Future Payroll

“Payroll is no longer a back-office function; it is now at the forefront of every small business owner's mind. But, it isn’t always simple. The complexities of government legislation and subsidies over the last year required SMBs to look to payroll service providers for help with education, training, guidance and even outsourcing,” according to Bianca Mueller.

With our field in constant evolution, we need to adapt and hire new payroll service providers, as Bianca Mueller suggests, or redefine the payroll positions in our own companies. Erin Griffin lists the six new job titles in the future of payroll and shares their functions which will level up our industry.


  1. Bot Monitor
    Responsible for overseeing the deployed bots within the department, the bot monitor will fix issues and review use cases for furthering payroll-bot development. This will be a great role for junior payroll professionals with a keen interest or background in technology and robotics.

  2. People Analytics and Data Consultant
    Responsible for designing and delivering payroll management information that will be used across the business; the people analytics and data consultants will address key data and systems requirements, manage security issues, run reports and analytics, as well as testing and updating systems. For this role, candidates would likely need a background or education in data analytics and data mining.

  3. Payroll Digital Strategist
    Responsible for the overall payroll technology strategy; the payroll digital strategist will be expected to scan the technology market and identify new levers to automate and embed technology across payroll, HR and finance. This role may work with third parties to co-create products and will also look at how machines and people can work in partnership to ensure an effective employee experience. This role will be a good fit for a creative and strategic payroll professional who understands the industry and has vision for the future of payroll.

  4. Payroll Advisor
    The payroll advisor will oversee the payroll operation, particularly payroll customer service. This role will be responsible for handling escalated issues, yet will also act as an advisor to HR, finance and the business on payroll-related policies, programs and practices. The payroll advisor will provide specialist knowledge where necessary and design innovative solutions that become digital services. This role will require a great understanding of payroll and the organization. It will require exceptional people and customer service skills.

  5. Payroll Relationship Manager
    Closely integrated with the business, the payroll relationship manager will focus on providing strategic payroll insight and input to business operations. The relationship manager develops a solid understanding of the business needs and acts as the external voice in the payroll team to ensure strategic cohesion — particularly in enhancing or developing new digital solutions. A candidate for this role should have some payroll experience and business management or strategic experience.

  6. Payroll Compliance Specialist
    The payroll compliance specialist will ensure compliance with federal, provincial and territorial and global taxation and legislative regulations, oversee global payroll operations and expat payroll (if applicable) and oversee business traveler tax compliance. This role will be a good fit for an experienced payroll professional with special expertise in payroll compliance and government relations.


Have you implemented any of these positions in your company? If not, be ahead of the curve and put these functions into effect to leverage your company’s resources. We can always get support from software service providers when it comes to repetitive tasks, but having a department with a modern structure will help you meet the challenges we face every day at payroll.


What do you think about these positions? Would you add another one? Tell us in the comments section below. 

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