Payroll Transformation Project Manager

Sumer is a fast-growing professional services firm that is dedicated to championing small and medium businesses and helping communities prosper, right across the UK and Ireland. We’re at a unique point in our journey: the excitement of a scale-up combined with the stability of a growing professional services group. This is a chance to join us at the ground floor, shape the future, and make a real impact.

As Project Manager – Payroll Transformation, you will play a pivotal role in the successful delivery of Sumer’s payroll transformation programme, including the rollout of a new Payroll solution across multiple business units. This is a critical role supporting one of Sumer’s most business-critical service lines. You will work closely with Payroll leaders, hub teams, Technology, Procurement, Finance, Learning & Development and external vendors to ensure the migration is well planned, tightly governed and delivered with minimal operational disruption.
The role will focus on coordinating the end-to-end payroll migration plan, managing dependencies, supporting testing and training readiness, driving issue resolution and ensuring each hub is prepared for parallel run, go-live and transition into business as usual.
This is a 18-month fixed term contract position, reporting directly into the Strategy and Integration Director.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, governance, and delivery of the payroll migration programme across Sumer hubs and spokes.
• Work closely with Payroll teams to understand current processes, operational requirements and migration readiness. Develop and manage detailed project plans, timelines, milestones, risks, dependencies, budget and resource allocation.
• Coordinate hub-by-hub migration activity, ensuring rollout sequencing is clear and realistic.
• Coordinate with Technology, Procurement and third-party providers to ensure system, contract and implementation dependencies are managed effectively.
• Support the planning and delivery of user testing, parallel runs, data validation, training and go-live readiness.
• Identify, escalate and mitigate project risks, blockers and dependencies.
• Ensure clear communication and reporting of project progress to key stakeholders and governance forums, including developing communication plans to the broader team.
• Support standardisation of payroll processes and ways of working across hubs and spokes.
• Ensure successful transition into business-as-usual operations, including documentation, ownership, support routes and lessons learned. Monitor post implementation progress, adoption and key delivery outcomes.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Project Management Skills: Demonstrated experience in managing multiple technology and transformation project streams efficiently. Strong planning, governance and delivery discipline.
• Analytical Skills: Strong aptitude for data analysis and problem-solving with a structured approach.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to engage and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders and cross-functions.
• Vendor Management: Ability to manage third-party vendors and external delivery partners.
• Problem-Solving: A solution-focused mindset, capable of identifying and addressing challenges that arise during projects. Highly organised, delivery-focused and able to maintain momentum across several workstreams.
• Flexible and deadline driven: Ability to work and adapt in a fast-paced professional services environment.
• Process Mapping and Optimisation: Expertise in evaluating current workflows and recommending improvements for efficiency and consistency, as well as practical understanding of testing and change adoption.
• Communication: Clear and concise communication skills, with the ability to simplify complexity and drive action.

Desirable Skills

• Previous experience working in a professional services environment, including familiarity with payroll or finance operations.
• Experience delivering payroll, HR, ERP or other operational system implementations.
• Experience supporting data migration, parallel run, testing and go-live activities.
• Experience working with external software vendors and implementation partners.
• Change management experience, including training coordination, adoption planning and business readiness.

Belong @ Sumer

At Sumer, we know everyone’s journey is different. That’s why we’re committed to fairness, removing barriers and giving people the support they need to do their best work. If you need any support during the hiring process, just let us know.

Our values represent what matters most to us and guide how we work every day:

• We Shine Together
• We Do the Right Thing
• We Make It Count

We know diverse teams make us stronger. That’s why we’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs and differences are valued and celebrated.

Originally posted on Himalayas