Ice Creams – Payroll Lead APAC (including South Asia, ANZ)

Role Title: Ice Creams – Payroll Lead APAC (including South Asia, ANZ)

Location: Pune

Company Overview:

Unilever Ice Cream is the largest global Ice Cream Company in the world, with over 100 years of experience delivering a diverse range of indulgent, yet responsible, craft food experiences and treats delighting consumers. Committed to innovation, quality, and sustainability we have 35 brands, including 3 one billion Euro brands (Magnum, Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s), a strong presence in over 60 countries, generating annual revenue of over $8 billion.

As we proceed to create world’s largest and leading Ice Creams company, we are seeking dynamic, entrepreneurial & passionate talent with strong expertise & a desire to make an impact.

Job Summary:

Unilever Ice Creams will form a standalone separate organization from Unilever effective Jul’25. We are seeking a dedicated Manager for Payroll Asia, including South Asia, ANZ to join our ice cream division. This role focuses on executing the payroll process for the new organization which is efficient & effective and fully compliant with regulatory, financial & reputational requirements.

The Payroll Transformation journey that Unilever is currently underway, informs & impacts this separation and would be a key factor for the incumbent to consider in their plan. This role will be leading APAC region, and a key deliverable will be to understand central design to build an effective efficient payroll system in time for the separation working in collaboration with Unilever Payroll team, Separation team and the Ice Cream HR Asia, including South Asia, ANZ team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in payroll management, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to lead a team effectively across several countries.

Key Responsibilities:

• Execute Payroll Operations: Oversee and manage payroll strategy for the APAC region, ensuring accuracy and compliance with local regulations.

• Project Management: Lead and deliver projects related to the separation of ICE  Cream payroll functions, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal disruption. Serve as the main point of contact for all payroll matters across the Americas.

• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of payroll specialists, providing guidance and support to ensure high performance.

• Compliance: Ensure all payroll activities comply with local laws and regulations, including tax and labor laws.

• Process Improvement: Continuously review, identify, and improve payroll processes to enhance efficiency and accuracy, mitigating any project risks and roadblocks to ensure smooth project progression and governance.

• Reporting: Prepare and present regular reports on payroll activities, project progress, and team performance to senior management.

• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with other workstream leads (especially Finance, Legal & Supply Chain) to ensure key prerequisites (such as the setup of legal entities and bank accounts) are on track and key interdependencies are accounted for in the payroll plan. Work collaboratively with the UL Payroll, IC Separation team, and IC central payroll teams to devise a plan to separate and set up the payroll system for the ice cream organization in time for day 0 in the APAC

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field.

• Experience: Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in payroll management, with a strong preference for experience within the Americas region.

• Skills:

  • Extensive knowledge of payroll processes and regulations in the APAC.

  • Strong project management skills.

  • Proficiency in payroll software and Microsoft Office Suite.

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

  • Attention to detail.

• Language: Proficiency in English is required; proficiency in multiple languages is highly desirable.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certification in payroll management or related fields.