Founder · HR software product leader · UK-based

I build pay and reward products for HR teams.

I'm Drew Hajduk. I founded and launched PAYgrade and PAYreview, and I run product-focused digital businesses. UK-based, proudly up North.

Drew Hajduk, HR software product leader and founder of PAYgrade, talking with people at an HR industry event

About

Good products come from good people.

I'm a product designer by trade, with 16 years in the design industry and years of running the businesses around it. These days I lead rather than design hands-on: I decide what gets built, how it should work, how it's positioned and how it reaches the people who need it. The best of it has come from working alongside talented teams and partners, and my job is to give them clear direction and the room to do great work.

What I do

Design direction

Setting the direction for the designers and developers who build software people use to make real decisions.

Product strategy

Deciding what to build and why, then improving it through continuous development, releasing often and learning from how customers actually use it.

Secure, reliable software

Keeping products secure, dependable and running smoothly, with the right technical partners alongside.

Building businesses

Taking a product from idea to launch, then running the company that keeps it growing.

Where I keep coming back

HR software, reward and pay systems.

Pay is one of the most important numbers in anyone's working life, yet the systems behind it are often hidden in spreadsheets that only one person understands. I'm interested in how job evaluation, grading and pay structures actually work, and in how good product design can make them clear, consistent and fair for the people using them and the people they affect.

It's why both of my products live in this space, and why I still enjoy digging into how organisations decide what a role is worth.

Products I've founded

  1. Founded · Launched

    PAYgrade

    A job evaluation and salary banding platform, used by around 25 organisations.

    Live
    PAYgrade job evaluation screen scoring a VP Finance role, with similar roles compared side by side
    “The system is intuitive and makes a huge difference when we’re evaluating roles. It gives us the ability to work much quicker with minimal preparation, and we love the comparison functionality.”
    Laura Allam · Head of HR Reward and Recognition, Orders of St John Care Trust
  2. Founded · Launched

    PAYreview

    Software for running pay reviews, designed and taken to market from scratch.

    “The pain of managing 100s of spreadsheets is gone. Now PAYreview does it all for us.”
    Samantha Perry · Policy & Systems Manager, David Lloyd
    Launched
Drew Hajduk at an HR and reward conference session

Writing

Notes on pay, grading and product.

All writing →Free resources →

Strategy workshops

A few days a quarter, for your product.

Strategy workshop · 3 days

Alongside building my own products, I keep a few days each quarter for businesses building HR, pay or reward software. A workshop takes three days: a day getting to know your product and market, a workshop day with your team, and a day writing up the plan: what to build next, what to stop and how to get it to market. If you'd like further strategic planning after that, we can agree it separately.

£1,250 a day + VAT

A three-day workshop comes to £3,750 + VAT.

Check availability

Questions

Frequently asked.

What does Drew Hajduk do?
I'm a founder and product leader with a background in design. I build pay and reward software for HR teams, and I founded and launched PAYgrade and PAYreview.
What is Drew Hajduk working on now?
I run PAYgrade, a job evaluation and salary banding platform, alongside other product-focused digital businesses. I also write about pay, reward and building HR software, and share free resources for people working in the field.
How can I get in touch with Drew Hajduk?
Use the contact form on this site, or message me on LinkedIn. I'm always happy to talk about partnerships, new products, speaking or anything pay and reward.
Does Drew Hajduk offer consulting?
Not as my main work, as I spend most of my time building products. I keep a few days each quarter for strategy workshops with businesses building HR, pay or reward software. A workshop takes three days, including a day writing up the plan, and is charged at £1,250 a day + VAT. Further strategic planning can be agreed afterwards.
What are PAYgrade and PAYreview?
PAYgrade is a job evaluation and salary banding platform used by around 25 organisations. PAYreview is software for running pay reviews. I founded and launched both.
Where are you based?
I'm UK-based, proudly up North.

Contact

Let's talk.

I'm always happy to hear from people working on pay, reward and HR software. Get in touch about:

Or message me on LinkedIn ↗