Payroll Transformation Manager

Key Responsibilities1. Project Leadership & System Readiness

• System Upgrades: Partner with our payroll software vendors to manage the implementation of HMRC's updated RTI technical specifications (including the 200+ new data fields).
• Testing & QA: Design, manage, and execute comprehensive parallel payroll runs to stress-test system calculations, notional pay inputs, and Real Time Information (RTI) transmissions.
• Data Migration: Audit and clean historical benefits data (e.g., company car CO2 emissions, medical premiums) to ensure accuracy before migration into the live payroll system.

2. Process Re-engineering & Integration

• Workflow Design: Map and overhaul the current HR-to-Payroll data pipeline, replacing manual month-end/year-end processes with automated, real-time data sharing.
• Policy Implementation: Establish and enforce strict mid-month cut-off dates and standard operating procedures for handling mid-year benefit changes (e.g., starters, leavers, pro-rata calculations).
• Vendor Management: Work closely with third-party benefit providers (medical insurance, fleet management) to automate data feeds directly into our payroll environment.

3. Financial & Compliance Governance

• Cash Flow Coordination: Collaborate with the Finance team to manage the 2027 "double-payment" cash flow impact (reconciling legacy July 2027 Class 1A NICs alongside new monthly real-time payments).
• HMRC Compliance: Ensure all taxable benefits are correctly categorised, valued, and processed as notional pay in strict compliance with current and upcoming UK tax legislation.

4. Change Management & Communication

• Stakeholder Management: Act as the central point of contact and bridge the gap between HR, Finance, IT, and Business Leaders.
• Employee Communications: Create clear, accessible communication strategies and templates to explain changes in monthly take-home pay and tax codes to the wider workforce.
• Internal Training: Train internal HR and Payroll operational teams on the new system mechanics and how to handle employee queries.