Finance Business Analyst

Business Analyst (Payroll Transformation) – 24-Month FTC Location: London (Hybrid – 4 days per week onsite) Contract: 24-Month Fixed-Term Contract Working Pattern: Full-Time The Opportunity A leading UK transport and infrastructure organisation is seeking an experienced Business Analyst to support a major payroll transformation and optimisation programme as part of a wider people systems and operational change initiative. This role will focus on understanding and improving payroll processes across a complex, multi-entity business environment. Working closely with Payroll, HR, Finance, and operational stakeholders, you will be responsible for gathering requirements, mapping processes, identifying improvements, and supporting the successful implementation of a new payroll solution. This is a highly business-facing position, ideal for someone with strong payroll domain knowledge who can translate complex operational requirements into clear, actionable documentation and drive successful adoption of new ways of working. Key Responsibilities • Partner with Payroll, Finance, HR, Reward, and operational teams to gather, document, and validate business requirements. • Map end-to-end payroll processes, identifying gaps, risks, controls, and opportunities for improvement and standardisation. • Produce high-quality business requirements, user stories, process documentation, and acceptance criteria. • Translate payroll process requirements into clear specifications for implementation partners and solution providers. • Support the design of future-state payroll operating processes within a federated organisational structure. • Conduct impact assessments across Payroll, HR, Finance, management, and employee stakeholders. • Validate payroll outputs to ensure accuracy, compliance, auditability, and alignment with financial reporting requirements. • Support change management activities, including process documentation, training materials, and stakeholder communications. • Lead and support User Acceptance Testing (UAT), including test planning, scenario creation, execution support, payroll reconciliation, and defect management. Required Experience • Proven experience as a Business Analyst on payroll-focused transformation or implementation projects. • Strong expertise in payroll requirements gathering and documentation. • Experience mapping payroll processes, including inputs, calculations, approvals, controls, and outputs. • Skilled in creating user stories, business requirements, and acceptance criteria. • Strong understanding of payroll operations, compliance requirements, controls, reconciliations, and audit processes. • Experience performing gap analysis and business impact assessments. • Demonstrated experience supporting payroll UAT and validating payroll outcomes. • Ability to assess payroll data dependencies, integrations, and finance-related postings. • Experience working within complex, multi-entity, decentralised, or federated organisations. Desirable Experience • Exposure to payroll technology selection, implementation, or optimisation programmes. • Experience working closely with Finance teams on payroll costing, reconciliation, and reporting impacts. • Knowledge of large-scale people systems or operational transformation initiatives.