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Senior Project Manager - Finance Transformation

Location: London (Hybrid - 2-3 days per week in the office)

Contract: 12 months initially, with potential an extension

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager / Transformation Lead to provide senior delivery leadership within a major global payroll transformation programme for a leading international organisation.

The programme involves consolidating payroll operations across 35 countries into a single global cloud-based payroll solution, alongside transitioning locally managed payroll support into a centralised Shared Services model.

With the first wave of countries entering parallel run, the organisation is looking for an experienced individual to work closely with senior Finance and Shared Services sponsors, providing leadership, coordination and delivery oversight across the programme.

This is a senior position requiring someone who can operate confidently at executive level while remaining hands-on and closely involved in delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Provide leadership and delivery oversight across the global payroll transformation programme.Work closely with senior executive sponsors across Finance and Shared Services, ensuring alignment on priorities and key decisions.Lead programme governance, including 30, 60 and 90-day reviews, reporting and forward planning.Oversee global payroll consolidation, implementation, parallel runs, testing, cutover and stabilisation.Drive the transition from local payroll operations to a centralised Shared Services model.Manage programme risks, issues, dependencies, budgets and delivery milestones.Coordinate globally distributed teams across the UK, North America and Asia-Pacific.Manage third-party implementation partners and commercial commitments.Oversee dependencies with the wider PeopleFusion HCM programme, particularly employee data and system integrations.Identify delivery challenges and proactively develop practical solutions.

Essential Experience & Skills

Around 15+ years' experience managing complex transformation projects, programmes or portfolios, with strong hands-on delivery experience.Proven experience in finance transformation, global payroll transformation or large-scale enterprise systems implementations.Experience delivering complex, multi-country transformation programmes.Strong understanding of global systems implementation, integration, testing, cutover and transition.Excellent senior stakeholder management and influencing skills, including engagement with executive sponsors and senior Finance leaders.Experience managing programme governance, budgets, risks, dependencies and commercial matters.Proven ability to lead globally distributed teams and manage external implementation partners.Strong communication, leadership and problem-solving skills.

Desirable Experience

Global payroll systems and transformation programmes.ERP implementations such as SAP, Oracle, Workday or similar.Finance operating model transformation and Shared Services transitions.HR / HCM transformation and system integrations.Knowledge of payroll and wider finance processes.PRINCE2, APM, PMI or MSP qualifications.

GCS is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.

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The successful candidate will take end-to-end ownership of delivery, including scope, budget, schedule, governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and business outcomes. They will work across a globally dispersed finance function, partnering with Finance, Digital Technology, Shared Services and external implementation partners.

Key Focus Areas

Lead enterprise finance systems projects through the full lifecycle.

Manage solution design, configuration, integrations, data migration, testing, cutover and hypercare.

Drive governance, reporting, budgeting and risk management.

Influence senior stakeholders including CFOs, Finance Directors and technology leaders.

Manage third-party implementation partners and systems integrators.

Lead globally distributed project teams across multiple regions.

Support change management, user adoption and operational readiness.

Contribute to wider PMO governance, standards and resource planning.

Candidates should demonstrate:

Finance Systems Delivery

Significant experience delivering large-scale finance systems transformations.

End-to-end experience across:

Requirements gathering

Solution design

Implementation

Data migration

Testing

Deployment

Support transition

Benefits realisation

Project Leadership

Ownership of:

Scope

Budget

Schedule

Governance

Quality

Risks and issues

Executive reporting

Stakeholder Management

Strong executive-level engagement skills.

Experience influencing senior Finance and Technology stakeholders.

Comfortable operating in complex global environments.

Supplier & Commercial Management

Managing Systems Integrators and implementation partners.

SOW management.

Change control and commercial governance.

Supplier performance management.

Team Leadership

Leading multidisciplinary project teams.

Line management and development of PMs and Business Analysts.

Resource planning and coaching.

Methods & Tools

PM certifications such as:

PRINCE2

APM

PMI

MSP

Experience with:

Microsoft Project

Power BI

Project governance frameworks

Highly Desirable Background

ERP implementations (SAP, Oracle, Workday, Dynamics, etc.).

Payroll, Procurement, Finance Reporting or Consolidation platforms.

Finance transformation or Target Operating Model programmes.

Shared Services transitions.

Knowledge of:

Record-to-Report (R2R)

Procure-to-Pay (P2P)

Order-to-Cash (O2C)

Payroll processes

Ideal Candidate Profile

Ideal candidate

A senior Finance Transformation Project Manager who has led global ERP or finance systems programmes, managed major systems integrators, and can confidently engage CFO-level stakeholders while driving delivery across international teams. Experience within professional services, consulting, engineering, infrastructure or large multinational organisations would be especially relevant.

A senior transformation leader who can step into an active programme, quickly establish credibility with senior sponsors, manage complex stakeholder groups across global regions, and drive the payroll transformation through to successful delivery while navigating programme dependencies and operational change.

GCS is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.

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