Payroll & HROps Manager

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Company Overview

Established in 1968, Universal Education Group is India's fastest-growing formal education enterprise. With 55,000+ students, & 50+ institutions from KG to PG in Mumbai, Thane, Bengaluru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Trichy, and the UAE, we strongly leverage on our 4 decades of experience & team of 5000+ employees to deliver best-in-class education to our students

Position Overview

The Payroll & HROps Manager will be responsible for managing end-to-end payroll processes for academic and non-academic staff across multiple institutions within the education group and its sister companies. The role ensures accurate salary disbursement, compliance with statutory regulations, and smooth coordination between HR, Accounts, and Operations teams.

Why join Universal as Payroll & HROps Manager?

Universal is on a high growth trajectory, we envisage a growth of 3-4x over coming 10 years. The Payroll & HROps Manager would be pivotal role in driving effective payroll at group level

Great place to work culture

If you are ambitious, then our strong focus on value creation, continuous learnings & developments, and building a People centric culture would resonate with you

Stability throughout if the Performance, Intent & Key Behaviors are aligned with HR team’s ethos

School fees waivers if you choose Universal School for your kids (Our schools are top of the town education providers)

Key Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end payroll processing for all teaching and non-teaching staff.

Ensure accurate computation of salaries, overtime, leave adjustments, incentives, and deductions.

Administer statutory compliance, including PF, ESIC, Professional Tax, TDS, Gratuity, and other applicable labor laws.

Handle full & final settlements, arrears, and reimbursements.

Coordinate with HR for employee data updates (new joinees, resignations, transfers, increments, etc.).

Generate and share payroll MIS reports with management.

Reconcile payroll data with Finance / Accounts for timely disbursement of salaries.

Manage audits related to payroll and compliance.

Address employee queries related to salary, payslips, and deductions.

Ensure payroll accuracy while maintaining confidentiality of employee data.

Suggest and implement process improvements in payroll and HRMS / HROne system.

Handling and closing internal / external audits independently with authorities.

Skills & Competencies

Accuracy and attention to detail.

Strong problem-solving and reconciliation skills.

Confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive information.

Ability to coordinate with cross-functional teams (HR, Finance, Operations).

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Key Metrics (KPI) mapped to this role : Payroll Accuracy & Timeliness

Payroll Accuracy % = (No. of error-free payrolls processed ÷ Total payrolls processed) × 100

Payroll Timeliness % = (No. of payrolls processed on / before deadline ÷ Total payrolls) × 100

Error Rate in Payslips = (No. of payroll-related errors ÷ Total employees) × 100

Compliance & Statutory Filings

PF / ESIC / PT / TDS Filing Timeliness % = (No. of statutory filings submitted on / before deadline ÷ Total statutory filings) × 100

Compliance Accuracy % = (No. of error-free statutory returns ÷ Total filings) × 100

Audit Closure TAT = Avg. days taken to close audit queries (internal / external)

Penalty / Notice Incidence = Number of penalties / notices received due to payroll / statutory lapses

Qualifications & Experience

Graduate / Postgraduate in Commerce, Finance, HR, or related field.

6–10 years of experience in

payroll management , preferably in the

education industry or a multi-location setup .

Strong knowledge of payroll software / HRMS (HROne, SAP, or similar).

Good understanding of Indian labor laws and statutory compliance.

Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.

Proficiency in MS Excel and payroll reporting.