Deputy Director, Payroll & HRMS Engineering

About the Company

BIPO is innovating by developing AI-native HR and payroll technologies tailored for Asia Pacific and other regions.

Role Overview

The Deputy Director will lead engineering teams that manage BIPO's payroll engine spanning over 26 countries with strict statutory compliance, alongside the HRMS platform’s second version. This role demands hands-on leadership focusing on delivery, elevating engineering standards, and supervising the integration of AI in both product and development processes. Responsibility includes ensuring the payroll system remains compliant, secure, and accurate through each payroll cycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end delivery for payroll and HRMS V2 platforms including new country rollouts and major module implementations such as appraisal, rostering, and casual labor.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management to plan roadmaps, scope projects, make trade-off decisions, and meet delivery deadlines with consistent quality.
• Ensure accurate and timely incorporation of statutory and regulatory updates across all supported markets.
• Champion AI-assisted coding adoption, oversee metrics related to development efficiency and quality during this transition.
• Integrate AI into engineering workflows like automated testing, QA support, documentation, and release processes.
• Work with the AI platform team to embed AI features into payroll and HRMS products, e.g., pre-payroll validations and anomaly detection tools.
• Maintain high standards for platform reliability, security, and performance, supporting audit preparations like SOC1/SOC2.
• Address and reduce technical debt strategically, enforce architectural separation between core products and client-specific customizations.
• Define and monitor engineering quality KPIs including defect rates, cycle times, and payroll accuracy incidents.
• Lead and develop a diverse, multi-regional engineering team while fostering ownership, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Run effective engineering planning meetings, reviews, and incident response routines.
• Recruit senior engineering staff and plan for succession and team capability depth in critical system areas.

Candidate Qualifications

• A minimum of 12 years of software engineering experience with at least 5 years leading engineering teams sized between 15 to 40 engineers.
• Proven track record managing delivery of compliance-sensitive, enterprise-grade systems such as payroll, HRMS, fintech, or banking applications.
• In-depth knowledge of multi-country, multi-tenant SaaS architectures with strong awareness of data security and regulatory compliance mandates.
• Experience driving AI-assisted software development within teams or organizations and a strong perspective on AI’s impact on engineering practices.
• Ability to maintain a balance of rapid delivery and high quality for systems where mistakes lead to legal or financial repercussions.
• Strong cross-departmental teamwork including Product, Service Delivery, and client-facing units.
• Proficiency in English is required; Mandarin language skills are beneficial due to regional team distribution.

Preferred Skills

• Hands-on experience with payroll engines or HR systems within APAC markets covering statutory compliance implementations.
• Familiarity with agentic AI systems, MCP integrations, or products powered by large language models.
• Experience in preparing for and supporting SOC1, SOC2, or similar compliance audits.