Payroll And Compliance Manager

The Pant Project; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pant Project is seeking a Manager – Payroll & Compliance based in Mumbai. You will own the end-to-end payroll cycle, manage statutory compliance, and oversee HRMS/payroll platforms including Keka, Zoho Payroll/Zoho People, and Darwinbox for multi-location retail and e-commerce operations.

Responsibilities include ensuring 100% payroll accuracy, governance, timely filings, and driving automation while collaborating with HR, Finance, and external partners.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of hands-on experience in Payroll & Compliance.
• Strong experience in end-to-end payroll processing and statutory compliance.
• Proven experience working on Keka, Zoho Payroll/Zoho People and/or Darwinbox.
• Strong understanding of Indian payroll, taxation and labour-law compliances.
• Experience handling payroll for multi-location / retail / D2C / e-commerce organisations will be an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete monthly payroll cycle from employee master data and attendance inputs to payroll validation, approvals and salary processing.
• Configure and validate salary structures, statutory components, deductions and payroll rules; ensure HRMS remains the single source of truth.
• Ensure complete and timely compliance with statutory requirements and coordinate with external authorities.
• Design and implement strong payroll governance and controls; conduct monthly payroll audits and variance analysis.
• Manage employee lifecycle changes and payroll inputs across joining, increments, transfers, promotions, leaves, and resignations.
• Own end-to-end Full & Final settlements with timely closure and accurate reconciliations.
• Drive automation, digitisation and process improvements to reduce manual interventions.

Skills

End-to-end payroll processing

Statutory compliance

Payroll audits

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Tools

Keka

Zoho Payroll/Zoho People

Darwinbox

Excel

Job description

Job Description

Manager Payroll & Compliance

Function: Human Resources

Designation: Manager Payroll & Compliance

Location: Mumbai / Indore

Reporting To: Head – Human Resources

Experience: 6–10 years

Industry Preference: Retail / D2C / E-commerce / FMCG / Consumer Businesses

Role Purpose

The Manager – Payroll & Compliance will own the organisation's end-to-end payroll, statutory compliance, HRMS/payroll systems, payroll governance and employee payroll experience.

The role requires strong hands‑on expertise in payroll processing, statutory compliances, payroll audits, reconciliations and HR technology platforms.

The incumbent will ensure 100% payroll accuracy, timely salary processing, statutory compliance and robust payroll controls while continuously improving and automating payroll processes.

The role will work closely with HR, Finance, HRBPs, employees, external consultants, statutory authorities and payroll/HRMS partners.

1. End-to-End Payroll Ownership

• Own the complete monthly payroll cycle from employee master data and attendance inputs to payroll validation, approvals and salary processing.
• Manage payroll inputs including new joiners, exits, LOP, leave, increments, promotions, incentives, variable pay, reimbursements, deductions, arrears and Full & Final settlements.
• Establish and manage a clear monthly payroll calendar, cut‑off dates and stakeholder timelines.
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately and within defined timelines.
• Conduct detailed pre-payroll and post-payroll validation and reconciliation.
• Partner with Finance for payroll accounting, payroll reconciliation and salary disbursement.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and controls around employee compensation data.

2. HRMS & Payroll Technology Ownership

Own and manage payroll processes across HRMS/payroll platforms, with specific experience in:

• Keka
• Zoho Payroll / Zoho People
• Darwinbox

Responsibilities include:

• Manage employee master data, attendance, leave, payroll inputs and payroll configuration.
• Ensure accurate integration between HRMS, attendance and payroll processes.
• Configure and validate salary structures, statutory components, deductions and payroll rules.
• Work with HRMS vendors for system issues, enhancements and integrations.
• Drive automation and eliminate manual payroll interventions wherever possible.
• Ensure the HRMS remains the single source of truth for employee and payroll data.
• Conduct periodic system audits and data‑quality checks.

