Commercial Director - Pay SMB

The Access Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company in the UK is seeking a Commercial Director Payroll for the SMB segment. This strategic leadership role involves driving market expansion and commercial success within payroll solutions. Ideal candidates will have a strong strategic vision and experience in managing P&L, with responsibilities including market research, budgeting, and cross-functional team leadership. The company offers a blended working approach and a competitive salary package.

Benefits

25 days holiday

Matched pension scheme

Charity day

Qualifications

• Senior strategic leadership experience in payroll solutions.
• Proven track record in market expansion and commercial success.
• Experience managing complex customer segments.

Responsibilities

• Drive market research across accountancy and SaaS markets.
• Manage P&L responsibilities and budgeting for SMB Pay.
• Execute GTM plans and drive internal and cross-selling.
• Manage dual-market complexity with customer feedback loops.

Skills

Strategic vision

Cross-functional leadership

Market research

P&L management

Sales execution

Data analysis

Job description

We’re looking for people to join the Access family, who share our passion for believing in better, and who will help us continue to grow.

Love Work. Love Life. Be You. - is central to our success and how we give our customers the freedom to do more of what's important to them.

What does Access offer you?

We offer a blended approach to office working, encouraging you to collaborate and connect in one of our thriving offices. We deliver on what we say, taking the development of our people seriously. We’ll work with you to progress your success plan and provide opportunities to accelerate your career.

On top of a competitive salary, our standard 25 days holiday (which goes up the longer you’re with us), and a matched pension scheme, you’ll also be able to choose from a range of benefits to suit you. We’re an organisation that likes to give back, so you’ll also have one charity day allocated to support a cause that matters to you.

The role of Commercial Director Payroll SMB is a senior strategic leadership role responsible for driving the commercial success and market expansion of Access's payroll solutions within the Small and Medium Business segment. This position combines strategic vision, commercial expertise, and cross‑functional leadership to accelerate growth whilst navigating the complex landscape of traditional payroll bureaus, direct SaaS customers and managed service providers.

Day‑to‑day responsibilities

• Driving market research across accountancy/bureau and direct SaaS markets & developing business cases for agentic pay system implementation and legacy system migration.
• Managing P&L responsibilities and budgeting for SMB Pay function.

Business Objectives

• Align OKRs & optimize migration metrics driving adoption.
• Managing the complexity of serving accountancy bureaus vs direct end vs managed service users.

Go‑To‑Market Strategy

• Executing GTM plans and driving sales through internal and cross‑selling.
• Maximising speed to value and retention across customer segments.
• Developing differentiated messaging for bureau vs direct market.

Product Lifecycle Management

• Managing dual‑market complexity (accountancy/bureau, direct SaaS & MS).
• Driving customer feedback loops to inform product roadmap & drive innovation.

Metrics & Analysis

• Tracking, monitoring and analysing differing metrics & patterns across market segments.
• Utilising and prioritising data.

Virtual Team Leadership

• Leading cross‑functional teams & having the ability to influence and align to stakeholder requirements.
• Driving accountability through metrics and clear objectives.

At Access, we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. If you're excited about this role, even if your past experience doesn't align perfectly and you're not ticking every single box, you might just be the perfect fit for us. We wholeheartedly believe in equality for all and the transformative power of diversity.

Why not join our vibrant team where you can love what you do, love how you live, and most importantly, be authentically you? Let's make a difference together.

Love Work. Love Life. Be You

What are we all about?

The Access Group is one of the largest UK‑headquartered business management software providers. It provides solutions that empower more than 160,000 small and mid‑sized organisations in commercial and non‑profit sectors across Europe, USA and APAC, giving every employee the freedom to do more of what's important. Its innovative cloud solutions and integrated AI software experience across multiple Access products transform how business technology is used. Access employs approx. 8,500 people, continuously driving product innovation and customer service excellence.

Love Work. Love Life. Be You.