Manager, HR Vendor Management & Operations - India

Job Summary

Our Client, a Fortune 100 company with nearly a century of strength, stability, and purpose-driven innovation, is expanding its global technology footprint. Our Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad plays a strategic role in delivering secure, scalable, and customer-focused digital solutions that support millions of individuals and businesses across the U.S.

At Our Client, you’ll join a forward-thinking team that embraces agile ways of working, fosters a collaborative and inclusive culture, and invests in emerging technologies like cloud, data, AI, and cybersecurity. Our associates contribute to meaningful work that protects futures and strengthens communities—making a real impact every day.

Job Profile Summary :

The Key focus areas of the role will be :

• Vendor Management & Governance (Primary Ownership – India)
• Serve as the India accountable owner for day-to-day governance, performance management, and issue resolution across all HR operational vendors (payroll, absence, benefits and related services).
• Run a formal vendor governance cadence (monthly/quarterly), including SLAs, KPIs, issue logs, root-cause analysis, and remediation plans.
• Partner with U.S. HR COEs (as global functional owners) to ensure vendor services meet global design, experience, and control standards, while adapting execution to India regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Legal, Finance, and Risk on vendor contracts, renewals, scope changes, and service expansions affecting India.
• Ensure vendors comply with data privacy, information security, and regulatory obligations related to associate data handling.

2. Pay, Absence & Benefits Operations (End-to-End Operational, Financial Governance & Controls Accountability)

• Own end-to-end operational oversight and execution for India payroll, time/absence, and benefits, within U.S.-defined policy and program frameworks.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly payroll and absence cycles, statutory filings, and reconciliations, leveraging the local technical SME for configuration and detailed processing.
• Oversee administration of statutory and non-statutory benefits, ensuring alignment across policy, vendor execution, and payroll outcomes.
• Own cross-system data integrity, including payroll–GL, payroll–benefits, and time/attendance–payroll reconciliations.
• Act as the final escalation owner in India for complex pay, leave, and benefits issues.
• Validate payroll funding accuracy and statutory remittance schedules.
• Oversee reconciliation of vendor invoices against contractual terms and service delivery metrics.
• Monitor benefits funding, insurer settlements, and claim administration accuracy.
• Partner with Finance on accruals, provisions (e.g., gratuity, leave liability), and year-end processes.

3. Compliance, Risk & Control Framework (India Law, U.S. Standards)

• Ensure HR operations and vendor activities comply with India labor, tax, and social security regulations (PF, ESI, Professional Tax, gratuity, maternity, leave laws).
• Maintain a robust control environment (maker–checker, approvals, reconciliations, access controls, documentation) aligned to U.S. enterprise risk standards.
• Lead India HR operations through audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews, ensuring documentation, SOPs, and evidence are complete and current.
• Intentionally monitor regulatory changes and translate requirements into operational and vendor changes, coordinating with U.S. HR, HR Tech, and COEs.
• Ensure payroll and other critical HR services have documented Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) procedures.
• Conduct periodic tabletop testing of payroll continuity, statutory filing backup plans, and system outage scenarios.
• Maintain documented contingency plans for regulatory changes, strikes, system failures, or vendor disruptions.

4. Associate Experience & Service Delivery (Execution Accountability)

• Ensure vendor-delivered services provide a compliant, consistent, high-quality associate experience aligned with Nationwide standards.
• Partner with India HRBPs, HR Service Center/OAR, and U.S. HR to design and continuously improve end-to-end associate journeys.
• Oversee vendor helpdesk and case management practices for HR functions with clear accountability for timeliness and accuracy.
• Lead India-facing communications for pay, absence, and benefits changes, in partnership with HRBPs, Com