Lead- Compensation & Benefits

Amber; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Amber is seeking a Lead - Compensation & Benefits to shape and govern India payroll, benefits, and compliance for a fast-scaling global student housing platform. You will own salary structure, benchmarking, and annual reviews, while ensuring statutory compliance across processes and vendors.

You will partner with HR, Finance, and Legal to automate and optimize payroll operations, improve MIS reporting, and enable scalable compensation practices across Amber's growing global footprint.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of experience in Compensation & Benefits or HR operations.
• Strong knowledge of Indian payroll and statutory compliance.
• Experience with payroll systems and compensation structures.
• Exposure to global payroll or multi-country benefits is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Drive compensation benchmarking and salary structure management across teams.
• Support annual compensation reviews, increments, promotions, and bonus cycles.
• Manage employee benefits programs including insurance and reimbursements.
• Ensure compliant compensation practices aligned with market standards.

Skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Excel proficiency

Stakeholder management

Education

MBA / PGDM in HR or Finance

Tools

Payroll systems

HRMS platforms

Job description

Amber is a leading global student accommodation platform, helping students worldwide find and book long-term housing near their universities. With operations across multiple geographies, Amber is building a high-performance, people-first organization focused on scale, compliance, and employee experience.

Role Overview

We are looking for a detail-oriented and process-driven Lead - Compensation & Benefits to manage and strengthen Amber’s compensation, payroll, benefits, and compliance framework.

This role will play a critical part in ensuring accurate payroll operations, statutory compliance, employee benefits administration, and scalable compensation practices across the organization.

The ideal candidate should have strong expertise in payroll governance, labor law compliance, compensation benchmarking, and employee benefits administration. Exposure to global payroll and compliance processes will be an added advantage.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive compensation benchmarking and salary structure management across teams.
• Support annual compensation reviews, increments, promotions, and bonus cycles.
• Manage employee benefits programs, including insurance, wellness initiatives, reimbursements, and vendor coordination.
• Ensure competitive and compliant compensation practices aligned with market standards.

Payroll Management

• Own end-to-end payroll processing with high accuracy and adherence to timelines.
• Coordinate with payroll vendors and finance teams for smooth salary processing.
• Validate payroll inputs, including incentives, variable pay, reimbursements, full-and-final settlements, and statutory deductions.
• Ensure payroll data accuracy, confidentiality, and audit readiness.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to labor laws and statutory regulations, including PF, ESIC, PT, gratuity, TDS, and other compliance requirements.
• Maintain employee records and documentation in line with compliance standards.
• Manage audits, inspections, and statutory reporting requirements.
• Stay updated on evolving labor laws and recommend process improvements accordingly.

Process Excellence

• Build scalable compensation and payroll processes to support organizational growth.
• Improve HR operations efficiency through automation and process optimization.
• Collaborate with HRBPs, Finance, Legal, and leadership teams on policy implementation and workforce planning.
• Generate MIS reports, compensation analytics, and dashboards for leadership review.

Requirements

• 5-8 years of experience in Compensation & Benefits, Payroll, or HR Operations.
• Strong understanding of Indian payroll processes and statutory compliance.
• Hands-on experience with payroll systems, HRMS platforms, and compensation structures.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• High attention to detail and process orientation.
• Advanced Excel and reporting capabilities.
• Exposure to global payroll, international compliance, or multi-country benefits management is a strong advantage.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA / PGDM in HR, Finance, or a related field.
• Experience working in fast-paced startups or high-growth environments.
• Knowledge of HR automation tools and payroll integrations.

Why Join Amber?

• Opportunity to work in a fast-scaling global organization.
• High ownership and exposure to strategic HR initiatives.
• Collaborative, performance-driven, and entrepreneurial culture.
• Opportunity to build and scale compensation, payroll, and compliance frameworks globally.