Lead Operations & Payroll Manager

British Council; Dadri; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

British Council is seeking a Lead Operations Payroll Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for global People Operations and payroll services. The role ensures governance, compliance and continuous improvement across internal teams and external vendors.

You will translate People Function strategy into an operating model, manage transformation, and act as a senior escalation point. The role reports to the Head of HR Operations and Payroll and may coordinate with cross-functional

Qualifications

• Substantial leadership experience in complex People Operations, payroll, shared services or outsourced service-delivery environments.
• Experience leading multi-country or global payroll and HR operations governance across internal teams and external providers.
• Strong knowledge of payroll operations, controls, reconciliations, statutory compliance, risk management and audit requirements.
• Experience managing service providers and payroll vendors through SLAs, KPIs, governance forums, corrective actions and commercial discussions.
• Experience designing or improving target operating models, processes, controls, SOPs, RACI structures and escalation frameworks.
• Proven delivery of transformation, transition, automation or vendor-consolidation initiatives with measurable outcomes.
• Experience in preparing business cases, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, executive presentations and leadership recommendations.
• Advanced analytical capability, including strong Excel and presentation skills and the ability to turn data into clear executive insight.
• Experience leading managers, specialists or matrix teams across different locations and priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management, judgement, written communication and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.

Skills

Business acumen

Data literacy

People advocacy

Executional excellence

Problem solving

Influencing skills

Supplier management

Transformation leadership

Job description

Job Summary

The Lead Operations Payroll Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for global People Operations and payroll services. The role is accountable for governance, service performance, compliance, risk management and continuous improvement across retained People teams, managed service providers, payroll vendors and other external partners.

The role translates People Function strategy into a controlled and measurable operating model. It ensures that employee lifecycle and payroll services are delivered accurately, on time and in accordance with global policy, local legislation, contractual commitments and internal controls. The role leads through data, clear accountabilities and disciplined governance, while maintaining a strong focus on employee and stakeholder experience.

The role also leads major transformation, vendor consolidation, automation and operating-model initiatives, including business-case development, transition planning, benefits tracking and leadership reporting. It acts as a senior escalation point for complex operational, payroll, statutory, supplier and service-delivery matters and provides advice to the PB10 Director and other senior stakeholders.

The People Function delivers HR and payroll services across multiple regions, countries, legal entities and service channels. Delivery is shared between internal People teams, retained service desks, managed service providers, payroll partners, Finance, Procurement, Technology and country stakeholders. This creates a complex control environment requiring clear ownership, standard processes, reliable data and active supplier governance.

The Lead Operations Payroll Manager operates across both business-as-usual service delivery and transformation. The role oversees global operations such as AskHR governance, retained-desk activity, managed-service performance, payroll controls, vendor and invoice governance, management reporting and operational improvement. It works closely with regional Lead Operations Payroll Managers, Payroll and People Data Managers, People Solutions colleagues and cross-functional partners.

The role reports to the Director - Head of HR Operations and Payroll (PB10). It may directly or matrix-manage managers, specialists and project resources and will be expected to represent the function in leadership forums, service reviews, audits, supplier meetings and transformation governance.

Role-specific skills

• Business acumen (exemplary): connects service, risk, cost and employee experience outcomes to organizational strategy.
• Data literacy (exemplary): uses operational, financial and service data to shape priorities, challenge performance and support investment decisions.
• People advocacy (developing/exemplary): balances customer needs, fairness, compliance, ethics and organisational risk.
• Executional excellence (exemplary): converts direction into measurable plans, sustained governance and accountable delivery.
• Problem solving (exemplary): resolves complex, cross-functional issues with incomplete information and competing stakeholder interests.
• Interpersonal and influencing skills (exemplary): builds alignment across senior stakeholders, suppliers and distributed teams.
• Commercial and supplier management (developing/exemplary): manages performance, obligations, cost, risk and value across outsourced services.
• Change and transformation leadership (developing/exemplary): leads operating-model, process, technology and behavioural change.

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Substantial leadership experience in complex People Operations, payroll, shared services or outsourced service-delivery environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-country or global payroll and HR operations governance across internal teams and external providers.
• Strong knowledge of payroll operations, controls, reconciliations, statutory compliance, risk management and audit requirements.
• Experience managing service providers and payroll vendors through SLAs, KPIs, governance forums, corrective actions and commercial discussions.
• Experience designing or improving target operating models, processes, controls, SOPs, RACI structures and escalation frameworks.
• Proven delivery of transformation, transition, automation or vendor-consolidation initiatives with measurable outcomes.
• Experience in preparing business cases, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, executive presentations and leadership recommendations.
• Advanced analytical capability, including strong Excel and presentation skills and the ability to turn data into clear executive insight.
• Experience leading managers, specialists or matrix teams across different locations and priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management, judgement, written communication and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.