People Operations Manager

Airwallex; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex is seeking a Manager, People Operations, EMEA to lead the regional employee lifecycle, payroll inputs, benefits administration, and HR data integrity. You will partner with People Partners, Talent Acquisition, Legal and business leaders to scale operations across multiple markets.

The role requires 6+ years in HR/People Operations, strong knowledge of local employment requirements across EMEA, and a hands-on, process-driven mindset with a focus on quality.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in People Operations or HR Operations in a fast-growth tech/fintech
• Strong on onboarding, offboarding, payroll inputs, benefits and HRIS administration
• Experience supporting multiple EMEA countries and local employment rules
• Familiarity with payroll processes and variable compensation
• Hands-on, detail-oriented with ability to manage high-volume ops
• Excellent communication and ability to work with stakeholders
• Experience using AI to drive process improvements is a plus
• High standards of confidentiality and data accuracy

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end employee lifecycle operations for EMEA (~400 employees)
• Codify regional SOPs and maintain regional helpdesk workflows
• Collaborate with Payroll, IT, Compliance on transactions and audits
• Run data audits, improve data integrity, reporting and governance
• Roll out benefits across EMEA markets with stakeholders and providers
• Support country-specific employment changes, visas and right-to-work processes
• Partner with Legal to ensure local compliance in processes
• Identify inefficiencies and drive automation and AI-enabled improvements
• Support regional/global People projects and system implementations
• Manage workload distribution and foster a collaborative team environment

Skills

People Ops

HRIS

Payroll

EMEA experience

AI in ops

Tools

BambooHR

Deel

Jira

Confluence

Lattice

Slack

Google Workspace

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. More than 675,000 businesses, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok, use us, directly or through our platform partners, to run their financial operations or build and monetize financial products of their own. We started in Melbourne in 2015 to build the infrastructure global commerce runs on. We're the regulated backbone behind global payments: not by accident, but by design. A decade plus, 85+ licenses, and a financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We're co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, with more than 2,300 people across 27 offices. We hire builders with founder-level energy, people who move fast with good judgment, dig in with real curiosity, and make calls from first principles rather than waiting to be told what to do. Read our operating principles to see it in full.

What You’ll Do

As Manager, People Operations, EMEA, you’ll help deliver a high-quality employee experience across a growing and diverse region. You’ll combine hands‑on operational ownership with process improvement, partnering closely with People Partners, Talent Acquisition, Payroll, Total Rewards, Workplace Experience, Legal and business leaders. You’ll own core employee lifecycle processes across EMEA, support local compliance and benefits administration, maintain accurate people data, and help employees and managers navigate People‑related questions. You’ll also contribute to the evolution of our regional operating model, identifying opportunities to improve, automate and scale the way we work. This is a role for someone who is comfortable operating at both the detail level and the regional level: ensuring every onboarding, payroll input and employee query is handled well while also building better systems for the future.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the regional People Operations function; own end‑to‑end employee lifecycle operations (onboarding/orientation, background checks, HRIS data integrity, payroll inputs/changes, benefits and leaves, offboarding) for an EMEA footprint with ~400 employees, with a strong focus on delivery quality and compliance.
• Drive operational excellence by codifying and maintaining regional SOPs, managing the P&T JIRA helpdesk queue, and setting clear workflows and standards that are consistent with global guidance.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Payroll, IT, and Compliance on accurate and timely transactions, audits, vendor coordination, invoicing/POs, and change control.
• Run regular data audits and quality checks, identify discrepancies and improve data integrity, reporting and governance.
• Support the administration and rollout of benefits across relevant EMEA markets, working with internal stakeholders and external providers.
• Provide operational support for employment changes, leave, probation, right‑to‑work processes, visas and other country‑specific employee matters.
• Work closely with People Partners and Legal to ensure processes are delivered consistently and in line with relevant local requirements.
• Identify inefficiencies in manual workflows and drive process improvements, automation and appropriate use of AI.
• Support regional and global People projects, including implementation of new systems, policies and employee programs.
• Manage, prioritise and allocate work across People Operations support resources where applicable. Lead and drive a team‑based, collaborative environment.

Minimum Qualifications

What we’re looking for

• 6+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations or a closely related HR generalist role, ideally in a fast‑growing software, internet or fintech company.
• Strong knowledge of employee lifecycle processes, including onboarding, offboarding, payroll inputs, benefits, HRIS administration and employee data management.
• Experience supporting employees across multiple EMEA countries (Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, etc.) and working with local employment requirements.
• Familiarity with payroll processes, including variable compensation such as commissions, bonuses or allowances.
• A hands‑on, detail‑oriented approach and the ability to manage high‑volume operational work without losing sight of quality.
• Strong organisational skills, sound judgement and the ability to prioritise competing requests in a fast‑moving environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to work with employees, managers, senior stakeholders and external providers.
• A track record of improving processes, documenting ways of working and reducing manual effort. Experience using AI to drive improvements is highly preferred.
• High standards of confidentiality, discretion and data accuracy.
• The ability to operate independently, solve problems pragmatically and make progress despite ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with BambooHR, Deel, Jira, Confluence, Lattice, Slack and Google Workspace.
• Experience supporting EOR populations or employees across multiple legal entities.
• Experience with HR systems implementation, workflow automation, reporting or AI‑enabled process improvement.
• Experience partnering with Workplace Experience or supporting office‑based employee programs.
• Professional HR qualification or equivalent practical experience.

You’ll thrive here if

• You enjoy working across countries, cultures and time zones and can adapt your approach to different local contexts.
• You’re comfortable moving between detailed execution and broader process improvement.
• You default to action, learn quickly and course‑correct when priorities change.
• You communicate clearly, flag issues early and take ownership through to resolution.
• You care about making complex processes easier for employees and managers.
• You’re low‑ego, collaborative and focused on achieving the right outcome for the business and our people.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.