Associate Payroll Manager

Job Description
Position: Associate Manager-Payroll
Department: Human Resources
Location: Pune
Reporting To: Head of C&B & HR Operations
Experience: 5 to 10 years (depending on role level)

The role is responsible for managing end-to-end payroll operations through ZingHR, statutory compliance, and payroll accounting, ensuring accurate and timely salary processing, adherence to applicable labour laws and statutory regulations, and proper accounting and reconciliation of payroll-related costs and liabilities.

The incumbent will coordinate with HR, Finance, Accounts, Taxation, Internal Audit, and external payroll vendors to ensure payroll accuracy, financial integrity, regulatory compliance, and adherence to established processes and controls.

The role requires a strong focus on payroll accuracy, statutory compliance, accounting reconciliations, audit readiness, and payroll cost reporting, ensuring efficient execution of payroll operations and timely closure of payroll-related activities.

Required Qualifications, Experience & Competencies

• Graduate/Postgraduate in Finance, Commerce, HR, or a related discipline; relevant professional qualifications or payroll certifications preferred.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in payroll operations, statutory compliance, and payroll accounting, preferably in a large or multi-location organization.
• Strong knowledge of Indian payroll legislation, labour laws, statutory deductions, and employee taxation.
• Hands-on experience in payroll journal entries, GL and balance sheet reconciliations, provisions, and month-end financial closing.
• Experience managing large employee populations, multiple legal entities, complex salary structures, and payroll vendors.
• Working knowledge of HRMS/payroll systems, preferably ZingHR or equivalent.
• Advanced MS Excel skills, including data analysis, complex calculations, MIS reporting, dashboard preparation, and reconciliation.
• Strong numerical aptitude, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret payroll data accurately.
• Excellent stakeholder management and coordination skills, with high standards of accuracy, confidentiality, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage strict timelines, multiple priorities, internal controls, compliance risks, vendor coordination, and continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities
1. End-to-End Payroll Management & MIS Reporting

• Execute accurate and timely monthly payroll processing, including attendance, leave, fixed/variable pay, incentives, arrears, reimbursements, deductions, and full and final settlements.
• Validate employee master data, salary structures, CTC revisions, increments, promotions, transfers, exits, and payroll inputs.
• Coordinate with HR, Regional HR, Operations, and Finance for timely payroll inputs and approvals.
• Prepare monthly payroll MIS covering headcount, payroll costs, net salary, statutory costs, deductions, and other employee expenses; support budgeting, forecasting, accruals, and management reporting.
• Track statutory liabilities, payroll provisions, unreconciled balances, and outstanding payments; drive payroll automation and process improvements.
• Ensure timely Full and Final (F&F) settlement and closure for exiting employees.
• Respond to and resolve queries raised by internal stakeholders promptly.

2. Statutory Compliance & Taxation

• Ensure timely compliance with PF, ESIC, PT, LWF, TDS, gratuity, and other applicable statutory requirements.
• Monitor changes in labour laws, wage definitions, statutory limits, contribution rates, and tax regulations, assessing their impact on payroll and employee costs.
• Coordinate statutory calculations, reconciliations, payments, returns, and filings within prescribed timelines.
• Manage employee tax declarations, investment proofs, tax calculations, TDS deductions, and annual payroll tax activities.
• Maintain a statutory compliance calendar and ensure timely compliance across locations and legal entities.

3. Payroll Accounting & Financial Reconciliation

• Prepare and post payroll journal entries, ensuring accurate accounting of salaries, benefits, deductions, statutory liabilities, and payroll provisions in the General Ledger (GL).
• Reconcile payroll registers, payroll summaries, bank payments, GL balances, and statutory liabilities, investigating and resolving discrepancies.
• Ensure accurate accounting of advances, loans, reimbursements, incentives, bonuses, arrears, recoveries, and full and final settlements.
• Review payroll provisions, including variable pay, bonus, gratuity, and leave encashment, in coordination with Finance.
• Ensure accurate cost allocation across cost centres, business units, locations, and legal entities.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closing, including accruals, reversals, reclassifications, balance sheet schedules, and timely closure of outstanding accounting items.

4. Audit, Controls & Governance

• Ensure adherence to internal policies, financial controls, approval workflows, and delegation of authority.
• Maintain complete audit trails and documentation for payroll inputs, changes, approvals, payments, statutory filings, and accounting entries.
• Coordinate internal, statutory, financial, and payroll compliance audits, providing required records and supporting timely closure of audit observations.