Lead Payroll Associate (US Payroll)

UKG; Maharashtra; On-site; INR 6,232,000 - 9,588,000; Full time

Job summary

UKG is seeking a Lead Process Associate to manage the end-to-end payroll process for US operations. You will ensure accurate payroll, regulatory compliance, and mentor the payroll team to exceed SLAs. You’ll collaborate with stakeholders and lead process improvements while maintaining strong customer relationships.

The role requires deep payroll knowledge, SME-level leadership, and the ability to communicate clearly with internal and external partners.

Qualifications

• Subject matter expert in a service provider or corporate setting.
• Able to influence teams and partners without direct reports.
• Commitment to excellence and high standards.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Experience with UKGPro is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end payroll cycle for US operations, including data collection, validation, processing and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state payroll regulations and tax laws.
• Handle payroll inquiries and resolve discrepancies efficiently.
• Provide functional direction and serve as SME for issue resolution.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to integrate payroll data smoothly.
• Prepare and review payroll reports for audits and management reviews.
• Lead process improvements to boost payroll accuracy and efficiency.
• Train and mentor team members for high performance and growth.
• Manage internal customer relationships and workload priorities.
• Escalate issues and provide leadership sign-off for service lines.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Customer service

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

UKGPro

Excel (VLOOKUP)

Data analysis tools

Job description

Why UKG

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Process Associate to oversee and manage the end-to-end payroll process for our US operations. The ideal candidate will ensure accurate and timely payroll processing, compliance with federal and state regulations, and provide leadership to the payroll team. Mentoring people, monitoring processes and ensuring technology is leveraged to exceed customer SLAs is required. Must actively support process and technology initiatives that will improve the operational performance of the team while delighting customers. Must have the ability to manage difficult customer communications and ability to build strong working relationships both internally and externally. This position will operate under the direction of the Manager.

Primary/Essential Duties And Key Responsibilities

• Manage the complete End to End payroll cycle, including data collection, validation, processing, and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with US federal and state payroll regulations, tax laws, and company policies.
• Handle payroll-related inquiries and resolve discrepancies efficiently.
• Operates as the subject matter expert and provide functional direction in all areas for issue resolution.
• Collaborate with US Stake holders to ensure seamless integration of payroll data.
• Prepare and review payroll reports for audits and management review.
• Implement process improvements to enhance payroll accuracy and efficiency. Continuously looks for improvements in operational processes and designs and is responsible for implementing those initiatives
• Train and mentor team members to ensure high performance and professional growth
• Manage effective internal customer relationships.
• Assist in the workload management and prioritization of day-to-day duties and projects.
• May assist Manager in evaluating direct reports and may review the evaluations/development plans of others.
• Defines standards and reusable approaches within the Services operations.
• Assist Manager in identifying training needs for new or existing associates.
• Assist Manager in ensuring coverage for Service Teams in the event of unexpected or planned absences.
• Provide leadership sign-off of processing and daily activities for all Service Lines.
• Serves as first point of escalation for all Service Line issues.
• Responsible for monitoring completion of requirements and accountable for compliance.
• Provide feedback to US team for recurring service calls, business reviews and project debriefs for assigned customers.
• Performs other duties as assigned by manager.
• Ensure daily workload and commitments have been completed timely and accurately within established guidelines.
• Actively participate in the resolution of day-to-day issues that arise, including problems with customers, third parties, internal teams and our internal systems as needed.
• Develop strong relationships with peers and our internal partners.
• Drive the establishment and refinement of the UKGPro Managed Services methodology and best practices.
• Coordinate, deliver and participate in Team training.
• Payroll Lead’s dominant responsibilities are tracking and supporting the team on key deliverables and supporting the Manager on managing the Project.

Required Qualifications

(Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Served as the subject matter expert in a role for a service provider or corporation.
• Ability to lead and influence team members and partners without direct reporting authority.
• Commitment to excellence and high standards
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• Ability to manage priorities and workflow.
• Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.
• Acute attention to detail
• Advanced knowledge using the Microsoft Office Suite of software to include Outlook, Word, and Excel, including VLOOKUP, formulas, and data analysis.
• Experience with UKGPro
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to understand and follow written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a diversity of individuals at all organizational levels.
• Proven track record of customer stabilization and subject matter expertise over multiple customers of varying complexity
• Leads by example.
• Strong background in customer service required.
• Analyze financial data.
• Coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously.

(Experience, Education, Certification, License and Training)

• Bachelor’s (Regular Degree) or equivalent and 8 to 10 years of relevant Payroll Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of US and Canadian payroll laws.
• FPC Certification is preferred.

Company Overview

UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry — because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.

UKG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including the recruitment process.

Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email [e-mail]