Senior Manager, Payroll APAC

Who we're looking for

At Zendesk, we know that getting payroll right means more than just accuracy—it's about creating trust and peace of mind for every employee. We're searching for a Senior Payroll Manager to oversee our Asia-Pacific payroll operations, driving excellence and equity in everything we do. This is a role for a collaborative leader who thrives in complexity, believes in the impact of reliable payroll, and is eager to build a culture where everyone belongs. This position will be reporting directly to the Senior Director of Global Payroll. If you value teamwork, care deeply about process and people, and seek to make a difference as Zendesk continues to grow, we would love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing

• Lead Regional Payroll: Manage and coordinate all payroll activities across APAC countries—including Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea—ensuring consistent, timely, and compliant delivery.

• Team Leadership: Directly manage (3) payroll professionals , providing coaching, professional development, and support. Oversee hiring and play an active role in workforce planning and budget management for the payroll APAC region functions.

• Vendor and Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong partnerships with external payroll vendors and internal cross-function teams. Internal stakeholders include, but are not limited to: People Operations, Benefits, Legal, Tax, Equity, and Accounting. Additionally, foster collaborative relationships with the Workday HRIS team and benefit providers.

• Payroll Excellence: Oversee the full payroll lifecycle for all APAC employees, including wages, equity awards, statutory and supplementary benefits, and taxes. Confirm that pay and benefits are accurate and on time, every pay cycle.

• Compliance & Risk Management: Stay current with statutory payroll and benefits regulations in each country. Ensure all payroll processes uphold compliance, mitigate risks, and prepare for internal or external audits.

• Process Improvement: Lead projects to streamline, transform, or standardize regional payroll processes —including potential system upgrades, vendor migrations, M&A integrations, or expansions into new markets.

• Reporting & Analysis: Prepare, review, and present payroll data and operational metrics using Excel and other reporting tools. Use insights to drive continuous improvement.

• Hybrid Collaboration: Work in the Pune office 3 days a week (Tuesday–Thursday), engaging actively with your team and remote stakeholders.

What you bring to the role

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience managing end-to-end payroll for multiple countries within the APAC region (including mandatory experience in India, Singapore, and Australia).

• 4+ years of proven experience managing and developing a team of payroll professionals.

• Expert knowledge of APAC payroll withholding taxes, related tax filings, compliance frameworks, statutory benefits, employment regulations, and complex pay element handling (e.g., equity, executive compensation).

• Understanding of payroll accounting principles, the impact of payroll activities on financial statements, and the ability to partner with the Finance team to resolve issues as they arise on a timely basis.

• Strong working relationship experience with outsourced payroll vendors and using HRIS platforms (preferably Workday).

• Strong customer service mentality.

• Advanced proficiency in Excel (VBA, pivot tables, complex formulas) for reporting, data analysis, and validation controls.

• Clear, empathetic communicator—able to explain complex payroll concepts to a variety of audiences.

• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and meet tight deadlines.

• Flexible and open-minded, comfortable with change, ambiguity, growth, and working across multiple time zones, sometimes outside of the conventional workday when urgent matters arise.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing or migrating payroll systems, integrating M&A payrolls, or leading large-scale standardization projects.

• Familiarity with equity compensation administration in a global organization.

• Track record of improving or transforming payroll operations across regions, including automation and standardization.

• Experience operating within a shared service model or a high-growth, globally matrixed technology company collaborating across multiple time zones.

• A proven track record of using technology (automation, system workflows) to eliminate manual work and enhance the employee payroll experience.

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Please note that Zendesk can only hire candidates who are physically located and plan to work from Karnataka or Maharashtra. Please refer to the location posted on the requisition for where this role is based.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to with your specific accommodation request.