• Become the definitive payroll product subject matter expert for the Deel Payroll suite. • Deeply understand internal payroll workflows and PRM operational pain points to translate them into technical and functional system requirements. • Partner with the Global Payroll Director to define payroll program strategy, priorities, and delivery roadmaps. • Lead global payroll programs across regions (NA, EMEA, LATAM, APAC), including audits, compliance initiatives, M&A integrations, and global reporting. • Develop and manage end-to-end program plans including scope, milestones, risks, dependencies, and delivery timelines. • Establish scalable payroll governance, documentation standards, and operating models to support growth. • Coordinate cross-functional initiatives with PMO where appropriate, while retaining payroll subject-matter ownership. • Continuously identify payroll process friction points and champion automation to reduce manual intervention and improve data integrity. • Serve as the primary Payroll Product owner from the Payroll organization for the Deel Payroll product. • Develop and maintain a multi-quarter payroll technology roadmap focused on reliability, scalability, and system stability. • Partner with Payroll, Benefits, Finance, Compliance, Product, and Engineering to identify system gaps and design technical solutions. • Translate payroll operational and regulatory requirements into clear functional and technical requirements for the Deel Payroll product. • Partner with Product and Engineering to prioritize payroll system enhancements, fixes, and integrations based on business risk and operational impact. • Review payroll system configuration, calculation logic, and business processes to ensure accurate data flow and payroll outcomes. • Build payroll analytics capabilities to support decision-making and measure program effectiveness. • Act as a senior escalation point for complex payroll system issues, troubleshooting root causes and driving resolution in partnership with Engineering and Product. • Lead enablement and training to ensure payroll teams are prepared for system releases. • Investigate system defects, calculation errors, and data issues quickly and thoroughly to minimize payroll impact. • Embed SOX controls, compliance requirements, and risk mitigation into payroll system design and payroll programs.