Find out how we plan to improve our HR service by introducing a modern, efficient and future-ready new HR and Payroll system.
Overview
What it is: the project will modernise and improve the University’s HR and payroll operations by replacing our old ‘Zellis’ system (ResourceLink and MyView), which will soon be out of contract and unsupported, with an advanced cloud-based system from Oracle (Oracle Fusion). The new system is designed to make your day-to-day interactions with HR easier and more efficient.
Why it’s better for you: you’ll benefit from faster, more intuitive HR services, better reporting, improved self-service tools, better transparency and ownership of your own data.
Why it’s better for the University: the system will support our Recovery and Rebuilding strategic plan and our Sussex 2035 Strategy. It will ensure business continuity, provide the foundations for future improvements, support a better staff and student experience, enable smarter decision-making, and strengthen our position as an employer of choice.
When it’s happening: the new system is expected to go live in Q4 2026.
How it will launch: core HR, payroll, absence, benefits and compensation functionality will be delivered first, with the potential for extra features and modules to be added in future.
About the HR System Implementation Project
The HR System Implementation project aims to deliver a modern, cloud-based HR and Payroll system that supports automation and real-time reporting and provides us with an option to integrate our other HR and the University’s finance systems in future. It reflects our commitment to digital transformation and aligns with Sussex 2035.
In May 2025, Oracle Consulting were selected as our preferred supplier to deliver our new system.
What’s included
The new system will include:
- self-service functionality for employees and managers
- automated notifications and alerts
- real-time and regulatory reporting tools
- organisational hierarchy and workflow approvals.
Note: replacements for our current recruitment and learning management systems (Hireful and LearnUpon) are not in scope for this project, but the solution will enable us to explore moving recruitment and learning to the new system in future should we choose to at a later date.
Benefits
The project will modernise HR processes, help to increase staff and student satisfaction and support sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions. It will also enable better decision-making through improved reporting capabilities and access to data.
Where are we now?
The project is now well into the implementation phase. This phase includes detailed planning, stakeholder engagement and change management.
The project team are currently working on several key priorities including data migration, systems integration testing and setting up a change champion network to support the introduction of the system. They are also planning for the introduction of Oracle Guided Learning (OGL), an in-product tool to help colleagues learn about and adapt to the new system in real-time. It provides pop-up hints, highlights and step-by-step pointers exactly when you need them.
What comes next
The team are preparing for more data migration cycles to ensure accurate data in the new system, as well as getting ready for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and planning our training approach.
Timeline
The contract with our current payroll and HR provider expires in October 2026. The milestones below set out how we will move smoothly from the old to the new system.
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Discovery
This phase was completed in March 2024, by conducting discovery workshops across HR and mapping out current business processes. The team developed potential options and made recommendations for the next phase. The Outline Business Case was approved by the Capital Strategy and Investment Board (CSIB) in April 2024.
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System selection
In April 2024, we entered a formal procurement process to assess potential suppliers against our requirements. Individuals across the HR Division, ITS, Finance and the wider University contributed their expertise in the scoring and evaluation of supplier responses.
This phase concluded with the production of a Final Business Case in the autumn of 2024.
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Implementation
This phase kicked off in May 2025. Work on the initial system build began in June 2025.
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Launch of new HR and payroll system
We aim to launch the new system in Q4 2026.