People Operations Specialist (mid-level)

Publicis Groupe ANZ; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wholeself program

Global Marcel access

Learning & development

Career Conversations

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

Publicis Groupe ANZ is seeking a People Operations Specialist to join our People & Culture team in Australia. You will focus on workforce reporting, HR operations, and data governance, delivering insights and improving processes across the employee lifecycle.

You’ll collaborate with HR, payroll and finance colleagues, apply data-driven practices, and help implement systems enhancements and AI-enabled initiatives.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in People Operations, HR, finance or payroll.
• Experience with HRIS, payroll, recruitment or workforce management systems.
• Strong understanding of HR/business processes across the employee lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience supporting people programs, and/or payroll and finance operational processes.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and maintain regular workforce reports.
• Analyse workforce data including headcount, turnover, recruitment activity, internal movements, leave trends, engagement and diversity.
• Respond to ad hoc reporting requests from leaders and Centres of Excellence.
• Support the development of reporting frameworks that improve accessibility and value of workforce insights.
• Partner with the wider People & Culture teams to support implementations of processes for the employee lifecycle.
• Support compliance activities and ensure people records are maintained accurately.
• Support planning, implementation and reporting of People & Culture initiatives and programs.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, guides, communications and training materials.
• Assist with systems enhancements, process improvements and change initiatives.
• Support the effective use of HR systems and people technologies.
• Assist with system testing, upgrades, data validation and process improvements.
• Partner with stakeholders to improve data quality, reporting capability and system utilisation.
• Participate in initiatives involving automation, AI and digital ways of working.
• Maintain data accuracy and integrity across people records, systems and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with privacy obligations, governance requirements and organisational policies.
• Maintain documentation, controls and reporting standards that support reliable workforce information.

Skills

People Operations

HRIS & Payroll

Employee lifecycle

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Continuous improvement

Tools

HRIS

Payroll systems

Workforce management

Job description

Australia/New Zealand CSR Achievement of the Year — Publicis Groupe ANZ — Gold 2025

Asia-Pacific Best Place to Work (Network) — Publicis Groupe APAC - Winner 2025, 2024

Australian Business Awards - Employer of Choice 2024, 2023, 2022 & 2021

HR Awards Excellence Awardee - Employer of Choice 2022

AWEI Silver Accreditation 2025

Certified family friendly workplace

Welcome to Publicis Groupe ANZ.

Here you will get an inside look at life within our network, including the brilliant people working across our agency brands. Publicis Groupe is a world leader in marketing communication and digital business transformation, driven through the alchemy of data, creativity, media, and technology.

Our connected platform of companies and capabilities is more than an operational framework.

It’s a cultural model we've built to unite our people in a collaborative way of thinking and working. Publicis Groupe offers its clients seamless access to the expertise of its 110,000+ talents across 100 countries globally.

In Australia, our powerhouse of marketing capabilities stretches across creative agencies (Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo, Publicis Worldwide), media agencies (Starcom, Zenith, Spark Foundry, Performics, Atomic 212), Razorfish, Digitas, Epsilon, Arc, Prodigious, PXP, PMX, and PR (Herd MSL). We also have Publicis Sapient driving digital business transformation for our clients.

We're looking for a People Operations Specialist to join our People & Culture team and play a key role in supporting our people programs, workforce reporting, systems and operational initiatives. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working with data, improving processes and solving problems, while building their expertise across HR operations, people analytics and emerging technologies.

We are keen to connect with individuals who bring experience in HR, finance, or payroll and are looking to apply their expertise to this new opportunity.

Working closely with our People Operations Director and wider People & Culture teams, you'll gain exposure to a variety of BAU activities, annual people programs, reporting initiatives and local and regional projects. The work is diverse supporting our People & Culture activities, making this an ideal role for someone who is curious, proactive and eager to learn.

What you'll be doing

Workforce Reporting & Insights

• Prepare and maintain regular workforce reports
• Analyse workforce data including headcount, turnover, recruitment activity, internal movements, leave trends, engagement survey, diversity and employee demographics
• Respond to ad hoc reporting requests from leaders and Centres of Excellence
• Support the development of reporting frameworks that improve the accessibility and value of workforce insights

People Operations & Employee Lifecycle

• Partner with the wider People & Culture teams to support implementations of processes to support the employee lifecycle
• Support compliance activities and ensure people records are maintained accurately
• Support the planning, implementation and reporting of People & Culture initiatives and programs
• Develop and maintain process documentation, guides, communications and training materials
• Assist with systems enhancements, process improvements and change initiatives

HR Systems & Technology

• Support the effective use of HR systems and people technologies
• Assist with system testing, upgrades, data validation and process improvements
• Partner with stakeholders to improve data quality, reporting capability and system utilisation
• Participate in initiatives involving automation, AI and digital ways of working

Data Governance & Compliance

• Maintain data accuracy and integrity across people records, systems and reporting
• Ensure compliance with privacy obligations, governance requirements and organisational policies
• Maintain documentation, controls and reporting standards that support reliable workforce information

What you’ll bring

• 3+ years' experience in People Operations, HR, finance or payroll
• Experience working with HRIS, payroll, recruitment or workforce management systems
• Strong understanding of HR/business processes across the employee lifecycle
• Demonstrated experience supporting people programs, and or payroll and finance operational processes
• Naturally curious, with a desire to understand how people, systems, processes and data connect across the organisation
• Strong logical thinking and problem-solving capability, with the ability to identify patterns and connections
• Comfortable working with technology and learning new systems, tools and digital solutions
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy and confidentiality
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• A continuous improvement mindset, with a willingness to build capability in people analytics, reporting, AI and automation

Nice to have

• Exposure to workforce reporting, people analytics or dashboards is advantageous but not essential

Additional Information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enENABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via [e-mail]; your personal information will be kept confidential.