Oracle HCM Functional Consultant
Hybrid * must be able to attend site (Dorchester DT1 1XJ)
Must have Local Government and Oracle Fusion experience.
£600 a day
Ongoing assignment (18 months)
Outside IR35
About Connect2Dorset
Connect2Dorset is the managed service recruitment partner to Dorset Council, providing temporary, contract, and interim opportunities across the organisation. Built on values of being ethical, trustworthy, and caring, our profits are reinvested back into our Local Authority shareholders.
Job purpose
The Oracle HCM Functional Consultant is the client-side functional design authority for Core HR and UK Payroll within Dorset Council's ERP Transformation Programme. The role will translate service requirements into practical, supportable Oracle Fusion Cloud designs and provide informed challenge to the Systems Integrator throughout design, configuration, migration, testing, cutover and hypercare.
The postholder will work closely with HR, Payroll, Finance, Digital and programme colleagues to ensure that the solution reflects the operational complexity of a large local authority, protects payroll accuracy and supports effective establishment control, workforce management, statutory compliance and reporting.
Key accountabilities
Core HR functional design: Own and assure the end-to-end functional design for Oracle Fusion Core HR, including person and assignment structures, legal employers, organisations, departments, jobs, positions, grades, grade ladders, approval rules, flexfields, areas of responsibility and security.
UK Payroll functional design: Lead and assure the functional design of Oracle UK Payroll, including payroll definitions and flows, elements, balances, calculation cards, fast formula, costing, retro pay, statutory deductions, Real Time Information and third-party payments.
Establishment and position management: Design an effective position and establishment-control model that supports budgeted posts, vacancies, reporting and reconciliation between HCM and Finance, including multiple assignments, shared positions and complex workforce arrangements.
Terms, conditions and working patterns: Translate local government terms and conditions into sustainable Oracle configuration, including grades, spinal points, increments, term-time working, variable hours, shift patterns, absence arrangements and multiple concurrent assignments.
Pensions and statutory requirements: Ensure the design supports relevant pension and statutory obligations, including Local Government Pension Scheme and Teachers' Pension Scheme requirements, and provide functional leadership on complex pension, arrears and reconciliation scenarios.
Design assurance and SI challenge: Review and challenge functional design documents and configuration proposed by the Systems Integrator. Identify gaps between requirements, design and operational outcomes, document decisions and risks, and recommend approval or rejection through the Solution Design Authority.
Data migration and reconciliation: Define target-side data requirements and mapping rules for Core HR and Payroll. Work with legacy-system specialists and the data migration team to support extraction, cleansing, trial loads, balance initialisation, reconciliation and business sign-off.
Testing and payroll parallel run: Define functional acceptance criteria and support system, integration, user acceptance and payroll testing. Lead analysis of payroll variances, ensure defects are correctly diagnosed and prioritised, and provide evidence-based advice on readiness.
Cutover, go-live and hypercare: Shape the HCM and Payroll cutover plan, dependencies, controls and contingency arrangements. Provide clear recommendations at stage gates and go/no-go decisions, and remain actively involved through go-live and stabilisation.
Reporting and analytics: Define reporting and control requirements across Core HR and Payroll, using appropriate Oracle reporting capabilities to support statutory returns, operational assurance, workforce insight, exception management and reconciliation.
Stakeholder engagement: Build trusted relationships with HR, Payroll, Finance, schools, services and programme leadership. Explain complex design choices in plain English, secure timely decisions and sign-offs, and escalate unresolved risks appropriately.
Knowledge transfer and sustainability: Create clear design records, configuration rationale, process documentation and knowledge-transfer materials so that Dorset Council can operate and support the solution effectively after implementation.
Key deliverables
- Approved Core HR and UK Payroll functional designs, with requirements, decisions, dependencies and risks clearly documented.
- Agreed position-management and establishment-control model aligned with Finance and workforce reporting needs.
- Complete design for payroll configuration, costing, statutory processing, pensions and complex workforce scenarios.
- Source-to-target data rules, reconciliation requirements and sign-off criteria for HCM and Payroll migration.
- Functional test scenarios, acceptance criteria, defect assessments and payroll parallel-run assurance.
- Clear recommendations to the Solution Design Authority and programme stage gates on design and operational readiness.
- HCM and Payroll cutover inputs, go/no-go evidence and hypercare exit criteria.
- Comprehensive design documentation and knowledge transfer to operational and support teams.
Experience and knowledge
Essential
- Substantial hands-on experience as an Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM functional consultant, with strong depth in Core HR and UK Payroll.
- Demonstrable ownership of functional design and configuration decisions, rather than solely programme or project coordination.
- Practical knowledge of Oracle Core HR structures, including person, worker, assignment, legal employer, organisation, job, position, grade and security models.
- Detailed knowledge of Oracle UK Payroll functionality, including elements, balances, calculation cards, payroll flows, fast formula, costing, retro pay and statutory processing.
- Experience of payroll implementation, cutover and parallel-run reconciliation, with the ability to diagnose complex gross-to-net variances.
- Experience of position management, establishment control and the relationship between workforce structures and financial budgets.
- Experience of HCM and Payroll data migration, balance initialisation, reconciliation and business sign-off.
- Experience of designing for complex terms and conditions, working patterns, absence and multiple concurrent assignments.
- Strong client-side assurance skills, including constructively challenging a Systems Integrator and escalating design or delivery risks.
- Ability to communicate complex functional issues clearly to senior leaders, service specialists and technical teams.
Connect2Dorset is a trading style of Dorset & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Dorset Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Dorset is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.
