HR & People Operations Executive – Zoho People, Recruit & Payroll
Location: Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Work Arrangement: Hybrid — Madurai-based candidates only
Employment Type: Full-Time | Permanent
Working Days: Monday – Saturday
Working Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Salary: ₹25,000 – ₹30,000 per month
Experience: 3+ years of relevant professional experience
Joining: Immediate / Short Notice Preferred
About Chess Gaja
Chess Gaja is a global online chess academy founded by GrandMaster Priyadharshan Kannappan, serving students across 50+ countries through a distributed network of chess coaches and business operations employees.
We are looking for an experienced HR & People Operations Executive who can take ownership of our HR operations end-to-end.
This is an execution-oriented role for someone who already has practical experience managing HR processes, payroll and HR technology.
The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with Zoho People, Zoho Recruit and Zoho Payroll, along with basic accounting knowledge and the ability to coordinate routine finance and accounting matters with our auditor.
This is not a fresher or training position. Prior professional experience is required.
IMPORTANT — MADURAI LOCATION REQUIREMENT
This position is open ONLY to candidates who currently live in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
You must be currently residing in Madurai and able to regularly work from our Madurai location when required.
The role is hybrid, meaning there will be a combination of office-based and work-from-home work depending on business requirements and the nature of the work.
Candidates currently living outside Madurai should NOT apply.
We are specifically building this position around a Madurai-based team member, so relocation from another city is not the hiring model for this position.
What You Will Own
You will be responsible for running the company's day-to-day HR and People Operations, including:
Recruitment → Onboarding → Employee Records → Attendance & Leave → Payroll → HR Documentation → Employee Support → HR Reporting → Exits
You will also handle basic finance/accounting coordination and work with our auditor when required.
1. HR & People Operations
- Maintain accurate employee records in Zoho People.
- Manage employee onboarding and documentation.
- Manage attendance, leave and other employee records.
- Manage probation and confirmation processes.
- Prepare offer letters, appointment letters, confirmation letters and other HR documentation.
- Maintain HR policies and employee documentation.
- Handle employee queries relating to HR processes, attendance, leave and payroll.
- Coordinate employee exits and maintain appropriate documentation.
- Maintain confidentiality of employee and payroll information.
- Identify gaps in HR processes and implement practical improvements.
Zoho People
You should have genuine hands-on experience with Zoho People, including:
- Employee setup and management
- Attendance configuration and management
- Leave policies and workflows
- Employee information management
- HR workflows
- Reports
- Basic system configuration
- Troubleshooting and process improvement
We are looking for someone who can operate and improve Zoho People, not simply enter employee information into the system.
2. Recruitment Operations – Zoho Recruit
You will manage the operational side of recruitment.
Responsibilities include:
- Creating and managing job openings.
- Managing candidate pipelines.
- Maintaining candidate records.
- Coordinating interviews and assessments.
- Managing recruitment stages and workflows.
- Maintaining recruitment data and reports.
- Coordinating with hiring managers.
- Ensuring candidates move efficiently through the recruitment process.
- Maintaining an organized talent database.
3. Payroll – Zoho Payroll
This is a critical responsibility of the role.
You must have prior practical experience using Zoho Payroll.
You will be responsible for:
- Preparing and processing monthly payroll.
- Verifying attendance, leave and payroll inputs.
- Checking salary calculations.
- Managing deductions and other payroll components.
- Reviewing payroll before processing.
- Identifying and resolving discrepancies.
- Maintaining payroll records.
- Preparing payroll-related reports and documentation.
- Coordinating salary revisions, incentives, bonuses and other payroll inputs.
The person hired should be capable of independently running the monthly payroll process after understanding Chess Gaja's internal structure and policies.
4. Basic Accounts & Finance Coordination
This is not a full-fledged accountant position.
However, you must have sufficient accounting knowledge to understand basic financial information, perform routine number crunching and coordinate effectively with our auditor.
Responsibilities include:
- Maintaining basic financial records in Zoho Books.
- Performing basic reconciliation and checking financial data.
- Organizing invoices, bills and supporting documents.
- Tracking basic receivables and payables information.
- Cross-checking operational numbers and identifying discrepancies.
- Preparing information and documentation requested by the auditor.
- Coordinating routine queries with our auditor/accounting office.
- Supporting basic GST/TDS-related documentation and data collection.
