Lead the end-to-end India payroll service within Safran's Shared Services Center in Hyderabad - delivering accurate, compliant, and on time payroll for multiple Indian entities, while building a scalable, metrics driven service with strong controls, employee experience, and continuous improvement at its core.
You will govern external payroll partners, integrate with SuccessFactors and local payroll applications, and partner closely with HR, Finance, Tax, and Internal Control departments to uphold Safran standards.
This Shared Services Center role evolves the legacy country process into a standardized, digitally enabled service with defined SLAs, knowledge assets, and continuous improvement culture.
Key accountabilities
A. Service Delivery & Operations
- Own monthly payroll processing across all India entities (on cycle/off cycle), including inputs, validations, reconciliations, & sign off; ensure payslip accuracy and statutory remittances within due dates.
- Manage year end and peak cycles (investment proofs, Form 16 generation, bonus/variable payouts, increments).
- Ensure data integrity between Workday (HRIS) and local payroll applications; maintain interface controls and variance checks.
- Operate via a case/ticketing tool (e.g., ServiceNow): triage, resolve, and document employee payroll queries within SLA; maintain a knowledge base & FAQs.
B. Compliance, Risk & Controls
- Ensure compliance with Income Tax (TDS), PF, ESI, LWF, Professional Tax, Gratuity, Maternity Benefit, Payment of Bonus, and Shops & Establishments, as well as labour codes as notified.
- Govern internal control framework (ICF): access controls, SoD, approvals, audit trail, and audit ready documentation (internal/external/Group).
- Uphold data privacy (PII protection), records retention, BCP/DR readiness, and incident management.
C. Vendor & Stakeholder Management
- Lead the payroll vendor governance: SLAs, KPIs, rate cards, change control, and quarterly business reviews; drive continuous improvement and issue remediation.
- Partner with HRBPs, HR Admin/Time & Attendance, Finance/Tax/Accounting, Internal Control; align monthly calendars, cut offs, and approvals.
D. Reporting & Analytics
- Publish monthly service dashboard: On time %, Accuracy %, Ticket SLA %, First Contact Resolution %, CSAT/NPS, statutory filings on time %, and audit findings.
- Provide payroll cost reports, variance analysis, funding files/JVs to Finance; support GL reconciliations and year end closes.
E. Transformation & Continuous Improvement
- Standardize and document SOPs, RACI, and work instructions; drive Lean improvements, automation (RPA/self service), and error proofing.
- Lead transition/stabilization for new entities or scope changes (KT, shadowing, parallel runs, tollgate exits); maintain a service catalogue and OLAs.
F. People Leadership
- Build and coach a high performing payroll team; run skills matrix, cross training, succession, and workload/capacity planning for peaks
