Senior Payroll Analyst – Payroll SME / Project Support

Engagement: Freelance / Independent Contractor
Project Duration: 3 months, with potential extension
Language: Full Professional English
Seniority: Senior
Project Type: Payroll Operations / BPO Coordination

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Payroll Analyst to support a 3-month project, with the possibility of extension.

This role will serve as a key interface between the client and the external payroll/BPO service provider, helping ensure effective communication, issue resolution, process alignment, and successful delivery of payroll-related activities.

The ideal candidate combines strong payroll subject-matter expertise (SME) with project coordination and stakeholder management skills. This is not primarily a payroll processing role; instead, the position will provide functional payroll expertise, coordinate activities across stakeholders, identify gaps and risks, and support the execution of payroll initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a primary operational interface between the client and the payroll/BPO provider.

• Provide Payroll SME support, helping stakeholders understand payroll processes, requirements, dependencies, and operational impacts.

• Coordinate payroll-related activities, deliverables, timelines, and follow-ups across internal and external teams.

• Support project planning and execution, ensuring key actions, dependencies, risks, and open items are properly tracked.

• Facilitate meetings between the client, payroll provider, HR, Finance, and other relevant stakeholders.

• Translate business and payroll requirements into clear actions for the appropriate teams.

• Review payroll processes and workflows to identify gaps, inconsistencies, risks, or opportunities for improvement.

• Support investigation and resolution of payroll-related issues, coordinating with the appropriate subject-matter experts and service provider teams.

• Monitor service delivery and escalate potential risks, delays, or recurring issues when necessary.

• Support process documentation, requirements gathering, status reporting, and action tracking.

• Provide recommendations based on payroll best practices and operational experience.

• Help maintain alignment between business expectations and the payroll provider's scope and capabilities.

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience in Payroll, Payroll Operations, HR Operations, or related functions.

• Strong hands-on understanding of end-to-end payroll processes.

• Experience working with third-party payroll providers, BPOs, or outsourced payroll models.

• Demonstrated experience coordinating activities across multiple stakeholders.

• Ability to operate as a Payroll SME while maintaining a project-oriented perspective.

• Experience supporting payroll projects, implementations, transitions, process improvements, or provider management is highly desirable.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to identify risks, dependencies, and process gaps and drive them toward resolution.

• Strong documentation, organization, and follow-up capabilities.

• Comfortable working independently in a freelance/project-based environment.

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Full professional English proficiency is required.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively with both operational and management-level stakeholders.

• Comfortable facilitating meetings and working directly with clients and external service providers.

• Able to translate complex payroll topics into clear business language.

Ideal Profile

We are looking for someone who is more than a Payroll Analyst, but not necessarily a pure Payroll Consultant or Project Manager.

The ideal candidate brings a combination of:

Payroll SME expertise + Stakeholder Management + Project Coordination + BPO/Provider Management

This person should be comfortable becoming the bridge between the client and the payroll provider, understanding the payroll details while keeping activities, decisions, risks, and deliverables moving forward.

Engagement Details

• Contract: Freelance / Independent Contractor

• Initial duration: 3 months

• Extension: Potential extension based on project needs and performance

• Language: English – Full Professional Proficiency

Originally posted on Himalayas