HR and Payroll System Implementation Lead

Salary: £60,000 – £75,000 per annum

Contract Type:  12-month fixed term, full time (37.5 hours)

Team: People Team

Reports to: Director of People

Location: Hybrid / Remote (occasional travel to CMAC HQ in Accrington and other offices)

We are seeking a proactive and hands on HR and Payroll System Implementation Lead to drive a critical 12‑month transformation programme. You will lead the rollout of HiBob (HRIS) and a new payroll system across the CMAC Group, while also playing an active role in our parent company’s wider implementation of SuccessFactors.

This role is pivotal in ensuring HiBob and the new payroll platform integrate seamlessly with the wider SuccessFactors environment, delivering consistent, transparent and reliable data across all systems. You will support the transition from legacy processes to a modern, streamlined people and payroll technical infrastructure that reflects our international footprint and aligns with our parent group standards.

Play your part in our team succeeding

Success in this role means the on time delivery and smooth, effective rollout of our new HR and Payroll system across the UK and four international territories. The platform will be fully integrated, purpose‑fit and consistently adopted across all regions.

You will have successfully coordinated complex, multi‑country deployments bringing clarity, structure and influence to diverse stakeholder groups. Seamless system integrations will enhance efficiency, improve data flow and elevate the overall user experience.

Through strong collaboration and proactive communication, every territory will feel supported, aligned and ready for change. Ultimately  your leadership will ensure parent group timescales are met; a unified, high‑quality technical HR infrastructure across the CMAC Group; and a strong foundation for how we work, connect and grow together.

Core Responsibilities:

Group wide System Implementation and Integration

·       Lead the end to end group wide implementation and integration of HiBob modules and a new Payroll system (TBC) across five distinct jurisdictions.

·       Configure and maintain robust integrations between HiBob, Payroll, finance and SuccessFactors to ensure data parity and governance across the Group.

·       Design and build automated, localised workflows (recruitment, onboarding, performance, core HR, leave management) that account for regional labour laws and cultural nuances.

·       Configure system rules for HR policies, user access and security permissions, ensuring all systems connect correctly and data flows accurately and consistently.

·       Manage and mentor one People Data Analyst, ensuring their work aligns with the rigorous project timelines.

·       Ensure that the system is built in line with requirements from our parent company for data consistency and transparency purposes.

Data Strategy and Migration

·       Ensure accurate data cleansing by auditing legacy data across all five countries to ensure consistency before migration.

·       Oversee the validation and secure transfer of diverse employee datasets from disparate legacy  systems into the new global system architecture.

·       Define and execute a data archiving strategy for decommissioned systems, ensuring compliance with global data protection and privacy regulations (e.g. GDPR).

Project Management and Governance

·       Act as the primary liaison with external consultants and technical teams within our parent group in Singapore and external software vendors.

·       Develop and manage a 12-month implementation roadmap, tracking milestones in line with project timescales, managing risks to ensure the project stays on time, on budget and meets business needs.

·       Lead the User Acceptance Testing phase, ensuring localised versions of the system are bug-free and fit for purpose in every territory.

·       Ensure project governance and data compliance with Data Protection Legislation, tax and pension rules including audit trails.

Payroll Implementation

·       Work with vendors to ensure integration between the HR, payroll and finance systems.

·       Fix system issues that could affect employee pay, working with payroll staff to resolve discrepancies.

·       Deliver parallel pay runs, check and resolving system errors before employees are paid.

·       Review pay, pension and deduction rules to ensure the HR system is integrated with the new payroll system.

Change Management, Adoption and Training

·       Troubleshoot system issues as the first point of contact when HR, payroll, finance or managers have system problems.

·       Develop a change management plan to drive system engagement globally to ensure managers adopt new workflows and employees use self-service tools.

·       Create training materials and lead sessions (virtual and/or in-person) for HR, managers and employees.

·       Ensure the People Team understands the new system and upskilled to build workflows.

·       Test new system features and implement upgrades to improve automation.

·       Set up of KPIs to ensure the HR and payroll systems deliver useful data to leadership and our parent company including headcount analytics, workforce planning, payroll cost dashboards and turnover trends.

The Essentials:

·        Hands on, proven experience leading end‑to‑end HRIS and payroll system implementations.

·        Skilled in configuring HRIS platforms (experience with HiBob or SuccessFactors is highly advantageous).

·        Strong understanding of HR, payroll and data workflows, including compliance with global data protection regulations and integration with finance systems.

·        Proven ability to manage complex data migration projects including cleansing, validation and reconciliation.

·        Confident in testing system upgrades, troubleshooting issues and ensuring end‑to‑end data integrity.

·        Strong data analysis capability, with experience producing meaningful dashboards and MI reports.

·        Experience owning large‑scale digital transformation projects with clear timelines, milestones and governance structures.

·        Skilled in working with external vendors, technical teams and implementation partners, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior stakeholders across multiple countries and time zones.

About You:

You’re an autonomous, technically skilled specialist who thrives by owning complex system implementations from start to finish. You combine a strong command of HRIS and payroll technologies with the confidence to make informed decisions, solve problems independently and keep the project moving at pace. You’re comfortable being the go‑to expert and you take pride in delivering work that is exceptionally accurate, reliable and thoughtfully designed with employee experience in mind.

You balance technical depth with excellent people skills. You can translate complexity into clarity, explaining systems in a way that makes sense to non‑technical colleagues and build trust across HR, payroll, finance and international teams. You listen well, communicate openly and know how to bring people with you, even when the change feels challenging.

You’re someone who is proactive and solution‑focused. You spot issues before they become problems, streamline processes wherever you can, and always look for smarter, more efficient ways of working. You stay calm under pressure, adapt quickly when things change and maintain a steady, organised approach throughout the project.

You are naturally collaborative, respecting different perspectives while providing confident guidance when technical decisions need to be made. You influence and coach others patiently, and support teams to build their capability so the system remains robust and well used long after go‑live.

Above all, you take ownership, deliver on your commitments and bring a positive, can‑do mindset to every challenge. You care about creating systems that genuinely help people work better and you’re motivated by building something robust, transparent and future‑ready for the whole of CMAC Group.

Interested in Applying?

If this role sounds like the right next step for you, please send your CV and a covering letter to recruitment@cmacgroup.com by Monday 6th April 2026.

Tell us what makes you stand out and the skills and experience you’d bring to the role, we’re excited to learn more about you and what you can bring to CMAC Group.

£60,000 – £75,000 per annum

Hybrid working

Company profit sharing bonus

Paid volunteer days

Cycle to Work Scheme

Death in Service

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

EAP

Social events

*We're currently reviewing our benefits package as part of a Pay and Reward project which incorporates staff survey feedback.*