HR Operation- Team lead (India Payroll)

Overview

Lead the India payroll operations team within ABB HR Operations, owning end-to-end payroll delivery for the India and South Africa cluster, including statutory compliance, audits and payroll system optimization.

What you'll do

• Lead, supervise, and mentor payroll operations team members, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning.
• Set performance expectations, conduct performance reviews, and identify development opportunities for team members.
• Plan and allocate work to optimize team capacity, skills, and project timelines.
• Build and maintain team engagement, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing across the payroll function.
• Represent team interests in HR leadership forums and escalations.
• Lead end-to-end payroll delivery for India & South Africa cluster, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and 100% compliance with statutory requirements.
• Oversee payroll reconciliation processes including Cost to Company (CTC) verification, variance analysis, and data validation.
• Manage payroll system implementation, maintenance, and optimization to ensure accurate salary disbursements, benefits, taxes, and deductions.
• Direct compliance with statutory contributions (PF, PT, ESI, LWF, TDS) aligned with local labor laws and income tax regulations.
• Lead complex HR master data updates with strict adherence to data privacy and service levels.
• Oversee taxation management including income tax processes for senior management and incentive plans (LTIP, MIP).
• Direct quarterly Hire-to-Retire audits and statutory audits, ensuring findings are tracked and resolved.
• Establish and monitor internal control mechanisms including 4-eye checks, data protection protocols, and compliance standards.
• Ensure audit readiness and maintain documentation supporting all payroll processes.
• Drive updates to payroll procedures aligned with evolving tax laws and labor regulations.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to streamline payroll processes, reduce costs, and enhance internal controls.
• Champion LEAN methodologies and leverage AI tools for reporting, reconciliation, and process efficiency.
• Monitor KPIs and process metrics, reporting progress to leadership.
• Drive automation opportunities and technology adoption within payroll operations.
• Work closely with HR Business Partners, Tax Managers, and Trust Management to implement payroll changes and resolve issues.
• Manage vendor relationships with payroll service providers, ensuring SLA compliance.
• Provide strategic input on payroll process improvements and transformation initiatives.
• Communicate payroll policies and updates to employees and business units.

What you'll need

• Hands-on payroll processing experience, along with compliance, tax calculations and remittances.
• Minimum 10 years of India payroll operations experience, with deep expertise in payroll audits, internal controls, and taxation.
• Strong proficiency in interpreting payroll data and resolving complex payroll queries.
• Expert knowledge of Indian labor laws, multi-location payroll complexities, and statutory compliance.
• Proven experience with SAP payroll modules, payroll integration, and modern HRIS platforms.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams.
• Strong coaching and mentoring capabilities.
• Ability to motivate, inspire, and build high-performing teams.
• Clear communication and decision-making skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Ability to work with AI tools for reporting and data analysis.
• Vendor management and coordination experience.
• Proven capability in process optimization and change management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English.
• Skilled in managing sensitive, confidential situations with tact and professionalism.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build relationships across functions and hierarchies.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Human Resources, or related field.
• Demonstrated passion for HR operations, high commitment to compliance and quality, and results-oriented mindset.

Nice to have

• Good to have experience in Workday.
• Familiarity with EMEA/APAC payroll processes.
• Local language proficiency.
• Payroll certification or professional qualification relevant to payroll management.

Details

• Reports to: HR Operations Delivery Manager - Payroll.
• Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India.