Manager, APAC Payroll

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

Overview

As a key member of the International Payroll Leadership Team, the Manager, APAC Payroll will oversee payroll operations across eight countries, delivering ten payroll cycles for more than 2,300 employees. This position blends strategic vision with operational excellence, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and a best‑in‑class employee experience, with particular emphasis on our large and complex India payroll. The role includes leading, coaching, and developing a team of three India‑based payroll professionals, fostering a culture grounded in collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

We are seeking a leader who demonstrates genuine empathy and builds strong partnerships across People & Culture, Legal, Benefits, Technology, Global Mobility, and other critical stakeholder groups.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead Regional Payroll Operations: Oversee 10 payrolls across APAC, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery for 2,300+ employees.
• Drive Expertise: Act as the subject matter expert for Indian and APAC payroll operations.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of three payroll professionals located in India, promoting growth and operational excellence.
• Strategic Execution: Develop and implement WBD’s payroll strategy aligned with business objectives, focusing on efficiency, automation, and standardization.
• Vendor Management: Oversee relationships with global payroll providers for the APAC region, ensuring service quality and cost control.
• Process Improvement: Collaborate with senior leadership to identify opportunities for optimization and lead initiatives to enhance payroll processes.
• Risk & Issue Management: Serve as the escalation point for payroll issues, proactively identifying, tracking, and resolving risks, and escalating unresolved matters to senior management.
• Financial Integration: Support stakeholders with timely data for general ledger activities, account reconciliation, treasury, tax, and other financial processes.
• Compliance & Audit: Ensure adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements, supporting internal and external audits with precision.
• Project Leadership: Design and lead multiple projects, delivering on agreed milestones and driving successful outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with P&C, Legal, Benefits, Global Mobility, and Technology teams to implement special initiatives (e.g., incentive programs, acquisitions, vendor transitions).
• Confidentiality: Always maintain strict confidentiality of payroll and employee information.

The Essentials

• Experience: 10-15 ears in payroll service delivery, with deep operational and technical knowledge of payroll taxes and benefits across APAC, with a focus on India.
• Leadership: 7+ years of team management experience in a payroll environment, with proven ability to coach and inspire teams.
• Expertise: Strong background in APAC payrolls, with a focus on Indian payroll operations; experience in entertainment sectors preferred.
• Systems Knowledge: Familiarity with SAP, Safeguard/Deel, and Workday HCM is a plus.
• Strategic Mindset: Ability to think strategically, manage complex work under tight deadlines, and deliver high-quality results.
• Communication Skills: Excellent English written and verbal communication; ability to tailor messaging for different audiences and levels of the organization.
• Collaboration: Skilled at partnering with senior executives and cross-functional teams to address issues and implement solutions.
• Proactive Approach: Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic and a passion for improving processes and creating efficiencies.

Why Join Us?

You’ll play a critical role in shaping payroll operations for one of the most dynamic regions in our global business. This is an opportunity to lead a high-performing team, drive strategic initiatives, and make a meaningful impact on employee experience across the APAC region.

Shift Timings:-3.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.