Who We Help - Financial Services

HRIS for financial services with embedded payroll controls

We help banks, insurers, asset managers and fintechs design and implement HR and payroll landscapes with robust payroll controls, clear audit trails, people risk visibility and regulator ready reporting across complex entities.

Independent HRIS and payroll consulting focused on controls first, not shiny features
End to end support from discovery and design to vendor selection and implementation assurance
Configuration aligned to SMCR, bonuses, carried interest, deferrals, clawbacks and approvals
Stronger payroll controls, reconciliations and exception handling across multi country operations
Clean HR, payroll and finance data to support audit, risk and regulatory reporting

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Discuss your HRIS landscape

Share your HR and payroll risks and we will outline a clear, regulator ready improvement plan.

Controls first HRIS for financial services that stands up to scrutiny

HRIS for financial services is not just about HR processes. It is a control system touching payroll, incentives, SMCR, approvals, sensitive data and regulatory reporting. Poor design creates audit findings, overpayments, access breaches and people risk. Our consultants help financial services firms shape, select and implement HR and payroll solutions that hardwire payroll controls, reduce manual workarounds and protect the balance sheet, while giving leaders accurate, real time people and cost data.

Controls led HRIS strategy and roadmap:

We start by mapping how HR, payroll and finance operate today across your legal entities, branches and regulated functions. We review handoffs, approvals, access, incentive flows and reporting demands, then design a controls led HRIS for financial services target model that fits your risk appetite and governance structure.

This roadmap sequences quick wins, system changes and integrations so you can evidence control improvements without destabilising operations. Every step is framed in language your CFO, CRO, Head of HR and internal audit recognise, with clear links to payroll controls, audit readiness and regulatory expectations.

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Payroll controls & reconciliations design:

Financial services payroll is high risk: regulated populations, variable pay, complex allowances, deferrals and leavers. We design end to end payroll controls that are embedded in your chosen systems, not parked in spreadsheets. That includes role based access, maker checker workflows, approvals, reconciliations and exception handling.

We work through real scenarios with HR, payroll and finance teams to close gaps that cause mispayments or findings. The outcome is a documented payroll controls framework supported by configuration, reports and reconciliations that can be walked through line by line with internal and external auditors.

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People data, SMCR and regulatory reporting

Regulated firms need clear evidence of who holds which roles, where they sit, how they are paid and how decisions are tracked. We align your HRIS structures, data model and workflows to support SMCR, fit and proper records, conduct mapping, hierarchy, sign offs and key regulatory reporting needs.

Our consultants design practical data standards, ownership and validation rules so your HRIS for financial services becomes a trusted source for regulatory reporting, committees and board packs. We reduce reliance on offline trackers and manual reconciliations by making controlled data part of business as usual.

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Vendor selection and implementation assurance

We act as your independent HR and payroll consulting partner in vendor selection and implementation. We translate control, audit, risk and regulatory reporting requirements into clear evaluation criteria and scripted demos, filtering out solutions that cannot support financial services grade controls.

During implementation, we provide design challenge, configuration review, test scenario design and cutover oversight. We ensure the delivered solution actually enforces payroll controls, approvals, segregation of duties and reporting commitments, rather than leaving gaps to be fixed after go live.

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Optimisation, monitoring and continuous improvement:

Controls erode if they are not maintained. We help you set up ongoing monitoring, exception reporting and periodic reviews of HR and payroll setups. This includes tuning role based access, workflows, reconciliations and reports as your business, products and regulatory environment evolve.

Our team can run targeted control reviews, support remediation and coach internal teams so you do not slip back into manual patches. The focus is a sustainable HRIS and payroll control environment that continues to satisfy audit, risk and regulators without heavy overhead.

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Strengthen your control environment

Share your key HR and payroll risks. We will map how consulting led design and implementation can close gaps within existing budgets.

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Discovery and risk mapping

We engage HR, payroll, finance, risk and compliance to map processes, controls and issues. We review how HRIS for financial services is used today, where payroll controls fail, how audit points arose and where regulatory reporting relies on spreadsheets. The output is a clear, prioritised risk and opportunity view.

