Project Manager (Payroll)

About the client:

As a next-generation brand activation agency, it's purpose is to simplify our clients below-the-line marketing, build sustainable ROI and engage their customers across the path to purchase. Everything we do is optimised through leading strategic capability and actioned through executional excellence.

Our substantial investment in our technology and data science capability and resources provides our differentiation in the marketplace. Data insights and marketing technology enable us to measure our work, with ROI as the most critical metric in today's environment.

We see ROI where others don't. We are the only agency that combines creative, data, and technology talent with production and procurement expertise to enhance your marketing performance and efficiency. We achieve ROI for our clients by helping them deliver more engaging, cost-effective, and sustainable customer experiences.

Our values

We are collaborative, we thrive through our relationships.

We are courageous , we create boldly and execute fearlessly.

We are authentic, we act with integrity and transparency.

We are pioneering, we win when we lead the way.

We are purpose-driven, we create meaningful, sustainable and profitable brand experiences.

We are an equal opportunities employer and as such, will make any reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of all candidates. If you have any such needs or requirements in the context of your interview, please notify us so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.

Purpose of the role

As the Payroll Transformation Project Manager, you will manage the payroll centralisationacross andsystem integration across 15countries in APAC. You will partner closely with the Head of HR Operations, HRBPs, Finance, IT and outsourced Payroll provider (Deel) and other teams to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities to the new provider.You will look for opportunities of continuous process improvement and standardisation.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Leadership

• Own the APAC transformation roadmap for the payroll transformation, closing of legacy payrolls and process improvement initiatives.
• Create and maintain project-related documentation, using standardized templates following formal project management methodology.
• Ensure proper resource availability and allocation among cross-functional project teams. Coordinate with teams including HR, Finance, IT, Deel and others to ensure alignment.

Process Transition

• Manage data cleansing, migration, validation and testing activities.
• Oversee parallel payroll runs to confirm accuracy before go-live, continue to monitor during hyper-care before handing over to Bau operations.

Vendor Management

• Be the primary liaison with the new payroll provider.
• Oversee contract compliance, service level agreements (SLAs), and escalation protocols.

Compliance & Risk Control

• Ensure payroll processes meet statutory requirements across all jurisdictions.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to data migration, employee records, and payment accuracy.

Stakeholder Communication

• Provide regular updates to the project team, HR leads and management.
• Create communication plans and manage the communication review process regarding payroll changes, timelines, and support channels for all payrolls.

Training & Handover

• Deliver training sessions for HR and Finance teams on the new systems and processes.
• Deliver detailed instructions for Employees on the change and how it impacts them.
• Document workflows, escalation paths, and compliance requirements for ongoing operations.

Skills, knowledge, experience and exposure

• 10 or more years experience working within the Payroll function or overseeing medium to large Payroll and HR transformation or process improvement projects.
• Experience in Asia Pacific regional payroll and vendor management will be an advantage
• Required to attend calls which may be organised across the APAC time zone
• Strong work ethics, ability to work independently and as part of a wider team, with minimal direction and supervision
• A team player with excellent communication skills and stakeholder management
• Meticulous, well-organized, and conscientious with a high level of initiatives at work
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.
• Demonstrated ability to use best practices and knowledge of internal/external business issues to improve products, services, and processes.
• Aptitude to resolve complex problems where precedents may not exist.