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Payroll Manager
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Payroll Implementation Manager – UK Payroll
Locations: Newcastle | Manchester | Belfast | Leeds | Glasgow
Hybrid working
Our client is a globally recognized professional services organisation with an established UK Payroll and Tax practice, supporting major organisations with complex payroll, technology and transformation requirements.
They are looking for experienced Payroll Implementation professionals to join their Payroll Operate team, supporting the onboarding, implementation and delivery of UK client payrolls. The wider team supports payroll across 159 countries, giving you exposure to complex UK and international payroll environments, multiple technologies and well-known global clients.
What You’ll Do
- Deliver and support the end-to-end implementation of UK payrolls, from initial requirements through to go-live and transition into BAU.
- Gather and analyse client requirements, understanding existing payroll processes and translating them into system solutions.
- Build and configure payroll systems, including backend setup, rules, calculations and processes.
- Support data migration, mapping, validation, reconciliation and parallel payroll runs.
- Lead or support UAT, test planning, defect resolution and implementation readiness.
- Work closely with clients, payroll specialists, technology teams and implementation colleagues throughout the project.
- Identify payroll issues and potential risks, investigate root causes and ensure they are resolved before go-live.
- Manage changes to requirements and payroll processes throughout the implementation.
- Support cutover, go-live and the transition into ongoing payroll operations.
- Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, automation and system functionality.
- At the more senior level, take greater ownership of client-facing scoping, requirements and solution discussions, challenging requirements where appropriate and recommending improvements.
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What We’re Looking For
- 4+ years of UK payroll experience, ideally within consulting, managed payroll, outsourcing or another client-focused environment.
- 3+ years of experience in payroll implementation, build, migration or transformation.
- Strong understanding of end-to-end UK payroll, including payroll calculations, statutory requirements and processes.
- Hands-on experience with payroll system configuration/build, rather than payroll processing alone.
- Experience gathering requirements and translating business/client needs into payroll solutions.
- Experience with UAT, testing, reconciliation, parallel runs, cutover and go-live.
- Experience supporting or implementing payrolls of 500+ employees, ideally within complex or high-volume environments.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify errors and challenge requirements where necessary.
- Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence working directly with clients.
- Manual payroll processing/calculation experience alongside automated payroll is highly beneficial.
- iTrent experience is ideal but not essential. Experience with Workday, Dayforce, SAP, SuccessFactors, Oracle or other enterprise payroll systems is also relevant.
- International payroll experience is beneficial.
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What Makes This Role Different?
- This is not a BAU payroll processing role.
- The focus is on payroll implementation, system build and technology delivery, working through the full implementation lifecycle from requirements and configuration through to testing, parallel runs and go-live.
- You will work closely with both payroll and technology teams, while also having exposure to clients and senior stakeholders.
- For more senior candidates, the role offers increased ownership of client-facing scoping, requirements gathering and solution design, including the opportunity to challenge requirements, identify potential issues and recommend better ways of working.
Why Join?
- Work on complex UK payroll implementations rather than BAU processing alone.
- Gain exposure to international payroll across 159 countries.
- Work with major organisations across multiple industries.
- Gain experience across different payroll technologies and platforms.
- Develop your career across payroll implementation, technology and transformation.
- Work alongside experienced payroll, technology and implementation professionals.
- Build stronger client-facing and consulting skills.
- Opportunity to progress within an established Payroll Operate function.
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