Payroll Specialist

Danone; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 72,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Danone Business Services APAC is seeking a Payroll Specialist to deliver accurate and timely payroll across Southeast Asia. You will collaborate with HR, Finance, and IT to drive continuous improvement, governance, and payroll transformation initiatives that enhance employee experience and regulatory compliance.

As a trusted advisor, you will handle complex data, ensure statutory reporting accuracy, and participate in system enhancements while maintaining data integrity and strong stakeholder

Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll experience, preferably across SEA markets.
• Knowledge of payroll legislation, taxation, and statutory contributions in SEA.
• Experience with payroll vendors, outsourced providers, or payroll platforms.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for SEA countries with accuracy and compliance.
• Review inputs: new hires, terminations, promotions, salary adjustments, allowances, bonuses, overtime, deductions.
• Perform payroll reconciliations and validations before finalization.
• Generate payroll and statutory reports and support year-end tax reporting.

Skills

Payroll expertise

Multi-country SEA payroll

Excel proficiency

HRIS experience

Time & Attendance systems

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Independent in fast-paced env

Tools

HRIS

Payroll systems

Time & Attendance

Microsoft Excel

Job description

In this role - Payroll Specialist, you will contribute to Danone Business Services APAC's ambition of being Best-in-Class by delivering accurate, compliant, and efficient payroll services across Southeast Asia. Beyond payroll operations, you will partner with cross-functional stakeholders to drive continuous improvement, enhance employee experience, and support payroll transformation initiatives that create lasting business impact.

Payroll Operations

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for assigned SEA countries, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and on-time delivery.
• Review and validate payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, promotions, salary adjustments, allowances, commissions, bonuses, overtime, and deductions.
• Perform payroll reconciliation and validation checks before payroll finalization.
• Generate payroll reports, management reports, and statutory submissions.

Time & Attendance Management

• Review and validate attendance, leave, overtime, shift schedules, and other workforce data.
• Partner with HR and managers to resolve discrepancies and missing information.
• Ensure accurate integration of time and attendance data into payroll processing.

Compliance & Statutory Reporting

• Ensure payroll practices comply with local labour laws, tax regulations, and statutory requirements.
• Process and reconcile payroll-related statutory obligations including income tax, social security, provident funds, and employer contributions.
• Support year-end tax reporting, audits, and statutory submissions.

Employee Experience & Payroll Support

• Serve as a trusted advisor for payroll-related inquiries from employees, managers, and HR.
• Provide clear explanations on payslips, payroll calculations, tax deductions, and leave-related impacts.
• Resolve payroll issues professionally, confidentially, and within service level expectations.

Payroll Controls & Governance

• Conduct payroll audits, validations, and reconciliations to ensure payroll accuracy and data integrity.
• Identify payroll discrepancies, investigate root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain payroll records and documentation in accordance with audit and compliance requirements.

Vendor & System Management

• Collaborate with payroll vendors and system providers to ensure smooth payroll operations.
• Manage payroll cases, system issues, and service escalations to resolution.
• Support system enhancements and vendor performance reviews when required.

Continuous Improvement & Transformation

• Identify opportunities to enhance payroll efficiency, controls, and employee experience.
• Participate in payroll transformation projects, system implementations, process enhancements, testing, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Maintain and update payroll process documentation and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Stakeholder Partnership

• Work closely with HR, Finance, Rewards, Tax, IT teams, and business stakeholders across the region.
• Support both internal and external audits.
• Contribute to regional payroll initiatives and strategic projects.

As a Payroll Specialist, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Gain regional exposure by managing payroll operations across Southeast Asia and working with diverse markets, regulations, and business environments.
• Drive transformation and innovation through payroll improvement initiatives, system enhancements, automation, and regional projects.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including HR, Finance, Rewards, Tax, IT, and business leaders across the APAC region.
• Expand your expertise in regional payroll governance, statutory compliance, and payroll best practices within a global organization.
• Make a real impact by ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time, contributing directly to an exceptional employee experience.
• Grow your career in a dynamic environment that encourages continuous learning, innovation, and professional development.

You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have:

• At least 3 years of payroll experience, ideally managing multi-country or Southeast Asia payroll operations.
• Strong understanding ofpayroll legislation, taxation, statutory contributions, and labour regulations within the SEA region.
• Hands-on experience partnering withpayroll vendors, outsourced providers, or payroll platforms.
• Confidence working with large volumes of payroll data while maintaining exceptional accuracy and attention to detail.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills with the ability to analyze, reconcile, and validate payroll information.
• Experience usingHRIS, payroll systems, and Time & Attendance platforms.
• Strong problem-solving abilities with a proactive mindset to identify and resolve payroll discrepancies.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage employees, managers, vendors, and regional stakeholders professionally.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities, meet tight payroll deadlines, and work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• A continuous improvement mindset with an interest in automation, process optimization, and payroll transformation projects.

At Danone Business Services APAC (DBS APAC), we're more than a Shared Service Centre. We are a strategic partner committed to delivering exceptional service experiences across the Asia-Pacific region.

Guided by our ambition to be BEST IN CLASS, we continuously challenge ourselves to innovate, improve, and create meaningful impact for our Danoners, customers, and suppliers.

Danone is a world leading food company built on three business lines; Specialized Nutrition, Waters and Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is bringing health through food to as many people as possible and we want to invite people to join the movement for a healthier world. We recognize the power people have to impact the world through their daily choices. Each time we eat and drink, we vote for the world we want to live in. We believe a healthy body needs healthy food. And healthy food needs a healthy planet, and this is what our new signature One Planet One Health embodies.

Danone is committed to create and live an inclusive & diverse environment, which will drive our growth as a business, as teams, as members of communities & as individuals. Valuing diversity is recognizing and respecting human differences and similarities. Our aim is to ensure that all employees and applicants are given equal opportunity and that our organization is representative of our consumers and society.

We commit to foster an inclusive working environment where we celebrate all types of diversity, both visible and invisible, which includes age, race, gender, nationality, disability, background, education, religion, beliefs, thinking style, perspectives and sexual orientation.

We believe that our differences will make the difference.

One Planet. One Health. By You.