Payroll & People Operations Manager

Zappi; London; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Zappi seeks a Payroll & People Operations Manager to oversee HR operations for UK employees. The ideal candidate will manage payroll, benefits, and compliance while ensuring efficient service delivery. This role offers a hybrid working pattern and a competitive salary range, along with various employee benefits aimed at promoting well-being and work-life balance.

Benefits

Three company-paid mental health days

Unlimited holidays

Private medical healthcare cover

Flexible working arrangements

Support for home office setup

Wellbeing benefits such as free yoga

Enhanced parental leave policies

Tailored personal development opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in HR, focusing on payroll operations.
• Strong knowledge of HR best practices and labor laws.
• Experience with HR software for data analysis and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Manage payroll processes ensuring timely and accurate compensation.
• Oversee daily HR operations and employee lifecycle processes.
• Support performance review processes and compliance with labor laws.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Data Analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources

HR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP, PHR)

Tools

HRIS (Hibob)

Justworks

Job description

We have a world class agile market research platform. We help brands rewire their traditional ad & innovation development processes with insights early, often & connected to create a learning loop. The result? They get smarter over time. Insights teams have more impact. Brands launch better ads & products.

We were founded in 2012 with the dream of creating end-to-end automated research. Fast forward 10 years and we have 1,000+ happy customers, 100,000+ ideas tested and we operate in 50+ research markets. And we’re entering the next phase of our growth journey!

So how do we do it?

Our platform provides access to actionable, quick and smart insights to amplify creative effectiveness and shape winning innovation, empowering creators with the agility and the data they need to make better decisions about the ads and innovation they take to market.

Through working with some of the biggest brands in the world, we’ve built technology that lets our customers see their product innovations and advertising ideas through their consumers’ eyes so they can quickly iterate, optimize, validate and learn — increasing their chances of in-market success.

The Role:

The Payroll & People Operations Manager will manage day-to-day HR operations for our UK employees as well as the team members we contract through our PEO (remote.com). This includes overseeing payroll & benefits, employee relations, performance management and compliance. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, comfortable working with data and spreadsheets, and have experience of managing benefits, payroll and wider people operations in organisations of 200+ employees.

Key Responsibilities:

• Payroll & Benefits Management: Work with our Finance team to manage payroll processes to ensure timely and accurate compensation. Support the administration of employee benefits programs including managing renewals. Be the point of call for employee queries about payroll and benefits administration.
• Lead on payroll and benefits for our UK entity and for team members contracted through remote.com
• Coordinate with colleagues in the US and South Africa to run quality control on our international payroll processes.
• HR Operations Management: Oversee daily HR operations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery and employee lifecycle processes across the region.
• Own all aspects of onboarding from offer letters, adding employees to our HRIS Hibob, communicating progress with hiring managers, partnering with people team members, sending welcome messages to conduct onboarding sessions with all international new hires and ensure that they’re set up for success.
• Monitoring the People team inbox and answering enquiries in a timely manner and escalating to the Chief People Officer when necessary.
• Manage day-to-day people operations admin e.g. Pay rise and/or job title changes letters, employment references, leaver documentation.
• Ensure our HRIS (Hibob) and other relevant HR systems (Justworks, Cushon Natwest etc) are correct and up to date: processing updates on behalf of employees and managers when required e.g. compensation changes, role transfers, new joiners, leavers etc.
• Performance Management: Support the performance review process, ensuring it is fair and aligned with company goals. Assist managers in setting objectives and evaluating performance.
• Lead on underperformance management in the UK, advising managers to conduct effective processes including terminations.
• Compliance and Risk Management: Ensure HR practices comply with local labor laws and regulations. Stay informed about changes in legislation and assist in implementing necessary adjustments.
• HR Metrics and Reporting: Collect and analyse HR data to identify trends and support decision-making. Prepare reports for the Chief People Officer on activities and outcomes of HR initiatives.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in HR, with a focus on payroll operations and compliance.
• Strong knowledge of HR best practices, labor laws, and regulations in the region.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field. HR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP, PHR) is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to implement HR strategies and programs effectively.
• Experience with HR software and tools for data analysis and reporting.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Contract Dates: This is a 13month FTC Maternity Cover Contract starting August 1st 2025 to August 31st 2026

Working Pattern: This role is 4 days per week, hybrid, in-office working required for right to work checks

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Benefits

• Salary range £37K - £45K per annum
• Three company-paid mental health day of rest every year (these are pre-scheduled, so the entire company can take the same days off regularly to reset)
• Unlimited holidays – we want well rested and motivated teams so encourage people to take plenty of time off. We don’t cap your allowance, but do set a minimum of at least 20 days per year plus national holidays.
• Private medical healthcare cover
• Group risk, life & disability contributions
• Flexible working arrangements, including remote (unless otherwise specified)
• Thoughtfully designed offices to support both individual work and collaboration without interrupting others
• Support setting up your home office, if appropriate (chair + desk, etc)
• Wellbeing benefits such as free yoga and access to trained therapists / counsellors
• Enhanced parental leave policies
• Tailored personal development through training allowances, coaching, mentorship and career frameworks

Why join us?

We’ve been recognized as one of the hottest martech companies in 2022 by Business Insider and named Best Place to Work by Quirk’s Media for our engaging and inclusive workplace culture. We’re committed to both people and the planet.

Our belief in inclusion means we’re building an organisation of diverse individuals and helping brands eliminate cultural presumptions in their research. Read our Diversity Manifesto here.

We are a values and behaviours driven business and believe that Trust, Truth, Ownership, Ambition and Humility describe Zappi employees on our best day. This is how we strive to show up for our customers, for each other and for our communities.

Earning B Corp certification assures us we’re on the right track and have structures in place to become the business we want to be.

Our commitment to minimise our impact on the environment means being honest with ourselves and transparent with you—about everything from carbon emissions to tree-planting initiatives. We achieved our goal of becoming Net Zero in 2021!

Zappi Company Culture Highlights

• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Women 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company Work-Life Balance 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company Compensation 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best CEO for Women 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Diversity 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company Culture 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best CEO 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Happiness 2022
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Leadership Teams 2023
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best CEOs for Diversity 2023
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Engineering Teams 2023
• Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company Outlook 2023
• Winner of Newsweek’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in the UK 2022 & 2023
• Recognised by Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators 2023
• Winner of Best Marketing Insights Platform in the MarTech Breakthrough Awards 2023 & 2024

Equal Opportunity

Zappi is an equal opportunity employer; our diversity is a major strength. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce fosters innovation, creativity, and success. Our hiring decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, and abilities, ensuring fairness and equity throughout our recruitment process. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply. Join our team and contribute to an inclusive environment where everyone's unique perspectives and talents are valued and respected.