Payroll & Workforce Management Project Lead

-; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global company is seeking an experienced Payroll & Workforce Management Project Lead in London. The role involves leading User Acceptance Testing for a Dayforce implementation across Australia and New Zealand, ensuring operational readiness, and providing post-go-live support. Candidates should possess strong payroll process knowledge and stakeholder management skills, with experience in parallel payroll testing and UAT leadership.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits package

Hybrid working

Holiday allowance

Pension scheme

Qualifications

• Experience leading or supporting Dayforce implementations.
• Ability to write test scripts and lead UAT.
• Experience with parallel payroll testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead UAT planning and execution.
• Develop SOPs for payroll processing and workforce management.
• Ensure compliance with local legislation.

Skills

Payroll processes understanding

Stakeholder management

Test script writing

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Job description

Payroll & Workforce Management Project Lead

Application Deadline: 30 November 2025

Department: Finance

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: London

We are seeking an experienced Payroll and Workforce Management Project Lead to support the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and go-live preparation phases of a Dayforce implementation across Australia and New Zealand. With the design and configuration phases completed, this role focuses on validating the solution, managing UAT activities, leading parallel payroll testing, and ensuring robust operational readiness through documentation and SOP development and ensuring a successful go-live - including hyper care support to stabilise operations post-implementation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead UAT planning and execution across Australia and New Zealand payroll and workforce management processes.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop detailed test scripts, scenarios, and acceptance criteria - despite limited involvement in the design phase.
• Coordinate with business users, technical teams, and vendor (Dayforce) to ensure testing coverage and traceability.
• Manage test defect logging, triage, and resolution, ensuring timely feedback loops.
• Oversee and support parallel payroll runs, reconciling results to ensure accuracy between legacy and new systems.
• Identify and address discrepancies, liaising with internal payroll teams, HR, Finance and external vendor support.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for end-users, including payroll processing, exception handling, reporting, and workforce management tasks.
• Contribute to go-live readiness planning, ensuring handover processes are clearly defined.
• Support change management activities including training preparation and business communications as needed.
• Ensure compliance with local legislation and business policies across both AU and NZ entities.
• Provide hyper care support post go-live, including:
  • First-line issue triage and resolution
  • Working with technical teams and Dayforce support to escalates and resolve issues
  • Monitoring system stability and payroll accuracy
  • Supporting business users through the transition period

We would like to meet someone with

• Proven experience leading or supporting Dayforce (Ceridian) implementations or similar systems, ideally in a regional or multi-country context.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processes, compliance and legislation in Australia and New Zealand.
• Demonstrated ability to write test scripts and lead UAT, particularly in scenarios where upfront design engagement was limited.
• Hands-on experience with parallel payroll testing and reconciliation methodologies.
• Excellent problem-solving and stakeholder management skills in fast-paced project environments.
• Experience developing SOPs, work instructions or training guides for payroll and WFM systems.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently while coordinating across multiple time zones and teams.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Hybrid working, 3 days in London-based office & 2 working from home
• Holiday allowance
• 50% staff discount & 25% for family and friends
• Pension scheme