Payroll Specialist Lead

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Payroll Specialist Lead based in India. This is a high-impact payroll operations role supporting accurate, compliant, and efficient payroll delivery in a global, fully remote environment. You will act as a country-level payroll subject matter expert, owning end-to-end payroll processing and ensuring data quality, statutory compliance, and timely payments. The role combines hands-on payroll expertise with process improvement, stakeholder management, and operational problem-solving. You will collaborate with teams across Payroll Implementation, Finance, Product, Engineering, and regional operations. You will also mentor payroll specialists and help strengthen processes, KPIs, and service standards. This opportunity is ideal for an experienced payroll professional who enjoys ownership, continuous improvement, and working asynchronously across international teams. Act as the country payroll subject matter expert, providing guidance and operational expertise across India payroll activities. Manage the full end-to-end payroll cycle, including payroll processing, statutory filings, exceptions, approvals, payments, and compliance requirements. Ensure payroll data is accurate, complete, timely, and maintained to high standards of data integrity and quality. Prepare and review payroll journals, reconciliations, and related financial information. Manage relationships and collaborate closely with stakeholders across Payroll Implementation, Finance, Product, Engineering, and other relevant teams. Monitor payroll KPIs and SLAs, identify operational gaps, and take proactive action to maintain high service standards. Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, and improve payroll processes, with a strong focus on productivity and operational efficiency. Mentor and support other payroll specialists by sharing expertise, providing guidance, and promoting consistent best practices. Provide operational backup to regional managers during periods of absence or increased business needs. Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by proactively identifying problems and developing practical, scalable solutions. Work effectively in an asynchronous environment, taking ownership of priorities and progressing work independently while maintaining strong communication with distributed teams. Requirements: Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end India payroll , either in-house or within a payroll services provider environment. Strong knowledge of payroll best practices, statutory requirements, compliance processes, reconciliations, and payroll controls. Experience handling payroll exceptions, approvals, payments, statutory filings, and data quality processes. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions. Proficiency with productivity and spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel and Google Workspace . Experience working with payroll platforms; familiarity with GreytHR and India payroll systems is advantageous. Strong understanding of payroll KPIs, SLAs, operational reporting, and service quality management. Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate clearly with stakeholders across different functions and geographies. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly when managing sensitive payroll information and deadline-driven activities. A proactive, improvement-oriented mindset with an interest in automation, productivity, and finding more efficient ways to work. Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, international, and predominantly asynchronous environment. Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across Payroll, Finance, Product, Engineering, and other teams. Experience mentoring or supporting other payroll