Senior Associate, HR Operations

Job description

CACTUS is a remote-first organization and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture. You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Senior Associate, Payroll and HR Operations to front end manage payroll coordination and support lifecycle HR operations for the India entity, and to provide oversight of payroll delivery across our global offices. This is not a hands-on payroll processing role — payroll is managed by an external vendor for India (and by local vendors for each global office). Instead, this role owns the accuracy, timeliness, and compliance of payroll outcomes by collating inputs, validating vendor outputs, and coordinating closely with in-country points of contact (POCs). The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing vendors and cross-border stakeholders to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Please note: We are looking only for external candidates and not accepting any internal applications for this position at the moment.

Job responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end India payroll coordination with external vendors, including monthly payroll inputs, validation, payroll calendars, salary disbursement, and resolution of discrepancies.
• Coordinate statutory payroll compliance across applicable states, including PF, ESI, Professional Tax, LWF, and TDS, while tracking filing timelines and supporting Form 16 issuance and TDS reconciliations.
• Manage employee exit-related payroll activities, including full & final settlements, gratuity calculations, leave encashment, and coordination with payroll vendors.
• Oversee global payroll coordination across multiple locations by working with regional POCs and in-country vendors to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing and compliance.
• Maintain accurate HRIS and employee master data and ensure timely processing and communication of employee lifecycle changes, including new hires, exits, transfers, promotions, and compensation changes.
• Act as the primary point of contact for payroll-related employee queries and support internal and external payroll audits, compliance checks, and vendor SLA reviews.
• Drive payroll process improvements through accurate trackers and dashboards, SOP documentation, vendor management, and initiatives to improve payroll accuracy, timeliness, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications and prerequisites

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Commerce, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3–5+ years of experience in payroll operations, payroll coordination, and generalist HR operations, preferably with exposure to vendor-managed or outsourced payroll models.
• Strong working knowledge of Indian statutory compliance, including PF, ESI, PT, LWF, and TDS, with the ability to review and validate vendor payroll outputs and filings.
• Proven experience managing external vendors, tracking SLAs and deadlines, and coordinating with stakeholders across different time zones and geographies.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including VLOOKUP, pivot tables, and other data management and analysis functions.
• High level of accuracy, confidentiality, discretion, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage sensitive employee data and multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Prior experience with multi-country payroll, HRIS platforms, vendor management or procurement, and familiarity with the Indian Labour Codes and their impact on payroll and compliance will be an added advantage.

Application process

Before applying, please ensure you meet the role requirements listed above and have legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised. Our selection process typically involves an initial screening by a recruiter, a technical assessment, and two to three interview rounds.

Equal Opportunity

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Accelerating from Anywhere

As a remote-first organization, these are essential attributes we look for in all our candidates.

• Taking ownership of your work with minimal supervision, showing strong ability to organize, prioritize and deliver results independently.
• Documenting work that brings everyone on the same page.
• Maturity to choose between synchronous and asynchronous collaboration.
• Effectively collaborating with colleagues across different time zones by setting dedicated hours for collaboration and keeping team members updated through your MS Teams status.

About Us

Established in 2002, Cactus Communications (cactusglobal.com) is a leading technology company that specializes in expert services and AI-driven products which improve how research gets funded, published, communicated, and discovered. Its flagship brand Editage offers a comprehensive suite of researcher solutions, including expert services and cutting-edge AI products like Mind the Graph, Paperpal, and R Discovery. With offices in Princeton, London, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Mumbai and a global workforce of over 3,000 experts, CACTUS is a pioneer in workplace best practices and has been consistently recognized as a great place to work.