Payroll Operations Manager, India - GBS

Payroll Operations Manager, India - GBS Job Description Join the team behind iconic brands like Huggies®, Kleenex®, Cottonelle®, Scott®, Kotex®, Poise®, Depend®, and Kimberly-Clark Professional®. At Kimberly-Clark, it’s all here for you—innovation, growth, and the chance to make a real impact. You’re not the person who will settle for just any role. Neither are we. Because we’re out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes a certain kind of person and teams who care about making a difference. Here, you’ll bring your expertise, talent, and leadership to help deliver world-class payroll services that support our employees globally. It starts with YOU.

As part of Global Business Services (GBS), reporting to the Payroll Associate Director, EMEA & APAC, you will lead payroll operations for assigned countries while ensuring payroll accuracy, compliance, and exceptional service delivery. This role is responsible for managing payroll and time & attendance processes, partnering with payroll providers, and driving continuous improvement initiatives across the payroll function. You will collaborate closely with HR, Finance, managers, employees, and external payroll providers to ensure payroll operations are delivered efficiently and compliantly. Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and process improvement skills are essential for success in this role. Job responsibilities include: Lead a team responsible for managing the monthly payroll and time & attendance cycles for countries within scope. Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing across assigned countries. Manage relationships and service delivery from external payroll providers, taking corrective actions where required. Proactively identify and recommend process improvements, efficiencies, and automation opportunities. Provide payroll and time & attendance expertise for system implementations, upgrades, and process changes. Develop, maintain, and communicate payroll policies and procedures to ensure clear accountability across employees, managers, HR, Finance, and service providers. Act as the escalation point for payroll-related queries from employees, leaders, and internal stakeholders. Ensure compliance with local legislation, company policies, and internal controls. Monitor payroll service levels, performance metrics, and operational effectiveness. Support payroll audits and maintain accurate documentation and records. Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll accuracy, employee experience, and operational efficiency. To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field. Strong experience in payroll operations, preferably within a multinational, Global Business Services (GBS), or Shared Services environment. Previous experience leading payroll operations independently or managing a small team. Strong understanding of payroll processes, controls, compliance requirements, and time & attendance systems. Demonstrated ability to build, optimize, and continuously improve payroll processes. Experience working with outsourced payroll providers and managing vendor performance. Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, and business teams. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Ability to work accurately and effectively under tight deadlines and competing priorities. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Experience working with UKG, Kronos, SAP, Workday, or similar payroll and workforce management systems. Experience supporting multi-country payroll operations. Knowledge of payroll compliance and employer obligations across EMEA and/or APAC regions. Exposure to process improvement methodologies and operational excellence initiatives. Experience working