GIRJA PILLAI
Dubai,UAE
Summary
Experienced Change Management and Payroll Transformation Specialist with 18+ years in global payroll operations, time and attendance solutions, and organizational change initiatives. Adept at stakeholder engagement, designing communication strategies, and driving large-scale transformation programs. Proven success in improving adoption rates, reducing operational inefficiencies, and leading cross-functional teams through complex change processes.
Takes on challenging new role harnessing interpersonal skills, collaboration and problem-solving. Driven to deliver high-quality service and consistent results.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
BA, LEAD TESTING CONTRACTOR D365-PROEJCTS
RWS GROUP
Dubai, UAE
03.2024 - 01.2025
- Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business needs, document requirements, and translate them into functional specifications for the HR systems including Absence Management
- Successfully developed the Training Curriculum and created training exercises for all the stakeholders
- Develop and review Absence policies in accordance with best practices
- Designed training and process to align with strategic focus of company goals
- Change Management: Assist in change management activities by supporting development of training materials, conducting training sessions, and providing ongoing support to users during the transition to the new payroll system
- Testing, but not limited to development test cases, create test data in D365, perform system testing, and facilitate user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate that the payroll system meets business requirements and functions as expected – as required be responsible for the completion of various testing cycles
- Supported in development and design of payroll reports, working closely with stakeholders to understand reporting needs and ensuring the new system provides accurate and meaningful data for reporting purposes
- Established clear lines of communication across team members; improved overall cohesion and effectiveness in task execution.
- Mitigated potential delays through proactive problem-solving techniques.
CLIENT PAYROLL SERVICE DELIVERY LEAD
AMS International UAE
Dubai, UAE
02.2022 - 01.2024
- Leads the Payroll Delivery Project for a major retail group, with ownership of payroll strategy, operations, SOPs and associated transformational change projects
- Partners with the Accounting Team to synergise GL and payroll tax account reconciliation operations for more than 33 entities encompassing 150,000+ employees globally
- Project Managed ATLAS outage process for 150,000 employees, identifying underpayment and overpayment for the employees, reconciling financial data with the administrators of the entities, set up recovery process for receivables
- Leads the teams through the analysis, report generation and implementation of improvements that ensure the delivery of global best payroll practices
- Delivers valued client reports that visualise payroll tax liabilities and costs for executive client stakeholders, and which feed into long-term headcount/commercial strategies
- Actively contributes to Internal Control projects that ensure localised and globalised adherence to payroll, finance, and accounting compliance requirements
- Embeds an employee-centric global and regional payroll services, driving high standards in accuracy, efficiency, and continuous service for top-tier clients
- Coaches for capability improvement within the payroll team and encourages colleagues to contribute to initiatives around payroll data collection, collation, and automation
- Effectively managed customer expectations through transparent communication.
- Aligned delivery processes with business objectives, improving outcomes significantly.
- Reviewed plans regularly to accurately represent shared understanding of current status and delivery expectations.
SENIOR MANAGER GLOBAL PAYROLL EMEA
Velocity Global UAE
Dubai, UAE
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Successfully introduce the Professional Employment Organisation (PEO) model into the management of EMEA payroll delivery, with key process improvements that enhanced payroll efficiency and accuracy, and enhanced SOPs
- Established a brand-new payroll processing schedule/calendar, cascading updates across the EMEA and Global team that brought payroll processing into standardisation
- Partnered with HR, Client Success, Sales, and Onboarding teams, Finance team to optimised payroll across the EMEA and in the execution of global improvement projects
- Owned payroll data for the EMEA, including periodic and period-end reporting for 3500+ Employees.
- Liaised with Country Managers to ensure punctual delivery of payroll information for processing and led the EMEA Payroll team through lifecycle operations
- Established, managed, and enforced the payroll processing schedule and calendar
- Streamlined processes to improve and optimise office operations.
- Streamlined operations by introducing efficient resource management strategies.
