Business Analyst Payroll

Job Title: Payroll Business Analyst – Finance Job Description The Payroll Business Analyst plays a key role in supporting payroll-related change initiatives by capturing, documenting, and validating payroll processes and requirements. This delivery-focused role provides hands-on analysis across payroll operations, systems, and data, working closely with Payroll subject matter experts, Project Managers, and delivery partners to ensure requirements are clear, testable, and delivered in line with agreed scope and governance. You will contribute to global finance systems and process-related projects within established Finance PMO frameworks, helping to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, and integration with wider finance and HR systems. Responsibilities • Capture and document end-to-end payroll processes, including current-state and agreed future-state scenarios, ensuring clarity and consistency. • Elicit and document detailed payroll requirements using agreed standards such as process maps, functional requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria. • Identify process gaps, risks, and dependencies within payroll operations and systems, and escalate issues where clarification or decisions are required. • Document payroll system and integration requirements, including interfaces with HR and Finance systems such as General Ledger, Treasury, and banking files. • Support data-related activities, including data analysis, migration preparation, reconciliation, and validation across complex systems environments. • Prepare comprehensive test scenarios, test data, and expected results aligned to payroll calculations and statutory requirements. • Support business-led testing activities, including coordinating user acceptance testing (UAT), logging defects, and tracking issues through to resolution. • Maintain robust requirements traceability to support solution design, testing, and assurance throughout the project lifecycle. • Support and facilitate payroll workshops and working sessions, capturing outputs, decisions, and actions to inform project deliverables. • Work collaboratively with Project Managers, Payroll SMEs, and delivery teams, adhering to agreed governance, PMO standards, and delivery processes. • Support prioritization of work by clarifying functional and non-functional requirements and partnering with the project team to plan and sequence analysis activities. • Interpret payroll and finance transactional data to support reconciliations, data mapping, and validation activities. • Apply workflow analysis and process modelling techniques to assess current processes and recommend improvements. • Contribute to change management activities, including supporting training materials and communications related to new payroll processes or systems. • Collaborate effectively across multiple payroll teams globally, managing competing priorities in a delivery-focused environment. • Use requirements and project tools to support requirements capture, planning, status tracking, and reporting. • Adapt analysis plans and activities to meet evolving business needs within complex change programmes. • Support vendor-led payroll system implementations, ensuring requirements and testing activities are aligned with vendor delivery. Essential Skills • Proven experience working as a Business Analyst on payroll-related initiatives, such as operational payroll, system implementation, or process improvement projects. • Practical understanding of end-to-end payroll processes and relevant statutory requirements in a complex environment. • Ability to produce clear and structured analysis artefacts, including detailed process maps, requirements documentation, and test materials. • Experience working in project delivery environments, taking direction from a Project Manager and/or transformation lead within established PMO frameworks. • Experience supporting workshops and working sessions with Payroll subject matter experts and key stakeholders. • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively within multi-disciplinary and global teams. • Working knowledge of how payroll integrates with wider finance processes and systems, including journal posting, funding, and banking files, with the ability to identify related risks and dependencies. • Experience with workflow analysis and process modelling techniques to assess and improve payroll processes. • Experience interpreting payroll and finance transactional data to support reconciliations, data mapping, and validation in complex systems environments. • Awareness of change management considerations, including the ability to support training materials and communications for new processes and systems. • Ability to work collaboratively across multiple payroll teams globally and manage competing priorities in a delivery-focused, project-driven environment. • Hands-on experience with business analysis in areas such as process mapping, as-is analysis, system implementation, ERP implementation, and process improvement. • Strong analytical skills with experience in data analysis related to payroll and finance operations. Additional Skills & Qualifications • Experience using requirements and project management tools to support requirements capture, planning, and reporting. • Experience working in complex change programmes and adapting analysis plans to meet evolving business needs. • Exposure to multi-country or global payroll environments, including understanding of varied statutory and regulatory requirements. • Experience supporting vendor-led payroll system implementations and collaborating with external solution providers. • Practical experience with ERP implementation in a finance or payroll context. • Proficiency with process mapping and visualization tools such as Microsoft Visio or similar applications. • Background in finance and payroll operations, with familiarity across payroll, finance, and system implementation disciplines. • Interest in challenging, large-scale transformation projects and the ability to thrive in a dynamic environment. • Availability for a contract engagement of approximately nine months, subject to business needs. Work Environment This role is based in a hybrid work environment in Toronto, ON, with an expectation of working in the office three days per week (no specific days mandated) and the remainder of the time remotely. The standard workweek is 37.5 hours, with a typical start time between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and there is no requirement for regular overtime. You will be part of a collaborative Finance Business Services team of approximately 11 people, working within established PMO frameworks on complex, global payroll and finance transformation initiatives. The environment emphasizes structured project delivery, clear governance, and cross-functional collaboration with payroll, finance, HR, and external vendors. Travel is not required for this role. The culture supports professional growth through exposure to challenging projects, global payroll operations, and modern finance systems and tools, while maintaining a balanced and predictable schedule. Job Type & Location This is a Contract position based out of Toronto, ON. Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $45.00 - $55.00/hr. Workplace Type This is a hybrid position in Toronto,ON. À propos d'Aston Carter Aston Carter fournit des solutions de talent de classe mondiale à des milliers de clients à travers le monde. Spécialisés dans la comptabilité, la finance, les ressources humaines, l’acquisition de talents, les achats, la chaine d’approvisionnement, et certaines professions administratives, nous étendons les capacités des entreprises à la pointe de l’industrie. Nous nous appuyons sur notre profonde expertise en matière de recrutement et sur notre vaste réseau pour répondre aux besoins évolutifs de nos clients et de notre communauté de