APAC Payroll Specialist

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Administration

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll processing for employees across India and APAC.
• Review and validate payroll inputs including new hires, exits, promotions, transfers, salary revisions, bonuses, incentives, deductions, leave, overtime, and reimbursements.
• Ensure accurate and timely payroll processing in accordance with defined payroll calendars and SLAs.
• Perform pre-payroll and post-payroll validations and resolve discrepancies.
• Coordinate payroll cut-off activities and ensure all inputs are received and processed on time.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and employee master data.

India Payroll & Statutory Compliance

• Manage payroll activities in compliance with applicable Indian regulations.
• Strong working knowledge of PF, ESI, Professional Tax, TDS, Labour Welfare Fund, Gratuity, Bonus, and other applicable statutory requirements.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual statutory payroll filings and payments.
• Coordinate with Finance and external payroll partners for statutory remittances and reconciliations.
• Support payroll audits and statutory inspections as required.

APAC Payroll

• Coordinate payroll processing across APAC countries and work with local payroll vendors/service providers.
• Review country-specific payroll inputs, statutory deductions, taxes, benefits, and payroll reports.
• Ensure payroll activities comply with local regulations and country-specific payroll calendars.
• Liaise with regional HR, Finance, tax teams, and payroll vendors to resolve payroll issues.
• Maintain appropriate documentation for country-specific payroll processes and controls.

Payroll Reconciliation & Finance

• Perform payroll-to-GL and payroll-to-bank reconciliations.
• Validate payroll registers, funding reports, statutory deductions, and accounting entries.
• Coordinate with Finance for payroll journal postings and month-end close activities.
• Investigate and resolve payroll variances and unexplained differences.
• Support accruals, provisions, and payroll-related financial reporting.

Employee & Stakeholder Management

• Respond to employee payroll queries relating to salary, deductions, taxes, benefits, reimbursements, and statutory contributions.
• Handle sensitive payroll information with a high degree of confidentiality.
• Work closely with HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance, Accounting, Compensation & Benefits, and regional management teams.
• Coordinate with external payroll providers and ensure adherence to agreed SLAs.

Controls, Audit & Process Improvement

• Establish and maintain strong payroll controls to minimize errors and compliance risks.
• Participate in internal and external payroll audits.
• Maintain payroll SOPs, process documentation, checklists, and control matrices.
• Identify opportunities for payroll automation, standardization, and process improvement.
• Support implementation, enhancement, or migration of payroll systems.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and access controls around payroll data.

Required Skills & Experience

• 3-5+ years of experience in payroll administration/payroll operations, preferably managing India and APAC payroll.
• Strong hands-on experience in India payroll processing and statutory compliance.
• Experience working with multi-country payroll and regional payroll vendors.
• Good understanding of APAC payroll practices, taxation, statutory deductions, and compliance requirements.
• Strong knowledge of payroll reconciliation, payroll accounting, and month-end activities.
• Experience handling high-volume payroll operations.
• Strong Excel skills including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, data validation, and payroll data analysis.
• Experience with payroll/HRIS platforms such as Workday, SAP, ADP, Darwinbox, SuccessFactors, PeopleStrong, or similar systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to handle confidential information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple payroll cycles, deadlines, and stakeholders across different time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Professional payroll certification is an advantage.
• Experience supporting payroll transformation, automation, or HRIS implementation projects.
• Experience working with global organizations, shared services, BPOs, or managed payroll service environments.
• Exposure to payroll processes in countries such as Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and other APAC markets.