What We Offer:

Structured walkthroughs of HR, payroll and people data flows
Control gap analysis across access, approvals and reconciliations
Review of SMCR, incentive and sensitive data handling
Assessment of current regulatory reporting dependencies
Prioritised remediation and roadmap recommendations

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Design, selection and implementation support

We convert findings into a detailed solution design, then support vendor selection and implementation as your independent consulting partner. We define required payroll controls, audit needs, risk checks and regulatory reporting outputs and ensure they are built into configuration, integrations, test scripts and operating procedures.

What We Offer:

Target HR and payroll operating model aligned to risk appetite
Vendor evaluation criteria focused on controls and reporting strength
Configuration and integration review with challenge where needed
Data migration, parallel run and reconciliation support
Change and training support for HR, payroll and line managers

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Our Process

Map risks

We identify control gaps, weak spots and reporting pain points across HR, payroll and people data.

Design controls

We define practical, system backed controls that align with your policies and regulatory expectations.

Select partners

We help you choose and contract with vendors who can support financial services grade requirements.

Assure delivery

We oversee implementation so live HRIS and payroll processes match the agreed control design.

Why choose Us?

We are a consulting and implementation partner focused on controls, not software sales. Our team understands financial services regulation, audit expectations and HR technology, so we translate risk talk into working HR and payroll processes your regulators and boards can rely on.

Sector fluent

Experience across banking, insurance, asset management and fintech with real world case exposure.

Control driven

Every design choice is challenged against audit, risk and regulatory reporting impact.

Vendor neutral

We work with multiple platforms and only recommend what fits your architecture and risk profile.

Enduring support

We stay beyond go live to embed controls, refine reporting and support inspections.

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide HRIS software or only consulting for financial services?

We do not sell software. We provide independent HRIS for financial services consulting across discovery, design, selection and implementation support. We work with your chosen platforms and vendors to ensure payroll controls, audit and regulatory reporting needs are met in practice.

How can better HRIS for financial services improve payroll controls?

A well designed HRIS and payroll landscape embeds approvals, access limits, reconciliations and exception workflows. This reduces manual overrides, duplicate data and unauthorised changes. Our consulting focuses on embedding these payroll controls into configuration so they are automatic, consistent and auditable.

What types of financial services firms do you work with?

We work with banks, insurers, asset and wealth managers, brokers, payment providers and fintechs. Each has different risk drivers, but all need strong payroll controls, people data integrity and reliable regulatory reporting. Our approach scales from specialist boutiques to large multi entity groups.

How do you support SMCR and similar regulatory frameworks?

We align HR structures, roles, workflows and records to support SMCR style frameworks. That includes responsibility mapping, approval flows, attestations and evidence trails. HRIS for financial services becomes a core system of record for conduct, not just an admin tool.

Can you help reduce reliance on spreadsheets for audit and regulatory reporting?

Yes. We identify where spreadsheets sit between HR, payroll and finance, then design system based controls and reports to replace them. This improves data integrity, reduces key person risk and makes audit and regulatory reporting faster and more reliable.

How do you ensure segregation of duties within HR and payroll systems?

We review current access, then design and test role based permissions to enforce maker checker principles. Critical actions, such as rate changes, bank details and incentive awards, are limited and logged. This is built into system roles, not left to informal practice.

Can you work with our existing HRIS and payroll platforms?

Yes. Many engagements focus on redesigning processes, access, controls and integrations on current platforms. We only recommend changing systems when clearly justified. Our goal is to get more control and value from what you already own, where possible.

How long does an HRIS and payroll controls review usually take?

A focused review for a single UK entity can often be completed in a few weeks, with clear findings and a roadmap. Larger, multi entity or global environments take longer. We scope timelines and effort upfront so stakeholders know what to expect.

How do you work with internal audit, risk and compliance teams?

We involve them early, use their language and align recommendations to existing frameworks. Our deliverables can be shared directly with audit committees and risk forums, showing a clear plan to strengthen payroll controls and people data governance.

Do you cover cross border and multi currency payroll environments?

Yes. We consider local regulations, currencies and entities while keeping central visibility and control. We design governance, reconciliations and reporting so group functions can see consolidated risk and spend without losing local compliance.

How are your services priced for financial services firms?

We use transparent project based or retainer models linked to defined outputs such as diagnostic, design packs, selection support and implementation assurance. This makes it simple to align with internal approval thresholds and evidence value for money.

What do we need ready before starting an engagement?

Basic process documentation, system lists and access matrices help, but are not mandatory. We guide your teams through structured discovery and use real transactions, reports and issues to build an accurate view of your HRIS and payroll control environment.