3 billion people across the world work in frontline jobs. Yet, despite rising costs and staff shortages, frontline organisations are still left to choose between paper, Excel, and WhatsApp, or decade-old workforce management solutions to take care of the most important part of their businesses - their people.
Enter Sona: the next generation of AI-native, frontline workforce management. We’ve built an end-to-end platform covering Scheduling, HR, Payroll, and Communications that gives the largest frontline organisations everything they need to staff more intelligently and empower their teams.
In under 5 years, we've already made a deep impact on the lives of over 100k frontline workers and the operation of their organisations, grown the team to 160+, and secured over $100M in funding from notable VC's, including our Series B led by N47 alongside Felicis, Northzone, and Gradient Ventures (Google).
It’s a hugely exciting time to be joining the team as we’re still small enough that you’ll have a significant impact on the company’s growth trajectory and culture, yet large enough to have a great structure, experienced leaders and world-class benefits in place.
About the Role
As a Payroll Implementation Manager at Sona, you'll take end-to-end ownership of onboarding customers onto our payroll platform, from initial discovery and system configuration through to parallel runs, training, and go-live.
You'll work hands-on with the software itself, not just alongside it, partnering closely with the wider implementation team, product engineers, and payroll bureau colleagues to get every customer live cleanly. Attention to detail and end-to-end ownership matter more here than in most roles, and you'll need to be comfortable double-checking your own work and speaking up early when something doesn't look right.
This role sits within a growing customer function that's still finding its shape. You'll have direct influence over how Sona's payroll implementation process and product evolve, with a level of access to the product team that's unusual for an implementer. It's a startup pace: no bureaucracy, high-caliber colleagues, and fast-moving development, so you'll need to be comfortable operating without everything being fully defined.
Responsibilities
Own end-to-end payroll implementations: discovery, system configuration, parallel runs, training, and go-live
Configure and troubleshoot UK payroll setups, including GL and pensions configuration and RTI processing
Identify opportunities for process improvement and take ownership of seeing them through
Partner with Project Managers and Solutions Architects to support the wider implementation journey
Provide ad hoc on-site customer support for training and launch, alongside remote delivery
Use AI tools confidently in your day to day work, from reconciliation to communication
Requirements
Proven, hands-on experience implementing UK payroll systems end-to-end, not just coordinating others who do
Deep working knowledge of UK payroll legislation and processing
Genuinely curious, adaptable, and comfortable with ambiguity - things won't always be fully defined
High attention to detail and a strong sense of accountability
Comfortable using AI in everyday tools like spreadsheets, communications, and reconciliation
Bonus: CIPP (or equivalent) qualification, or working towards one
Benefits
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000
London, hybrid - 2 days a week in the office, with occasional travel to customer sites for training and launch support
Share options
35 days annual leave (25 days standard plus 10 flexible public holiday days)
Extra day of leave for every year of service
Pension contributions matched up to 5%
Comprehensive health insurance
Enhanced parental leave & pay
Workplace nursery salary sacrifice scheme
Annual all expenses paid team retreats
The latest Macbook and equipment budget for your home office
Professional development budget
Unlimited free books
Note: this represents a typical benefits package for a UK-based, full-time employee. Exact details may vary based on location and employment type but we try to be as fair as possible to all of our team members. Please ask your contact in the Talent team to clarify the available benefits for you.
Skills Required
- Proven, hands-on experience implementing UK payroll systems end-to-end
- Deep working knowledge of UK payroll legislation and processing
- Experience configuring and troubleshooting UK payroll setups including GL and pensions configuration and RTI processing
- High attention to detail and strong sense of accountability
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity and adapting to fast-moving startup environments
- Comfortable using AI tools in everyday work (spreadsheets, communications, reconciliation)
- Willingness to provide occasional on-site customer support and travel to customer sites
- CIPP (or equivalent) qualification, or working towards one
What We Do
The employee empowerment revolution has arrived. Sona is the modern app for the new era of frontline work, combining powerful productivity tools with a sleek, simple and intuitive user experience. Empower your people to see their schedule at a glance, book holiday from anywhere, pick up extra shifts, communicate with colleagues, find information and give feedback instantly. Empower your managers to slash admin time by 5 hours per week, drastically reduce agency and payroll spending, and elevate your employee experience. Sona is transforming the way trailblazing organisations across health and social care, retail, logistics, charities and non-profits manage their teams and budgets and engage and retain their staff.