- Performing basic calculations and financial checks using Excel/Google Sheets.
You do not need to be a qualified accountant or CA.
However, you should be comfortable working with numbers and understanding basic accounting concepts.
5. HR Reporting & Administration
- Prepare regular HR reports.
- Maintain accurate employee and payroll databases.
- Track attendance, leave and employee-related information.
- Maintain recruitment and HR reports.
- Ensure important HR deadlines are not missed.
- Maintain organized digital documentation.
- Support management with HR-related information and reports.
- Continuously improve recurring HR processes.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for an experienced professional who:
- Has prior professional experience in HR / HR Operations / People Operations.
- Has hands-on experience with Zoho People.
- Has hands-on experience with Zoho Recruit.
- Has hands-on experience running payroll using Zoho Payroll.
- Has basic practical knowledge of Zoho Books.
- Understands basic accounting principles.
- Is comfortable working with numbers and reconciliations.
- Has strong Excel/Google Sheets skills.
- Is highly organized and detail-oriented.
- Can handle confidential employee and payroll information.
- Communicates clearly and professionally.
- Can coordinate effectively with an external auditor/accounting office.
- Can work independently with limited supervision.
- Takes ownership of completing recurring processes accurately and on time.
Required ExperienceMandatory
- Prior professional HR / HR Operations experience.
- Hands-on experience with Zoho People.
- Hands-on experience with Zoho Recruit.
- Hands-on experience with Zoho Payroll.
- Basic accounting knowledge.
- Good Excel/Google Sheets skills.
- Currently residing in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Preferred
- Experience with Zoho Books.
- Experience working in a startup, SME or growing organization.
- Experience independently managing HR operations.
- Experience coordinating with auditors, CAs or accounting firms.
- Experience setting up or improving HR systems and workflows.
Technology & Work Requirements
You must have your own:
- Reliable laptop/computer suitable for daily professional work.
- Smartphone.
- Reliable high-speed internet connection.
- A suitable work environment for occasional work from home.
You will be expected to be comfortable working with cloud-based systems and communicating digitally with employees, management and external stakeholders.
Compensation
₹25,000 – ₹30,000 per month
The exact salary offered will depend on your relevant experience, demonstrated Zoho expertise and overall suitability for the role.
Candidates with stronger hands-on experience and the ability to independently manage HR, payroll and Zoho systems will be considered toward the higher end of the range.
Why Join Chess Gaja?
- Work with a growing international organization serving students across 50+ countries.
- Take meaningful ownership of HR and People Operations.
- Work extensively with the Zoho ecosystem.
- Gain exposure to international business operations.
- Work closely with the management team.
- Opportunity to build and improve HR systems and processes rather than simply following existing procedures.
Important
Please apply only if you currently live in Madurai and have genuine professional experience in HR operations.
Hands-on experience with Zoho People, Zoho Recruit and Zoho Payroll is strongly preferred and will be assessed during the selection process.
This is an experienced execution role. Candidates whose experience is limited to academic projects, courses, tutorials or brief exposure to these systems will not be considered suitable.
We are looking for someone who can take ownership of HR operations, recruitment systems, payroll and basic finance coordination with minimal supervision.
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Work Location: Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Pay: ₹25,000.00 - ₹30,000.00 per month
Benefits:
- Leave encashment
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- How many years of professional HR / HR Operations / People Operations experience do you have?
- Are you currently living in Madurai, Tamil Nadu?
Give a Yes or No answer
- Have you personally used Zoho People in your previous/current job? Give a
Yes / No answer
If yes, how long have you used it and what processes did you manage?
- Have you personally used Zoho Recruit in your previous/current job? Give a
Yes / No answer
If yes, how long have you used it and what processes did you manage?
- Have you personally run monthly payroll using Zoho Payroll?
Yes / No
If yes, briefly describe your responsibilities.
- Have you used Zoho Books?
Yes / No
If yes, briefly describe the accounting/finance activities you handled.
- How would you rate your accounting knowledge?
Basic / Good / Strong / Advanced
- What is your current monthly salary?
- What is your expected monthly salary?
- Do you have your own laptop, smartphone and reliable high-speed internet connection?
Yes / No
- Please describe the most important HR process you have independently managed from start to finish.
- Please describe one situation where you identified an error in payroll, employee records or financial data and how you resolved it.
Work Location: In person
