Sr. Domain Lead - HRO Control & Compliance

Function: HRO - Control & Compliance

Experience: 5-8 Years

Location: Bengaluru, KA

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and highly driven Sr. Domain Lead - HRO Control & Compliance to lead enterprise-scale audit, risk management, compliance governance, and information security initiatives across HR Operations and HRO engagements.

This role is designed for professionals with deep expertise in HRO operational audits, risk governance, ISMS implementation, compliance management, and client-facing advisory within global delivery/shared services environments. The individual will serve as a strategic governance leader responsible for strengthening operational controls, driving compliance adherence, mitigating business risks, and enhancing security posture across critical HRO processes.

The role requires strong leadership capability, advanced audit and compliance expertise, deep understanding of HR operations, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while managing complex governance and transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

HRO Audit, Risk & Compliance Leadership

- Lead enterprise-level operational, compliance, and process audits across HRO engagements.

- Manage teams performing risk assessments, process walkthroughs, etc.

- Drive testing of control design and control effectiveness across HR operational and compliance processes.

- Lead remediation planning and governance for control failures, compliance gaps, operational risks, and audit observations.

- Ensure compliance with SOX, GDPR, Data Privacy, labor laws, statutory regulations, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and organizational governance requirements across global regions including India, EMEA, US, and APAC.

- Publish and govern Critical Risk Trackers at engagement and HRO practice levels for leadership review and risk mitigation.

Information Security & ISMS Governance:

- Lead Information Security Management System (ISMS) governance across HRO and shared services engagements.

- Conduct technical and non-technical risk assessments across people, process, and technology dimensions to identify vulnerabilities and operational risks.

- Ensure implementation, monitoring, and reporting of security controls aligned with client, regulatory, and organizational standards.

- Facilitate implementation and governance of ISO 27001 and PCI DSS frameworks at engagement level.

- Drive ongoing security awareness programs and governance initiatives in collaboration with corporate ISG and Risk teams.

- Support incident management governance, security investigations, and remediation tracking.

Client Advisory & Governance Management

- Act as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders on operational risk, security posture, compliance readiness, and governance frameworks.

- Support client audits, due diligence reviews, RFP responses, and security governance discussions.

- Explain technical security and compliance concepts effectively to non-technical stakeholders and business leadership teams.

- Ensure contractual adherence to security and governance clauses across ongoing and newly transitioned engagements.

- Drive governance reviews, audit readiness programs, compliance dashboards, and executive reporting for senior leadership.

Operational Risk & Incident Management

- Lead root cause analysis (RCA) initiatives for operational failures, security incidents, process weaknesses, and critical control gaps.

- Monitor incident trends, risk treatment plans, and remediation governance to ensure sustainable resolution of issues.

- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on strengthening governance maturity, operational resilience, and compliance effectiveness.

- Conduct security readiness assessments during transitions, migrations, and new client onboarding programs.

Vendor & Third-Party Risk Governance

- Evaluate and govern operational and security risks associated with:

o BGV vendors

o Payroll vendors

o Cloud providers

o HRMS vendors

o Third-party service providers

- Support vendor risk assessments, compliance validations, and governance monitoring activities.

Required Skills & Experience

Must-Have Skills

- 5-8 years of experience in HRO Audit, Internal Audit, Compliance, Risk Management, Information Security Governance, or Operational Governance.

- Minimum 2-3 years of supervisory review or team leadership experience.

- Experience in operational audits, process audits, risk assessments, control testing, and governance reviews.

- Strong analytical, documentation, and reporting capabilities.

- Advanced spreadsheet and reporting skills.

- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership capabilities.

- Ability to work independently in fast-paced, client-centric environments.

Strong expertise in HRO operational processes including:

o Payroll

o Onboarding

o Employee Data Management

o Employee Separation

Strong understanding of:

o SOX

o GDPR

o Data Privacy

o ISO 27001

o PCI DSS

o ITGC Controls

o Information Systems Audit

Working knowledge of ERP and HR systems such as:

o SAP

o Oracle

o PeopleSoft

o Workday

Preferred Qualifications & Certifications

Educational Qualifications

- Graduate in any discipline.

Good-to-Have Qualifications

- Chartered Accountant (CA)

- CHRA programs

- HR Audit Certifications

- Relevant audit experience with large consulting or audit firms

Preferred Certifications

- CISA

- CIA

- CISM

- ISO 27001 Lead Auditor / Lead Implementer

- CISSP

- CRISC

Ideal Candidate Profile

- A strong governance and audit leader with deep HRO operational understanding.

- Experienced in managing enterprise-scale compliance and ISMS initiatives.

- Comfortable engaging with senior client stakeholders and leadership teams.

- Highly analytical, risk-aware, and process-oriented.

- Skilled at translating security and compliance requirements into business impact.

- Capable of balancing operational governance with business enablement.

- Experienced in global delivery and shared services environments.

Key Competencies

- HRO Audit & Compliance

- Operational Risk Management

- Information Security Governance

- ISMS Governance

- Internal Audit & Controls Testing

- SOX / GDPR / Data Privacy Compliance

- Stakeholder & Client Management

- Incident & Risk Management

- Governance Reporting

- Root Cause Analysis

- Vendor Risk Governance

- Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement

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