SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll Senior Consultant / Architect

Location: London / Birmingham / Manchester

Salary: Competitive salary and package (Depending on level of experience)

Career Level: Consultant (CL7)

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. With our thought leadership and culture of innovation, we apply industry expertise, diverse skills and next‑generation technology to each business challenge. We believe in inclusion and diversity and supporting the whole person. Our core values comprise of Stewardship, Best People, Client Value Creation, One Global Network, Respect for the Individual and Integrity.

Year after year, Accenture is recognised worldwide not just for business performance but for inclusion and diversity too.

Role Overview

As an SAP SuccessFactors Functional Consultant at Accenture, you will be a crucial member of our SAP delivery projects, serving as a Functional Expert in SuccessFactors solutions. You will closely collaborate with clients, understanding their business and functional requirements, and translating them into SuccessFactors design documents. Your expertise in SAP SuccessFactors and your understanding of clients' needs will play a key role in designing effective and efficient solutions. This role may involve leading a functional team and working on longer‑term projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Payroll Expertise & Advisory: Advise clients on ECP operating models, payroll process optimisation, and global/regional statutory requirements. Guide clients on the differences, benefits and trade‑offs between ECP, ECC Payroll, and S/4HANA Payroll. Lead Payroll Control Center (PCC) design and implementation to drive automation, monitoring, and root‑cause resolution. Interpret payroll legislation and provide expert guidance across tax, pensions, benefits and statutory absence schemes.
• Solution Leadership & Delivery: Lead the end‑to‑end design and delivery of SAP Employee Central Payroll solutions as part of large transformation programmes. Own functional design, ensuring configuration is aligned with client requirements, statutory obligations, and industry best practice. Oversee configuration of payroll schemas, wage types, payroll rules, HR Forms, pay statements, and payroll calendars. Ensure robust integration across SuccessFactors, particularly Employee Central, Time Tracking, and third‑party systems.
• Integration & Technical Coordination: Oversee payroll integration with SAP Finance (ALE / API) and third‑party vendors (e.g., HMRC). Ensure secure, accurate, compliant data flows throughout the payroll ecosystem. Support data migration, validation, reconciliation and cutover strategies for payroll go‑lives.
• Stakeholder Management & Leadership: Manage senior client stakeholders, ensuring clarity of decisions, risks, status and delivery expectations. Facilitate workshops, lead design authority discussions and represent Accenture in governance forums. Coach, mentor and oversee the work of consultants and analysts, fostering a strong team culture.
• Project Management & Quality Assurance: Manage scope, timelines, resources and risks across payroll workstream(s). Review and approve design documents, configuration workbooks, test scripts and training materials. Ensure high‑quality delivery aligned with Accenture’s methodologies and governance standards.
• Business Development & Practice Growth: Contribute to pre‑sales activities, solution shaping, RFP responses, estimations and client presentations. Support the growth of Accenture’s SuccessFactors practice by contributing thought leadership and reusable assets. Stay current with the SAP SuccessFactors roadmap, payroll innovations and emerging HR/AI trends.

What You Will Bring

• Deep functional expertise in SAP Payroll with strong hands‑on experience in Employee Central Payroll (ECP).
• 5–8 years of SAP Payroll experience, including at least 3+ full lifecycle payroll implementations.
• Strong understanding of UK payroll, legislation, HMRC integrations, pensions auto‑enrolment and statutory/occupational absences.
• Proven experience delivering Payroll Control Center and supporting parallel payroll testing cycles.
• Ability to interpret payroll legislation and validate results using parallel run tools (e.g., Excel‑based calculations).
• Experience working with Time & Attendance integrations, finance interfaces, and third‑party vendor connections.
• Strong leadership experience with the ability to guide teams, influence stakeholders and support project governance.
• Excellent client‑facing communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to converse at a process level with payroll managers and leaders.
• ECP certification (2+ SuccessFactors certifications preferred).

What’s In It For You

At Accenture in addition to a competitive basic salary, you will also have an extensive benefits package which includes up to 25 days’ vacation per year, private medical insurance and 3 extra days leave per year for charitable work of your choice. Flexibility and mobility are required to deliver this role as there will be requirements to spend time onsite with our clients and partners to enable delivery of the outstanding services we are known for.