Role Overview – Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Payroll

We are seeking a highly analytical and proactive Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Payroll to strengthen global payroll operations by driving knowledge excellence, process consistency, and continuous improvement across regions.

In this role, you will act as the central payroll knowledge authority, ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processes across countries. You will reduce dependency on team leads, enhance team capability, and ensure standardized, scalable payroll operations.

You will leverage payroll data insights to identify gaps, lead training initiatives, and collaborate cross-functionally with HR, Finance, and Product teams to improve operational efficiency and payroll accuracy.

This is a high-impact individual contributor role that blends payroll expertise, data-driven decision-making, and operational leadership.

📍 Location: Baner, Pune 📅 Work Model: 5 days Work From Office

Key Responsibilities

1. Global Payroll Knowledge & Process Ownership

• Act as the go-to expert for payroll policies, processes, and compliance queries across global teams

• Ensure accuracy, compliance, and standardization of payroll workflows across multiple countries

• Analyze monthly payroll operations and QA performance data to identify trends, discrepancies, and improvement areas

• Recommend and implement scalable payroll process improvements to reduce recurring issues

• Own and continuously improve payroll documentation, SOPs, knowledge repositories, and compliance guidelines

2. Payroll Training & Enablement

• Partner with Enablement teams to design and enhance payroll training programs and documentation

• Conduct payroll onboarding sessions and continuous training for operations teams

• Identify knowledge gaps related to payroll laws, compliance, and system processes

• Drive continuous upskilling in payroll operations, compliance, and best practices

3. Payroll Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement

• Review payroll QA trends and audit reports to generate actionable insights

• Ensure accuracy, compliance, and timeliness of payroll processing

• Monitor effectiveness of improvement initiatives and validate measurable outcomes

• Introduce scalable improvement frameworks such as payroll audit checks, error reduction programs, and knowledge-sharing initiatives

• Promote a culture of payroll accuracy, compliance, and operational excellence

4. Payroll Incident & Escalation Management

• Act as Incident Commander for payroll escalations, including payroll delays, discrepancies, or compliance risks

• Coordinate with HR, Finance, Product, and Operations teams to ensure timely resolution

• Provide clear and structured communication during payroll incidents

• Maintain detailed documentation and drive post-incident analysis and corrective actions

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Participate in cross-functional forums to share payroll insights, compliance risks, and operational challenges

• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Finance, HR, and Operations teams to resolve payroll system or process issues

• Contribute to payroll workflow enhancements and system improvements

• Act as a bridge between payroll operations and supporting functions

Requirements

• 5–8 years of experience in payroll operations, HR operations, or global payroll support

• Strong understanding of global payroll processes, statutory compliance, and payroll audits

• Proven experience analyzing payroll data and translating insights into operational improvements

• Experience in payroll training, knowledge management, or enablement roles

• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills

• Ability to manage high-pressure payroll cycles and escalations

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• High attention to detail and structured problem-solving ability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Employer of Record (EOR) or global payroll environments

• Familiarity with payroll QA frameworks and compliance audits

• Experience with HRIS, payroll systems, or ticketing tools (e.g., Workday, ADP, SAP, Salesforce, Zendesk, ServiceNow)

• Exposure to multi-country payroll operations

• Experience in process improvement methodologies

Core Competencies

• Payroll subject matter expertise

• Data-driven decision making

• Payroll process optimization

• Training & coaching

• Payroll incident leadership

• Cross-functional influence

• Operational excellence