GLOBAL PAYROLL TRANSFORMATION LEAD
Arrow Electronics
Bangalore, India
07.2018 - 01.2020
- Executed the successful implementation of the Malaysia Time Management Module, with associated updates to knowledge base articles for the entire APAC region
- Lead the implementation of new timekeeping system which increased the accuracy of payroll data and thereby reducing payroll errors
- Configured Time off Plans, personal Days, Vacation, Jury Duty, Annual Leave, Sick leave, Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Child care leaves etc, eligibility and validation rules to integrate with Payroll extracts
- Support operation and work with Payroll team to review and resolve timekeeping and payroll discrepancies
- Provide training sessions to educate employees on timekeeping procedures
- Spearheaded the migration of EMEA Payroll to new platforms to boost compliance and efficiency, with ownership of data validation and reconciliation workflows
- Partnered with top payroll vendors to drive the creation, validation, and finalisation of new GL Payroll reports and accruals for 7 Countries, 12 Entities and 1150+ employees
- Accelerated the US data migration project that transferred payroll data between platforms and led a further automation of US year-end processes for the US/Canada
- Shifted differential protocols for timesheet processes for US warehouse employees which clarified the process and resulted in key efficiency improvements
- Executed change management processes, ensuring smooth transition during transformations.
- Spearheaded operational improvements, boosting overall productivity and efficiency across departments.
SENIOR MANAGER SHARED SERVICES
Altisource India
Bangalore, India
07.2011 - 07.2018
- Spearhead the setup of the Philippines HR Shared Service, inclusive of the onboarding of a new Payroll vendor and establishment of policies, procedures, and frameworks
- Successfully implemented the Employee Self Service module, enhancing the accuracy of payroll processing timelines and of employee data
- Project managed the transition of India’s payroll to a new platform with 0% disruption
- Coordinated the processing of 6500+ employee payroll processes (India) and a further 600+ employees based in the Philippines consistently to business timelines
- Implemented a robust succession plan that led significant capability improvements and improved employer reputation for investment in talent career development
- Project Managed the Escheatment Account Fund in line with business goals
PAYROLL MANAGER
Convergys India
, India
10.2008 - 02.2011
- Orchestrated a global payroll implementation for a major insurance company
- Spearheaded scope definition, project planning, and execution in Singapore and Malaysia
- Contributed to the PMO for special payroll initiatives across the APAC region
- Skilfully managed the migration of the core payroll technology platform
TEAM LEADER – PAYROLL
Accenture India
Bangalore, India
11.2006 - 05.2008
- Oversaw and guided a team of 14 payroll associates in the delivery of US Payroll services for a major retail client in the US
SENIOR PAYROLL SPECIALIST
Zeta Cyber Solutions India
Mangalore, India
04.2006 - 08.2006
- Managed 45 US payroll clients, overseeing complete payroll processing
- Supervised a 9-person team, fostering their growth through training and mentorship, while ensuring adherence to client SLAs
Education
PAYROLL CERTIFICATION - Payroll
American Payroll Association
USADATA PROTECTION OFFICER (DPO) -
Knowledge Hut
UAEPMP PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL TRAINED -
Learners Academy
Bachelor of Science - CHEMISTRY
Mumbai University
MumbaiSkills
- Change Management & Communications: Expertise in driving change strategies, developing communication frameworks, and managing stakeholder engagement globally
- Training & Development: Design and delivery of comprehensive training programs, achieving high adoption rates for organizational initiatives
- Time & Attendance Transformation: Successful implementation of automated systems, policy development, and compliance monitoring
- Global Payroll Operations: Leadership in multi-region payroll processes for 100K employees, ensuring accuracy and compliance
- Risk Mitigation & Governance: Development of risk frameworks and controls to support seamless project execution
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Skilled at aligning diverse teams, vendors, and business stakeholders toward shared goals
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Languages
English
Fluent
Affiliations
- Being a Mom to my Amazing Daughter-
- Gardening
- Music
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
BA, LEAD TESTING CONTRACTOR D365-PROEJCTS
RWS GROUP
03.2024 - 01.2025
CLIENT PAYROLL SERVICE DELIVERY LEAD
AMS International UAE
02.2022 - 01.2024
SENIOR MANAGER GLOBAL PAYROLL EMEA
Velocity Global UAE
01.2020 - 01.2022
GLOBAL PAYROLL TRANSFORMATION LEAD
Arrow Electronics
07.2018 - 01.2020
SENIOR MANAGER SHARED SERVICES
Altisource India
07.2011 - 07.2018
PAYROLL MANAGER
Convergys India
10.2008 - 02.2011
TEAM LEADER – PAYROLL
Accenture India
11.2006 - 05.2008
SENIOR PAYROLL SPECIALIST
Zeta Cyber Solutions India
04.2006 - 08.2006
PAYROLL CERTIFICATION - Payroll
American Payroll Association
DATA PROTECTION OFFICER (DPO) -
Knowledge Hut
PMP PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL TRAINED -
Learners Academy
Bachelor of Science - CHEMISTRY
Mumbai University
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