Payroll Implementation Manager

We value our people and encourage everyone to grow professionally. If you think this opportunity is right for you, we encourage you to apply! Job Description: Key Responsibilities 1. Implementation Planning and Coordination • Develop and maintain detailed country and workstream implementation plans aligned with the overall programme timeline. • Coordinate implementation activities across HR, Payroll, Finance, Group IT, country teams, implementation partners and payroll service providers. • Define and monitor key milestones, deliverables, dependencies, resource requirements and critical-path activities. • Ensure that roles, responsibilities, expected outputs and due dates are clearly communicated to all relevant parties. • Coordinate the sequencing of activities across SAP Payroll migration, Workday integration, payroll service transition and change management workstreams. • Identify schedule conflicts, resource constraints and cross-workstream dependencies, and escalate them promptly. • Maintain implementation momentum by following up on outstanding actions and ensuring timely closure. 2. Discovery and Blueprint • Coordinate country kick-off, discovery, requirements-gathering and Blueprint sessions. • Ensure that the appropriate country and functional representatives participate in relevant workshops. • Track the collection, review and approval of country payroll requirements, statutory requirements, process information and supporting documentation. • Coordinate the review and closure of gaps, assumptions, decisions and action items identified during discovery and Blueprint. • Ensure that approved requirements and decisions are reflected in the implementation plan and relevant project deliverables. • Work with the Payroll Project Technical Lead to ensure that technical dependencies and solution decisions are incorporated into country rollout plans. 3. Configuration, Integration and Data Readiness • Coordinate configuration, integration and data-preparation activities across internal teams and implementation partners. • Track completion of data templates, data cleansing, mapping, validation and migration-readiness activities. • Monitor the delivery and review of functional and technical specifications. • Coordinate the resolution of business, process and data-related issues that may affect implementation readiness. • Ensure that configuration and integration dependencies are reflected in the project schedule. • Escalate unresolved issues that may affect scope, timeline, payroll accuracy or country readiness. 4. Testing and Parallel Runs • Develop and coordinate the overall testing schedule covering unit testing, System Integration Testing, User Acceptance Testing and payroll parallel runs. • Ensure that test scope, scenarios, participants, environments, data, entry criteria and exit criteria are defined before each test phase. • Coordinate country HR, payroll users, Finance, IT teams and vendors during testing and parallel-run activities. • Monitor test execution, defects, retesting, outstanding issues and closure status. • Ensure that testing evidence, reconciliation results, approvals and sign-offs are properly documented. • Coordinate the review of payroll results, reports, payslips, interfaces and downstream outputs with the relevant business and technical teams. • Track readiness against agreed testing and parallel-run acceptance criteria. • Escalate material defects or unresolved gaps that may affect cutover or the Go/No-Go decision. 5. Cutover, Go-Live and Stabilisation • Develop and maintain the integrated business and operational cutover plan. • Coordinate cutover tasks, owners, dependencies, timings, checkpoints and readiness evidence. • Ensure that business, system, data, support and communication readiness requirements are completed before go-live. • Coordinate cutover rehearsals and track the closure of identified gaps. • Consolidate country and workstream readiness status to support the Go/No-Go decision. • Coordinate implementation activities during go-live and ensure that issues are assigned, prioritised and resolved promptly. • Monitor hypercare and stabilisation activities, including incident trends, outstanding defects and operational handover. • Ensure that exit criteria for hypercare and transition to business-as-usual support are defined and achieved. 6. Vendor and Stakeholder Management • Manage day-to-day delivery coordination with implementation partners, payroll service providers and other third parties. • Monitor vendor deliverables against agreed scope, quality, schedule and acceptance criteria. • Facilitate regular implementation status reviews and ensure that decisions and action items are documented. • Work with country leads and functional stakeholders to resolve delivery issues and maintain alignment. • Escalate significant vendor-performance, timeline, resource or quality concerns to the Global Payroll Project Manager. • Build effective working relationships across countries, functions and vendor teams. 7. Governance, Reporting and Documentation • Maintain accurate implementation status, action, risk, issue, dependency and decision records. • Provide consolidated implementation updates for project governance and management reporting. • Ensure that project documentation, approvals, evidence and sign-offs are complete and properly stored. • Support preparation for PMO, Steering Committee and management review meetings. • Monitor compliance with agreed project governance, change-control and escalation procedures. • Ensure that country implementation activities remain aligned with approved scope, timeline and project standards. Decision-Making and Accountability • Accountable for the timely and coordinated execution of country and workstream implementation activities. • Makes day-to-day implementation and scheduling decisions within the approved project scope, plan and governance framework. • Recommend…