Payroll Operations and Data Analyst - Payroll Review and Transformation

JC-4485; Payroll Operations & Data Analyst – Payroll Review & Transformation

Reference: 1638

Basis: Contract

Salary: Competitive outside IR35

Do you have hands-on experience analysing payroll operational data to identify error patterns, investigate exceptions and establish evidence-based root causes in complex payroll environments?

This consulting opportunity is to support our client undertaking an independent review of its payroll service and defining a sustainable future operating model. Working alongside the Lead Payroll SME, this is a hands-on diagnostic role focused on payroll data analysis and root cause fact-finding.

The project needs a consultant who has:

• deep hands-on experience working with payroll operations and the end-to-end pay cycle in complex, high-volume environments
• demonstrable experience interrogating payroll operational data to identify patterns, anomalies, exceptions and recurring error populations
• proven root cause investigation capability, tracing payroll issues across source data, processes, controls, systems and interfaces
• strong data manipulation and reconciliation skills, including advanced Excel.
• ability to work as an analytical specialist alongside a Lead Payroll SME within clear governance and role boundaries, turning evidence into a defensible fact base

Key services:

The key services that you will be asked to provide are:

• gather, structure and interrogate payroll data and supporting evidence, including payroll outputs, corrections, manual payments, exceptions, reconciliations and case/ticket data where available
• analyse trends, anomalies, error types and recurring populations to identify where and why payroll performance is breaking down
• trace issues through the end-to-end payroll lifecycle to identify likely failure points across upstream data, processing, interfaces, configuration and controls
• test emerging hypotheses and root causes against data, triangulating quantitative evidence with stakeholder interviews, process walkthroughs and system evidence
• support payroll-cycle observation, reconciliations and control testing to assess whether issues are isolated or systemic
• maintain a clear evidence trail, documenting findings, data limitations, assumptions and unresolved questions for review with the Lead Payroll SME
• support current-state process and control mapping and the prioritisation of tactical improvements and longer-term recommendations, providing the analytical fact base for the Lead Payroll SME’s conclusions and future-state design

Mandatory Requirements:

Successful consultants will be able to demonstrate:

• significant hands-on experience analysing payroll operations data in a complex, high-volume payroll environment
• demonstrable experience using payroll data to investigate errors and exceptions and establish evidence-based root causes — not solely process mapping or requirements gathering
• advanced Excel and strong data manipulation and reconciliation skills, with confidence working with large payroll extracts
• practical understanding of payroll processing, corrections, manual payments, reconciliations, controls and exception management
• ability to distinguish and investigate issues arising from source data, process, system/configuration, integration/interface or control failures
• strong analytical judgement and the ability to produce clear, traceable evidence and concise findings for senior review
• experience working collaboratively across Payroll, People/HR, Finance, Technology and third parties within a clearly governed delivery team

Optional Requirements:

It will also be advantageous if you have:

• experience of Oracle Fusion Payroll and/or tools such as Power Query, Power BI or SQL would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Working Pattern: Mainly remote (UK) with some travel to client sites across the UK.
Contract Type: Outside IR35
Start: Nov 2026
Duration: 4 months+
Availability: Full-time, 5 days per week