Payroll and HR Operations Specialist

Emergent builds autonomous coding agents that replace traditional software development by generating, testing, and deploying production applications directly from plain-language intent. Our systems run in production at global scale and are used to build millions of real applications.

Since our public launch, we've crossed $130M in Annualised Revenue and grown to over 10M users across 190+ countries, who have built 12M+ applications on Emergent. We're backed by Creaegis, Khosla Ventures, SoftBank, Lightspeed, Together, Y Combinator, Google, Claypond and Sentinel Global.

We're solving the hard part of AI-driven software creation: correctness, reliability, security, and scale in real production systems. The team is built by repeat founders, Olympiad medalists, IIT & IIM alumni, and leaders from Google, Amazon, and Dropbox.

We're hiring builders who want ownership, speed, and impact at global scale.

The Role:
We are hiring a People Operations and Payroll Specialist to own people data integrity, payroll, compliance, and the operational engine of our People function. This is a high-ownership role for someone who is detail-obsessed, prevention-minded, and eager to automate the tedious parts of the job.

What You'll Do:

People Data Integrity

• Audit and clean up employee master data in Keka: compensation, bank and statutory details, reporting lines, and joining/exit records
• Set up data governance: who can change what, validation checks, and a regular audit schedule so the data stays clean
• Build dashboards and reports on headcount, attrition, payroll cost, and compensation that leadership can rely on without re-checking

Payroll

• Run monthly payroll in Keka from start to finish: inputs, variance checks, approvals, disbursement, and post-payroll reconciliation
• Process joiners, exits and full-and-final settlements, compensation changes, variable pay, reimbursements, and ESOP-related payroll impacts accurately and on time
• Keep a payroll calendar and checklist so every deadline is visible weeks ahead
• Work with Finance on accounting entries and audits

Compliance and Policy

• Keep us compliant with Indian labour law, including the Labour Codes transition, the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act, gratuity, bonus, and maternity benefit
• Draft and maintain compliance-related policies: leave, attendance, reimbursement, F&F, and statutory benefits
• Track regulatory changes and turn them into process or policy updates before they become problems

Operations and Automation

• Document SOPs for every recurring process so the function doesn't depend on one person's memory
• Use AI tools, spreadsheet automation, and Keka integrations to remove manual work, especially reconciliations and data checks
• Serve as the go-to person for employee questions about pay, tax, and benefits, and resolve them quickly and clearly

What We're Looking For:

• 4 to 7 years in payroll and/or people operations, with end-to-end ownership of India payroll
• Hands-on with Keka or a similar HRMS (Darwinbox, greytHR, Zoho People)
• Solid working knowledge of Indian statutory compliance and labour law
• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills (lookups, pivots, reconciliations), SQL or scripting is a plus
• Startup experience, ideally at 200 to 1,000 employees during a phase of building processes

How You Work:

• Independent: you take a goal, figure out the approach, and deliver. You escalate at real decision points, not for reassurance
• Detail-obsessed: you check your own work before anyone else does, and a ₹1 mismatch bothers you until you've found the cause
• Data-driven: you make decisions from evidence, and you can explain a number and where it came from
• Prevention over firefighting: you build checks, calendars, and buffers so crises don't happen. When something does break, you fix the root cause, not just the symptom
• AI-native: you already use AI tools in your daily work and are curious about automating the tedious parts of this job
• Discreet: you handle compensation and personal data with complete confidentiality

Benefits and Perks:

1. Daily Meals: Lunch and Dinner provided
2. Family Insurance: 5 Lakhs worth of coverage for you and your family
3. Unlimited Paid Time Off: Take the time you need to recharge and come back refreshed
4. Flexible Working Hours: Work arrangements that fit your life and commitments

Let's build the future of software together.