Manager – US Payroll Operations

Job Description: Manager – US Payroll Operations (Level 5)

Location: Chennai, India (Mandatory Work from Office)

Shift: US Night Shift (5 Days a Week)

Experience: 10–15 Years

Region Supported: United States (US)

Role Overview

As a Manager – Payroll Operations, you will lead end-to-end US payroll operations, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery. You will be responsible for managing teams, driving operational excellence, and leading transformation initiatives across payroll processes and systems.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Process Excellence & Governance

• Own and manage end-to-end payroll processes across multiple employee populations
• Ensure payroll processing is accurate, timely, and compliant with US federal, state, and local regulations
• Define, standardize, and continuously improve payroll SOPs and workflows
• Drive process optimization, automation, and digitization initiatives
• Ensure strong internal controls, audit readiness, and risk mitigation frameworks
• Monitor payroll metrics, variance analysis, and error trends to drive improvements
• Oversee payroll integrations between Workday and ADP, ensuring data accuracy

2. Leadership & Service Delivery

• Lead and manage multiple payroll teams and team leads
• Drive SLA/KPI adherence, service quality, and productivity metrics
• Build a high-performance culture through coaching, mentoring, and capability development
• Ensure effective workload planning and resource allocation
• Manage escalations and ensure timely resolution of critical payroll issues
• Drive continuous improvement culture and operational excellence initiatives
• Ensure seamless payroll delivery during peak cycles and critical timelines

3. Stakeholder Management

• Act as primary point of contact for internal stakeholders (HR, Finance, Compliance)
• Collaborate with global teams and leadership for payroll strategy and execution
• Manage vendor relationships (e.g., ADP, background verification partners)
• Provide regular updates, dashboards, and insights to leadership
• Drive stakeholder satisfaction through effective communication and issue resolution
• Partner with cross-functional teams for system enhancements and process improvements

4. Compliance, Risk & Audit

• Ensure adherence to US payroll laws and statutory requirements
• Manage internal and external audits with complete documentation
• Identify and mitigate payroll risks proactively
• Ensure governance and compliance frameworks are followed

5. Analytics & Transformation

• Leverage data and analytics (Power BI, dashboards) for decision-making
• Drive payroll transformation initiatives and automation strategies
• Identify cost optimization and efficiency opportunities
• Implement best practices and benchmarking standards

Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 12–15 years of experience leading payroll operations, payroll shared services, or enterprise payroll delivery teams.

• Strategic Payroll Expertise: Strong experience in payroll governance frameworks, payroll transformation initiatives, and enterprise payroll operations.

• System Expertise: Advanced experience with enterprise payroll platforms and payroll reporting systems.

• Compliance Leadership: Deep knowledge of payroll compliance, regulatory frameworks, and global payroll standards.

• Leadership Experience: Proven experience managing large payroll teams and complex payroll environments.

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, HR, Accounting, or Business Administration.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Payroll Leadership: Defines payroll service delivery strategies that ensure scalable, efficient, and compliant payroll operations across the organization.

• Enterprise Payroll Governance: Establishes governance frameworks to ensure payroll processes maintain strong regulatory compliance and audit readiness.

• Operational Excellence: Builds high-performing payroll operations through process standardization, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Stakeholder Influence: Partners with HR leadership, finance leaders, and senior stakeholders to align payroll operations with broader organizational goals.

• Compliance & Risk Oversight: Oversees payroll compliance frameworks and ensures adherence to regulatory requirements across payroll operations.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Uses payroll analytics and reporting insights to guide strategic payroll decisions and operational improvements.

• Leadership Development: Develops payroll leaders and builds strong payroll management capability across teams.