Payroll Lead

This role owns end-to-end payroll operations for employees across India and the UAE, ensuring every payroll cycle is accurate, compliant, and delivered on time. You will serve as the primary subject matter expert for payroll, workforce compliance, and statutory requirements across both markets. The position combines hands-on payroll governance with process improvement, systems ownership, and vendor management. You will work closely with HR, Finance, Legal, Total Rewards, and external payroll providers to maintain a reliable and scalable payroll function. A major focus will be transforming existing processes through automation, stronger controls, and improved service-provider performance. As an individual contributor, you will have significant ownership and influence over how the payroll function evolves.

Accountabilities:

• Independently lead and govern end-to-end monthly payroll for India and UAE employees, overseeing payroll inputs, processing, validation, and final bank funding to ensure accurate and timely disbursements.
• Validate attendance, leave, variable compensation, incentives, reimbursements, and full-and-final settlement inputs against HRIS and Finance records before each payroll run.
• Review payroll registers, variance reports, CTC data, and reconciliation files to maintain data integrity, strengthen financial controls, and support internal audit requirements.
• Manage and improve relationships with external payroll service providers by establishing performance expectations, conducting regular audits, and addressing service-quality issues.
• Identify payroll process bottlenecks and implement technology-driven improvements that increase automation, reduce manual work, and improve operational efficiency.
• Act as the payroll compliance subject matter expert, maintaining adherence to Indian labour laws, Provident Fund, ESIC, Income Tax regulations, payroll SOX requirements, and applicable UAE requirements.
• Lead statutory payroll filings and ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual returns are completed accurately and submitted within required deadlines.
• Support internal, statutory, and external audits while preparing payroll MIS, accruals, reconciliations, and audit-ready documentation for Finance and other stakeholders.
• Monitor changes in India and UAE labour, tax, and social security regulations and proactively update payroll processes, controls, and stakeholders.
• Serve as the first point of contact for payroll, tax, and benefits questions, ensuring payslips, Form 16 and tax documentation, salary certificates, and other employee records are delivered accurately and on time.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and Total Rewards teams on compensation changes, benefits and equity administration, and payroll setup for new markets or entities.
• Own Darwinbox as the payroll system of record, maintaining data integrity and reliable information flows between HR, payroll, Finance, and banking systems.
• Manage payroll-related system configuration, access, integrations, troubleshooting, upgrades, and enhancements in collaboration with internal People Tech teams and external system support.
• Drive automation of payroll workflows and system processes to reduce manual intervention, improve turnaround times, and create a more scalable payroll operating model.

Requirements

• Bring 8+ years of hands-on payroll experience, including proven ownership of end-to-end India payroll processing and statutory compliance.
• Have practical knowledge of payroll practices and requirements across both India and the UAE.
• Hold a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance, HR, or a related field; payroll or labour law certifications such as CPP or an India payroll compliance certification are a plus.
• Demonstrate hands-on experience with payroll and HRIS platforms such as GreytHR, Keka, ADP, or SAP SuccessFactors, with prior Darwinbox experience considered an advantage.
• Possess strong Excel and data-reconciliation skills, with the ability to work accurately with large employee datasets and complex payroll information.
• Bring strong knowledge of payroll controls, reconciliations, statutory requirements, audits, and compliance processes.
• Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail, ownership, and discretion when handling confidential employee compensation and personal data.
• Communicate clearly and confidently while managing multiple stakeholders, vendors, deadlines, and priorities across India and UAE time zones.
• Be comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, multi-entity, or global technology environment where processes are continuously evolving.
• Bring strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to identifying operational gaps and improving payroll processes.

Benefits

• Remote position based in India, supporting a global payroll function across multiple geographies.
• High level of ownership as an individual contributor responsible for shaping and improving the payroll function.
• Opportunity to work across India and UAE payroll operations, gaining exposure to multi-country compliance and workforce practices.
• Significant scope to modernize payroll through automation, systems optimization, stronger controls, and improved vendor management.
• Cross-functional collaboration with HR, Finance, Legal, Total Rewards, People Tech, and external service providers.
• Exposure to large-scale HRIS and payroll systems, including Darwinbox and related finance and banking integrations.
• Opportunity to build deeper expertise in payroll compliance, statutory requirements, audits, and international payroll operations.
• Flexible remote-first working environment within a global, distributed organization.