HR Operations Specialist; Payroll

Company Description

Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work. You must reside in England, United Kingdom, and be commutable distance to the office.

Find a job that lets your imagination run wild! Wild Brain is made up of a team of innovators and creators who bring industry‑leading kids’ content and brands to families globally. We inspire imagination, put creativity first, and believe in the power of storytelling. We are constantly connecting the powers of our global team, making Wild Brain a collaborative, open‑minded and passionate environment to work in.

To work at Wild Brain means you get to create stories that let imaginations run wild. Join our team today to become part of the story!

Reporting to the Director, HR Operations (EMEA & APAC), the Talent Ops Specialist (Payroll),
EMEA & APAC is responsible for coordinating and owning the HR‑side payroll process across the region, with payroll processing delivered via external providers and final payroll reporting provided to Finance for financial accounting purposes. The role works collaboratively with the HR Operations Coordinator (EMEA) and HR Operations Partner (APAC). In a lean HR Operations environment, the role also supports cross‑training, knowledge sharing, and day‑to‑day operational activities, as well as contributing to HR Operations projects as required.

The role ensures payroll delivery is accurate, compliant, and consistent by aligning upstream HR activity (such as new hires, leavers, changes, benefits, and time‑off reporting) with payroll requirements. Working closely with external payroll providers, HR colleagues, and cross‑functional stakeholders, the role focuses on maintaining strong governance, data quality, and documentation, while supporting continuous improvement and operational resilience. You will also support on payroll related country specific compliance tasks, year end activities and audit requirements, while working closely with the Director, HR Business Partners, Finance, Legal, Papaya Global, and other vendors to ensure smooth and compliant payroll operations across EMEA and APAC.

• Lead the HR process side for payroll processes across 11 APAC and 15 EMEA countries (circa 250 employees), with payroll processing delivered via Papaya Global.
• Prepare, review, and submit for second review of monthly HR payroll inputs, including new hires, leavers, contractual changes, variable pay, benefits, time‑off reporting, and statutory data.
• Coordinate payroll timelines, governance activities, controls, and data checks to support accurate and timely delivery.
• Act as the primary contact for Papaya Global and in‑country providers, supporting issue resolution, escalations, and lead on employee payroll‑related queries, escalating to Director as required.
• Ensure HR systems, upstream data, and payroll dependencies are aligned and accurate.
• Partner with key stakeholders to support payroll matters from an HR Operations perspective, including year‑end and audit activities.
• Maintain accurate process documentation, controls, and country‑specific guidelines, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Support cross‑training, knowledge sharing, and broader HR Operations activities and projects within a lean team environment.

• Experience supporting or owning multi‑country payroll operations delivered via a third‑party provider (e.g. Papaya Global).
• Good knowledge of payroll practices with a multi‑country scope of responsibility or keen desire to learn.
• Experience working with payroll vendors and HR/payroll systems (e.g. Papaya Global/UKG).
• Demonstrated ability to own, maintain, and improve operational processes end‑to‑end.
• Comfortable working independently and taking accountability with minimal supervision.
• Experience handling complex payroll issues and escalations.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders.
• Highly detail‑oriented, with a strong sense of accountability and integrity.

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