Finance, Payroll or shared service environment
• Understanding of HR processes including onboarding and contractual changes
• Payroll qualification (e.g. CIPP) or equivalent training

What we offer

• £16,364–£17,164 per annum (pro-rata) Level 2, Points 6–9. New appointments will usually begin at the starting point of the scale.
• 11.5% non‑contributory pension.
• 25 days annual leave plus 3 additional days between Christmas and New Year when our offices are closed. Entitlement is pro-rata for part-time staff
• All public holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working.
• Enhanced family‑friendly payments.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Employee benefits platform.

This is a hybrid role based at NEA’s Newcastle office, with a minimum of one day per week on site.

Hybrid and home working are subject to necessary H&S and GDPR compliance checks. Post holders must be resident within the UK and be able to provide their Right to Work in the UK.

Please note that National Energy Action is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore, the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.

Please note CVs will not be accepted as part of the application process.  No recruitment agency or advertising enquiries, please.

NEA is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all people with the necessary skills and experience. 

Only shortlisted candidates selected for interview will be notified of the confirmed time and location of interview.