Ahmed Syed

General Manager, Deel HR | Strategy and Ops Lead at Deel | AI and automations builder

New York, New York, United States

About

I’m a systems-minded operator who likes hard problems and messy workflows. I tend to get pulled into situations where things are unclear, time is tight, and someone needs to turn chaos into something that actually works. I move fast in ambiguity, but I care just as much about building processes and tools that hold up once things scale. At Deel, I serve as a “Ghostbuster” in the CEO/COO office (yes, that’s the real title). It’s essentially special projects across operations, GTM, and product. I get dropped into high-impact problems, map the real bottlenecks, and build the systems or tooling to fix them. More recently, as the Acting GM for Deel HR, I help lead our HRIS and Engage verticals, partnering closely with product and engineering to drive adoption, strategy, and revenue. I’ve contributed to Deel’s growth from roughly $50M to more than $1B in ARR by leading work across global payroll operations, HR product strategy, and AI automation. I also help build internal AI copilots and operational tools that unlock real leverage across teams. My edge is range paired with execution: I can help shape the strategy, build the automation myself, and then drive cross-functional alignment at founder speed inside a billion-dollar environment. A few principles I work by: • Make the problem brutally clear before solving it • Build systems and not one-off projects • Use AI as a force multiplier • Operate with ownership, speed, and kindness

Experience

  • Deel (Full-time · 4 yrs 6 mos)
    • Strategy and Operations Lead → Acting GM, Deel HR
      Jul 2024 - Present · 2 yrs

      Strategy and Operations Lead; Operating as Acting GM for Deel’s HR product suite (HRIS, Engage). Lead cross-functional strategy, product alignment, AI initiatives, and operational systems for a multi-product business used by thousands of global customers. Key Impact Areas: - Product + GTM Alignment: Drive alignment across product, engineering, marketing, sales, and operations to ensure consistent packaging, billing, adoption, and customer experience across the HR suite. - AI-Enabled Operations: Build and deploy internal AI and automation tools that streamline workflows, improve accuracy, and reduce operational load across multiple teams. - Systems & Process Leadership: Design and scale workflows for onboarding, invoicing, data quality, compliance, and customer operations across global markets. - Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead special projects for senior leadership (CEO/COO), solving ambiguous or high-priority issues spanning GTM, HR, payroll, and product teams. - Data & Insights: Create dashboards and metrics that track product adoption, customer health, and operational performance (especially across the HR product portfolio). - Cost & Vendor Optimization: Reduce operational inefficiency by consolidating tools, automating manual hours, and optimizing external vendor spend.

    • Senior Manager - Business Operations and Expansion
      Jul 2023 - Jul 2024 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Led global BizOps and expansion work across new markets and products. Built scalable systems, tooling, and automations that supported Deel’s rapid growth. Impact Highlights: - Developed internal data transformation and automation tools that accelerated onboarding and payroll operations. - Designed and taught Deel’s internal Data Fluency program, training 150+ employees across GTM, ops, and product in SQL, Looker, and analytical workflows. - Partnered with product and engineering to improve internal tools and workflows across HR and payroll systems. - Built analytical models and dashboards adopted by leadership teams across GTM, finance, and operations. - Streamlined cross-functional processes across onboarding, sales, and customer success to support efficient global expansion. - Acted as a strategic problem-solver for ambiguous operational issues across regions and products.

    • Expansion Strategy and Operations Manager
      Jan 2022 - Jul 2023 · 1 yr 7 mos

      Supported Deel’s expansion from ~50 to 100+ countries by building the analytics, systems, and processes necessary for global onboarding, compliance, and operational readiness. Impact Highlights: - Built dashboards and reporting infrastructure to support new-country launches. - Designed workflows and automations that reduced manual operational effort across onboarding and payroll teams. - Partnered with regional teams to identify bottlenecks and optimize global hiring and payroll processes. - Created frameworks for scaling operations across new geographies and customer segments.

  • Owner & Operator at A&B Watch Repair
    Jan 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 6 mos

    - Own operations and strategy for a multi-technician watch repair business. - Grew revenue and margins by modernizing invoicing, CRM, and shipping workflows. - Built automations (Zapier, Apps Script, etc.) for order tracking, notifications, and vendor coordination. - Use the business as a testbed for AI and automation in “old world” service environments.

  • Business Analyst, Carrier Strategy and Operations at Uber
    Nov 2019 - Dec 2021 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    Led analytics and operational strategy for the carrier side of Uber Freight, supporting marketplace growth and driver experience. Impact Highlights: - Designed and maintained analytical models and dashboards used across operations and product. - Improved marketplace efficiency through data-driven experimentation and process redesign. - Supported both growth strategy and driver experience initiatives during a period of rapid expansion. - Developed SQL, Python, and data visualization tooling used by cross-functional teams.

  • Associate Consultant - Consumer Pricing at Novantas
    Jun 2018 - Jul 2019 · 1 yr 2 mos

    Worked with major financial institutions to build pricing, elasticity, and revenue models that informed product and go-to-market decisions. Impact Highlights: - Conducted data-heavy analysis to surface insights for senior banking executives. - Supported development of pricing strategies across consumer deposit and lending products. - Strengthened foundational skills in quantitative modeling, analytics, client communication, and structured problem-solving.

  • Early Career Roles at Yale University
    Aug 2014 - May 2018 · 3 yrs 10 mos

    Yale University – First-Year Counselor, Administrative Assistant Silvertree Capital – Summer Analyst iXperience – Consulting Student Prologue Strategies – Research Analyst Gained early exposure to research, consulting, and analytical work that laid the foundation for later roles in operations and strategy.