APAC Payroll Specialist

ThoughtFocus; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 650,000 - 950,000; Full time

Job summary

ThoughtFocus is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to manage end-to-end monthly payroll across India and APAC. You will validate inputs for hires, exits, promotions, salary revisions, bonuses, deductions, and reimbursements while ensuring timely processing and strict adherence to payroll calendars and SLAs.

Candidates should have 3-5+ years in payroll, strong India regulatory knowledge, and experience with multi-country payroll.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of experience in payroll administration/operations.
• Strong knowledge of India payroll processing and statutory compliance.
• Experience with multi-country payroll and regional payroll vendors.
• Good understanding of APAC payroll practices, taxation, statutory deductions, and compliance.
• Strong payroll reconciliation, accounting, and month-end activities.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll processing for employees across India and APAC.
• Review and validate payroll inputs including hires, exits, promotions, salary revisions, bonuses, deductions, and reimbursements.
• Ensure accurate and timely payroll processing per calendars and SLAs.
• Perform pre-payroll and post-payroll validations and resolve discrepancies.
• Coordinate payroll cut-off activities and ensure inputs are processed on time.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and employee master data.
• Support statutory filings and payments and payroll audits as required.
• Liaise with Finance, HR, and external payroll partners to ensure compliance and seamless operations.

Skills

Payroll processing

Payroll compliance

Advanced Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/HR/Business Administration

Tools

Workday

SAP

ADP

Darwinbox

SuccessFactors

PeopleStrong

Job description

• 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.