3. Statutory & Labour Law Compliance

• Ensure complete and timely compliance with applicable statutory requirements.
• Manage PF, ESIC, Professional Tax, Labour Welfare Fund, TDS, Bonus, Gratuity and other applicable statutory compliances.
• Ensure timely preparation and filing of statutory returns and payment of challans.
• Maintain statutory registers, records and documentation.
• Monitor changes in labour laws and assess business impact.
• Coordinate with external consultants, auditors and statutory authorities.
• Ensure zero major compliance gaps, penalties or regulatory exposure.

4. Payroll Governance, Controls & Audit

• Design and implement strong payroll governance and maker‑checker controls.
• Conduct monthly payroll audits and variance analysis.
• Reconcile payroll with HRMS, Finance and bank/payment records.
• Identify payroll risks, process gaps and control weaknesses and implement corrective actions.
• Support internal, statutory and external audits.
• Maintain complete payroll documentation and audit trails.
• Develop payroll MIS covering headcount, payroll cost, variance, statutory liabilities and other management metrics.

5. Employee Lifecycle & Payroll Inputs

Ensure accurate payroll processing across the complete employee lifecycle:

Joining Attendance Confirmation Increment Promotion Transfer Leave/LOP Variable Pay Resignation Full & Final Settlement

• Ensure timely and accurate payroll impact of all employee lifecycle changes.
• Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to ensure payroll inputs are complete and approved within timelines.
• Manage employee payroll queries and ensure timely resolution.
• Ensure timely and accurate issuance of salary slips, increment‑related payroll changes and other payroll documents.

6. Full & Final Settlement

• Own the end‑to‑end F&F process including salary, leave encashment, recoveries, gratuity, notice period adjustments and other applicable components.
• Ensure F&F is completed within defined TAT.
• Coordinate with HR, Finance and employees to close outstanding matters.

7. Process Improvement & Automation

• Develop and continuously improve payroll SOPs, checklists and governance frameworks.
• Identify opportunities for automation, digitisation and process simplification.
• Reduce manual intervention and payroll errors.
• Establish robust controls to support payroll scalability as the organisation grows.
• Benchmark payroll practices and introduce best‑in‑class processes.

Key Deliverables / KPIs

• 100% timely payroll processing
• High payroll accuracy with minimum errors
• 100% timely statutory filings and payments
• Zero major statutory penalties or compliance breaches
• Timely Full & Final settlements
• Accurate payroll reconciliation with Finance
• Reduction in payroll-related employee queries
• 100% accuracy of employee master and payroll data
• Effective utilisation and governance of Keka / Zoho / Darwinbox
• Successful completion of payroll and statutory audits
• Continuous improvement in payroll automation and process efficiency

Candidate Profile

• 6–10 years of hands‑on experience in Payroll & Compliance, preferably in a high‑growth organisation.
• Strong experience in end‑to‑end payroll processing and statutory compliance.
• Proven experience working on Keka, Zoho Payroll/Zoho People and/or Darwinbox.
• Strong understanding of Indian payroll, taxation and labour‑law compliances.
• Experience handling payroll for multi‑location / retail / D2C / e‑commerce organisations will be an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of salary structures, statutory deductions, TDS, PF, ESIC, PT, LWF, gratuity and bonus.
• Excellent Excel and data‑analysis skills.
• Experience in payroll audits, reconciliations and compliance audits.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to work effectively with HR, Finance, employees and external partners.
• High level of accuracy, confidentiality, ownership and execution discipline.

Critical Competencies

• End‑to‑end Payroll Management
• Statutory & Labour Law Compliance
• Keka / Zoho / Darwinbox Expertise
• Payroll Audit & Controls
• HRMS & Process Automation
• Data Analysis & Reconciliation
• Employee Query Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Strong Attention to Detail
• Confidentiality & Integrity
• Process Excellence
• Ownership & Execution

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will build a highly accurate, compliant, technology‑enabled and scalable payroll function, ensuring employees are paid correctly and on time, statutory obligations are met without gaps, payroll risks are controlled, and the organisation is ready to scale efficiently.