Senior Implementation Specialist

About the Role:

We are looking for a highly skilled Project Coordinator to oversee the planning, execution, and completion of Payroll & SaaS implementation projects. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring client satisfaction, building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and adhering to Mercans' business policies.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, scope documents, and requirement specifications.
• Ensure all project artifacts are stored in a structured and accessible format, complying with internal documentation standards.
• Document key decisions, action items, and stakeholder communications throughout the project lifecycle.
• Maintain version control for all project-related documents, ensuring alignment with changes in project scope and objectives.
• Provide documentation support for compliance audits and internal process evaluations.
• Establish standardized templates for project documentation to ensure consistency and completeness.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather and update documentation as needed.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Scope & Planning:

• Define project scope based on the Master Service Agreement (MSA) to prevent scope creep.
• Establish and maintain processes for managing scope, quality, performance standards, and risk assessment.
• Keep the project plan up-to-date and coordinate project plan changes with internal and external stakeholders.
• Analyze project status and revise scope, schedule, or budget as necessary to meet project requirements.
• Initiate and define goals and objectives according to client expectations.
• Ensure pre-implementation readiness by sharing the scoping checklist and necessary documents with the client.
• Develop a detailed project plan in Monday.com, ensuring integration and module deployment timelines are included.
• Adapt strategies for global payroll outsourcing and SaaS scale-up environments, ensuring compliance with local and international payroll regulations.

Resource & Risk Management:

• Identify and allocate necessary resources, including personnel, budget, and technology, ensuring efficient utilization.
• Develop and maintain a resource management plan to optimize workforce allocation and prevent resource conflicts.
• Establish crucial project milestones and timelines for each phase, ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Actively monitor for potential risks, conduct risk assessments, and implement proactive mitigation strategies.
• Maintain and update a RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) log in Monday Board to track and address risks in a timely manner.
• Establish contingency plans and escalation procedures for high-risk project scenarios.
• Ensure compliance with industry-specific regulations, such as GDPR and SOC 2 for SaaS-based payroll solutions, and integrate compliance considerations into project risk assessments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to assess and address dependencies that may impact resource availability and risk exposure.
• Conduct regular risk and resource review meetings to evaluate project health and adjust resource allocations as needed.
• Implement reporting mechanisms to provide visibility into resource utilization and risk management effectiveness for key stakeholders.

Communication & Stakeholder Management:

• Manage client expectations with respect to the scope and project timelines.
• Act as the primary contact for client stakeholders, providing regular updates on project status and changes.
• Schedule and lead project meetings, health checks, and monthly steering committee (Steerco) meetings.
• Present project progress reports to executive management.
• Ensure timely and transparent communication of key milestones, including Hypercare transition.
• Foster collaboration with product development teams in SaaS scale-ups to ensure smooth integration and feature adaptability.

Requirements Gathering & System Configuration:

• Ensure that all client business requirements are documented in accordance with the company's documentation requirements.
• Conduct operational business requirements gathering using standard implementation toolkit artifacts.
• Identify and document process or scope gaps and communicate them to clients.
• Align with the configuration team to ensure timely delivery and evaluation of configuration and unit testing.
• Assist in defining product enhancements based on client feedback in SaaS-driven payroll environments.

Integrations & Data Migration:

• Coordinate data dictionary and wage type catalog requirements with the integration team.
• Oversee system integration testing and ensure client sign-off on results.
• Manage master data migration planning, template preparation, and validation processes.
• Ensure data migration steps are clearly communicated and documented.
• Implement automated data validation checks and reconciliation for SaaS-based payroll platforms.

Testing Oversight & Supervision:

• Oversee and supervise all testing processes, ensuring adherence to company standards and best practices.
• Define and enforce testing methodologies, entry and exit criteria, and validation protocols.
• Coordinate with internal teams and clients to ensure comprehensive test planning and execution.
• Ensure proper tracking and documentation of test results, approvals, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Training & Go-Live Readiness:

• Develop and execute a structured training plan to educate clients on system functionalities, payroll processes, and compliance requirements.
• Provide hands-on training sessions, user guides, and support materials tailored to client needs.
• Conduct readiness assessments to confirm clients' preparedness for go-live and address any gaps identified.
• Ensure all required training milestones are met before project completion and track client progress in learning systems.
• Work closely with internal teams to align training content with the latest product updates and enhancements.
• Ensure clients understand go-live entry and exit criteria and obtain final sign-off.
• Develop post-go-live support strategies to assist clients during the transition period.
• Complete and obtain sign-off on the Go-Live Checklist from the audit team and client.
• Develop and implement client training for self-service payroll platforms in SaaS environments.

Project Status Reporting:

• Ensure timely and accurate project status reporting in accordance with company standards.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of project progress, key milestones, and identified risks.
• Prepare and distribute periodic project reports to internal and external stakeholders.
• Communicate project health metrics and proactively highlight any deviations from the project plan.
• Coordinate with relevant teams to ensure alignment on project progress and deliverables.
• Implement tracking mechanisms to measure project performance against established benchmarks.

Post-Implementation & Change Management:

• Manage change management in accordance with the established change management processes.
• Ensure Hypercare exit criteria are met and manage client handover to BAU teams.
• Monitor post-implementation performance metrics and customer feedback for continuous improvement.
• Develop frameworks for continuous iteration and scalability of payroll implementation processes.