Payroll Projects Officer

United Living Group; Warrington; On-site; GBP 35,000 - GBP 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading infrastructure firm in the United Kingdom is seeking a Payroll Project Officer. This fixed-term role focuses on supporting a Workday payroll implementation. The ideal candidate will have practical UK payroll experience and the ability to work collaboratively in a project environment. The responsibilities include supporting payroll activities, data validation, and process alignment, ensuring compliance throughout the implementation. Strong attention to detail and experience in payroll testing are essential. This position is fixed until the end of May 2026.

Qualifications

• Practical experience working in payroll, preferably in the UK.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, controls, and compliance.
• Experience supporting system change or implementation projects.

Responsibilities

• Support payroll activities during the Workday implementation.
• Act as a payroll subject matter expert within the project team.
• Liaise with external vendors and internal stakeholders.

Skills

Experience in UK payroll

Strong understanding of payroll processes

Experience with Workday Payroll implementation

High attention to detail

Collaborative work style

Comfortable working to deadlines

Experience with payroll testing

Job description

United Infrastructure is a dynamic and rapidly expanding business, focused on delivering critical infrastructure projects, across the utility and social infrastructure sectors.

Our team of highly skilled and hardworking specialists deliver innovative solutions to the complex challenges our clients face.

Our company is split into two business areas:

Utility Infrastructure - Our team of Utility Infrastructure specialists design, build and maintain critical water, energy (gas), power and telecoms infrastructure, for the UK’s largest network owners and operators.

Social Infrastructure -Our team of Social Infrastructure specialists revitalise homes and communities by carrying out a wide range of work, from retrofit to refurbishment, and maintenance.

Job Description

The Payroll Project Officer will support the delivery of a Workday payroll implementation, working closely with Payroll, HR, IT, and external implementation partners. The role will focus on payroll readiness, data accuracy, process alignment, testing, and transition into business-as-usual operations.

This is a hands-on role suited to someone with strong payroll knowledge who enjoys project work and is comfortable operating in a change environment. Please be advised, this is a fixed term role until the end of May 2026.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Implementation Support

• Support payroll activities as part of the Workday implementation project
• Act as a payroll subject matter expert (SME) within the project team
• Support system configuration by providing payroll requirements and validation
• Liaise with external vendors and internal stakeholders to resolve payroll-related queries

Data & Testing

• Support payroll data preparation, validation, and migration activities
• Participate in system testing, including unit testing, integration testing, and parallel runs
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies during testing phases
• Support user acceptance testing (UAT) and sign-off activities

Process & Documentation

• Review current payroll processes and support alignment to Workday payroll functionality
• Help document future-state payroll processes and controls
• Support the development of payroll procedures, guidance, and training materials
• Ensure payroll compliance and controls are maintained throughout implementation

Go-Live & Transition

• Support payroll go-live activities and post-implementation stabilisation
• Assist with issue tracking, resolution, and handover to BAU payroll teams
• Provide ongoing support during early-life support following implementation

Qualifications

Skills & Experience

• Practical experience working in payroll (UK payroll experience essential)
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, controls, and compliance
• Experience supporting system change or implementation projects
• High attention to detail and strong data validation skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across HR, IT, and external suppliers
• Comfortable working to deadlines in a project environment
• Experience supporting or working on a Workday Payroll implementation
• Experience with payroll testing and parallel runs
• Understanding of HRIS / payroll integrations
• Familiarity with project delivery methodologies
• Experience documenting payroll processes and controls