Amanda Burns
Experience
My work experience in the ICT sector
About Me
A little more about me outside of my career
About Me
A Passionate Professional
I’m a results-driven ICT Product Manager with over nine years of experience in global payroll systems, agile delivery, and cross-functional leadership.
I’m passionate about using technology to simplify complex challenges, drive innovation, and ensure compliance in fast-paced environments. Outside of work, I’m a proud mum, a yoga enthusiast, and someone who values balance, growth, and meaningful impact—both professionally and personally.
Why I Would Like To Relocate Abroad
I’m drawn to Australia for its forward-thinking approach to technology, strong focus on work-life balance, and inclusive, collaborative culture.
Professionally, the country’s growing demand for digital transformation in payroll and compliance aligns perfectly with my background in global systems and agile product management. Personally, I see Australia as an ideal environment to raise my family while continuing to grow in a meaningful career that contributes to innovative, future-focused workplaces.
What Makes Me A Top Candidate
For International Recruitment
With over nine years of experience in ICT product management, global payroll systems, and agile delivery, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and hands-on leadership to the table. I have successfully led the implementation and optimisation of payroll solutions across multiple countries, ensuring both regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. As a Certified ScrumMaster®, I excel in fast-paced, collaborative environments and have a proven track record of guiding cross-functional teams to deliver high-impact, scalable solutions. My ability to translate complex requirements into user-friendly products makes me a strong asset to organisations navigating digital transformation and growth.
What sets me apart as an international candidate is my adaptability, cultural awareness, and ability to thrive in global contexts. I’ve worked across borders with diverse teams, aligning stakeholder priorities while managing the nuances of local compliance and international operations. I’m solution-oriented, highly organised, and committed to continuous improvement—always focused on delivering value, enhancing user experiences, and supporting long-term business success. These qualities, combined with my passion for innovation and people-focused leadership, position me to make a meaningful contribution in any international setting.
Work Experience
Global Payroll Product Specialist
Orchestrated the full-cycle integration of Canadian payroll into Deel’s global platform, aligning functional requirements with country-specific tax and compliance standards.
Partnered with legal, compliance, engineering, and QA teams to customize platform capabilities, ensuring adherence to jurisdictional regulations and enhancing product-market fit.
Conducted market analysis and user research to define feature requirements and drive product enhancements tailored to client needs.
Delivered successful project go-live through structured planning, continuous testing, and proactive stakeholder communication, minimizing downtime and post-launch issues.
July 2024 – Present
Senior Product Owner
Defined and communicated a clear product roadmap aligned with strategic objectives, enabling stakeholders to visualize development priorities and timelines.
Facilitated agile ceremonies including sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives to ensure consistent team alignment and delivery cadence.
Owned and prioritized product backlog, balancing business value with technical feasibility to drive efficient resource utilization.
Mentored newly hired product owners, instilling agile best practices and product management frameworks to accelerate team ramp-up.
July 2023 – June 2024
IT Product Owner
Led the redesign and rollout of NextGen payroll UI and infrastructure, replacing legacy systems and improving interface responsiveness and data accuracy.
Directed a 30+ member agile team comprising developers, QA specialists, and UX designers across multiple time zones, fostering cross-functional collaboration.
Introduced Kanban methodology to replace Scrum, improving throughput and reducing blockers across development cycles.
Championed customer-centric design by incorporating user feedback into sprint cycles, resulting in improved adoption rates and NPS scores.
May 2020 – June 2023
Implementations Consultant
Delivered 100+ end-to-end payroll system implementations, ensuring data integrity, system configuration accuracy, and user training for seamless onboarding.
Spearheaded the rollout of a 3,000+ employee deployment across nine countries, coordinating with client teams, local regulators, and internal stakeholders.
Conducted workshops and discovery sessions to capture client-specific payroll requirements, providing tailored solutions that met operational and compliance standards.
Developed detailed implementation playbooks and user documentation to support knowledge transfer and system sustainability.
July 2018 – March 2019
Global Payroll Product Specialist
Orchestrated the full-cycle integration of Canadian payroll into Deel’s global platform, aligning functional requirements with country-specific tax and compliance standards.
Partnered with legal, compliance, engineering, and QA teams to customize platform capabilities, ensuring adherence to jurisdictional regulations and enhancing product-market fit.
Conducted market analysis and user research to define feature requirements and drive product enhancements tailored to client needs.
Delivered successful project go-live through structured planning, continuous testing, and proactive stakeholder communication, minimizing downtime and post-launch issues.
Deel Local PayrollJuly 2024 – Present
Senior Product Owner
Defined and communicated a clear product roadmap aligned with strategic objectives, enabling stakeholders to visualize development priorities and timelines.
Facilitated agile ceremonies including sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives to ensure consistent team alignment and delivery cadence.
Owned and prioritized product backlog, balancing business value with technical feasibility to drive efficient resource utilization.
Mentored newly hired product owners, instilling agile best practices and product management frameworks to accelerate team ramp-up.
Deel Local PayrollJuly 2023 – June 2024
IT Product Owner
Led the redesign and rollout of NextGen payroll UI and infrastructure, replacing legacy systems and improving interface responsiveness and data accuracy.
Directed a 30+ member agile team comprising developers, QA specialists, and UX designers across multiple time zones, fostering cross-functional collaboration.
Introduced Kanban methodology to replace Scrum, improving throughput and reducing blockers across development cycles.
Championed customer-centric design by incorporating user feedback into sprint cycles, resulting in improved adoption rates and NPS scores.
Deel Local PayrollMay 2020 – June 2023
Implementations Consultant
Delivered 100+ end-to-end payroll system implementations, ensuring data integrity, system configuration accuracy, and user training for seamless onboarding.
Spearheaded the rollout of a 3,000+ employee deployment across nine countries, coordinating with client teams, local regulators, and internal stakeholders.
Conducted workshops and discovery sessions to capture client-specific payroll requirements, providing tailored solutions that met operational and compliance standards.
Developed detailed implementation playbooks and user documentation to support knowledge transfer and system sustainability.
Deel Local PayrollJuly 2018 – March 2019
Education
Bachelor of Business Management
University of South Africa
2012 – 2016Foundation Program in Business Management
Monash University
2009 – 2010Bachelor of Business Management
University of South Africa
2012 – 2016Foundation Program in Business Management
Monash University
2009 – 2010Core Competencies
- ICT Product Management & Lifecycle Strategy
- Agile/Scrum & Kanban Frameworks
- Global Payroll Systems Implementation
- Backlog Management & Feature Prioritisation
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership (30+ team members)
- Stakeholder Communication & Expectation Management
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Digital Transformation & System Migration
- ICT Product Management & Lifecycle Strategy
- Agile/Scrum & Kanban Frameworks
- Global Payroll Systems Implementation
- Backlog Management & Feature Prioritisation
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership (30+ team members)
- Stakeholder Communication & Expectation Management
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Digital Transformation & System Migration
Technologies
Achievements & Awards
As a seasoned Product & Agile leader I’ve helped PaySpace by Deel scale globally through strategic product ownership, successfully migrating 10,000+ users to a new system while driving international expansion across multiple countries
Key Achievements
• Played a key role in building Deel’s largest EOR payroll implementation (3,700+ employees) in Canada
• Reduced development lifecycle time by 20% through agile workflow optimization
• Contributed to accelerating Brazil payroll processing by 50% through strategic feature releases
• Led the product vision and successfully migrated 10,000+ users to new system with zero downtime
• Scaled from Payroll Consultant to Senior Product Owner in 7 years
