USA Payroll Expert

Job Description Summary

Location: Hyderabad, India

Relocation Support: This role is based in Hyderabad, India. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support: please only apply if accessible.

In this role you will provide operational expertise and leadership support for U.S. payroll services, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery. You will support end-to-end payroll operations, lead complex analysis and reconciliations, strengthen controls, resolve operational issues, and drive continuous improvement. Success in the role requires strong U.S. payroll knowledge, analytical and Excel capabilities, and effective stakeholder coordination and management skills.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end U.S. payroll operations, ensuring accurate and timely delivery in line with established calendars, controls, and procedures.
• Perform complex payroll reconciliations and data analysis, using advanced Excel capabilities to identify discrepancies, trends, and exceptions.
• Apply strong U.S. payroll expertise across gross-to-net, taxes, deductions, garnishments, benefits, off-cycle payments, overpayments, retroactive adjustments, and year-end activities.
• Investigate and resolve complex payroll issues, conducting root-cause analysis and coordinating corrective actions with relevant stakeholders.
• Execute and strengthen payroll controls, maintaining appropriate approvals, documentation, audit trails, and supporting evidence.
• Coordinate effectively across HR, Benefits, Finance, Accounting, Tax, HRIS, and external payroll providers to ensure consistent payroll delivery.
• Provide operational leadership and guidance to the payroll team, including prioritization, escalations, workload coordination, and accountability.
• Drive continuous improvement and transformation, identifying opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate payroll processes while supporting system implementations, testing, and payroll projects.

Essential Requirements

• 3-5+ years of hands-on U.S. payroll experience, ideally within a complex, high-volume environment.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end U.S. payroll operations, including controls, reconciliations, adjustments, deductions, taxation, and issue resolution.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, logical formulas, and analysis of large datasets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with demonstrated ability to investigate discrepancies and perform root-cause analysis.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and operational management skills, with the ability to manage multiple payroll activities and deadlines while maintaining accuracy, compliance, and confidentiality.
• Proficient English and strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively coordinate with stakeholders and support payroll team members.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience with ADP payroll systems.
• Experience with HRIS/ERP platforms such as Workday or SAP.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Accessibility and accommodation

Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Skills Desired