Deputy Project Director (HR System/ Payroll System)

About the Role Our client is a established, cloud-based HR and payroll technology company headquartered in Singapore, supporting businesses across more than 170 countries through a globally recognised suite of workforce management solutions. With decades of operations and offices spanning multiple continents, they combine deep local compliance expertise with scalable technology to serve multinational and remote-first organisations. This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced project delivery professional to join the Regional Project Management team, co-leading complex client implementation programmes across Asia Pacific — covering multi-country payroll , HRMS, and Employer of Record (EOR) services. Structured as a succession role, the position offers a clear and supported pathway to full ownership of the regional project function within approximately 12 months, making it an exceptional career-defining opportunity for the right candidate. Key Responsibilities • Own end-to-end delivery of regional client implementation projects, from initial kick-off and requirements gathering through system configuration, testing, go-live, and formal handover to Service Delivery teams • Manage a concurrent portfolio of complex, multi-country implementation projects, maintaining accountability for scope, timelines, budget, resourcing, and risk to ensure consistent delivery against quality benchmarks • Lead, coach, and develop a cross-border team of project managers and implementation consultants, setting clear priorities, allocating resources effectively, and managing individual and team performance • Serve as the senior escalation point for both client and internal stakeholders, cultivating trusted relationships with client sponsors and senior HR, Finance, and IT decision-makers up to C-suite level • Collaborate closely with Sales, Pre-Sales, Product, Engineering, and Service Delivery functions to ensure a seamless transition from contract execution through implementation and into steady-state operations • Strengthen project governance frameworks, methodologies, templates, and tooling, while delivering regular portfolio reporting and KPI dashboards to senior leadership • Support Pre-Sales engagements on complex or high-value deals, contributing to effort estimation, implementation approach design, and client-facing presentations • Execute a structured transition plan in partnership with the incumbent Project Director, progressively assuming full accountability for portfolio ownership, key client relationships, and regional team leadership Requirements • Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Human Resources, or a related discipline; PMP, PRINCE2 , or an equivalent project management certification (is a bonus) • Minimum 10 years of project or implementation experience, including at least 5 years leading multi-country projects and managing project teams, preferably within payroll technology, HR SaaS, EOR, or enterprise software environments • Demonstrated track record of delivering complex, multi-stakeholder HRMS, payroll, or ERP implementations across Asia Pacific markets • Solid understanding of payroll and HR processes, with knowledge of statutory compliance requirements across APAC jurisdictions highly preferred • Strong people leadership capability, including experience managing managers and leading geographically distributed teams across different countries and time zones • Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with confidence presenting to and influencing senior client stakeholders • Commercially aware and delivery-focused, with the ability to balance implementation quality against project profitability; willingness to travel within the Asia Pacific region as required #J-18808-Ljbffr