People Operations Specialist

SMG; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading marketing and media agency in the UK is seeking a People Operations Specialist to manage HR data and payroll processes. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in People Operations, strong analytical skills, and advanced Excel proficiency. You'll contribute to improving workflows, ensuring payroll accuracy, and enhancing employee experience through digitalisation. A vibrant culture awaits those who are eager to grow and embrace change.

Benefits

10% discretionary bonus

£1,800 yearly wellbeing fund

Free Headspace subscription

£500 yearly Learning Fund

4 extra Wellbeing Days off

Summer & Winter conferences

Qualifications

• Proven experience in People Operations or HR Operations.
• Strong understanding of end to end payroll processes.
• Clear, professional communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Humaans ensuring data accuracy.
• Prepare monthly payroll changes for the UK and US.
• Run monthly data audits to streamline processes.

Skills

People Operations

End to end payroll processes

Advanced Excel skills

HRIS experience

Analytical ability

Benefits administration

Communication skills

Tools

Humaans

Job description

We are looking for a People Operations Specialist to join our People Team. In this role, you will ensure our people data, systems and core processes are accurate, reliable and running to a high standard. Working across Humaans (our HRIS), payroll inputs, benefits and reporting for both the UK and US, you will help strengthen decision making, streamline workflows and directly improve the employee experience through digitalisation and automation. You will also play a vital role in payroll accuracy and compliance, making sure every employee is paid correctly and on time.

If you love variety, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and embrace change with energy, this could be your right role. We move fast, adapt quickly, and like to challenge each other. We're looking for people who enjoy the buzz of change, the satisfaction of building something better, and the joy of working with a close-knit, values-driven team.

Responsibilities

• Managing and maintaining Humaans daily, ensuring data accuracy, improving workflows and driving automation
• Preparing accurate monthly payroll changes for the UK and US, including starters, leavers, compensation changes, absences and benefits
• Maintaining benefit enrolments, changes and queries and ensuring correct data flow into payroll
• Building and updating people dashboards and reports across headcount, turnover and absence
• Running monthly data audits and spotting opportunities to streamline processes
• Supporting compensation updates and annual cycles with clean and reliable data
• Covering for the People Operations Coordinator when needed and supporting the People Ops inbox
• Supporting People Ops projects, documentation improvements and process enhancements
• Maintaining L&D administration, including Learning Fund support and training coordination

At SMG, we hire for the future, which is fast-moving and changing shape. Do you have the potential to help shape our business? We're looking for brilliant, diverse talent who want to grow with us – people who are curious, ambitious, and eager to learn, whether as specialists or across teams.

Our culture is everything. If you're someone who stays honest, stays hungry, stays foolish, and has fun, you'll feel right at home here. We value those who take ownership of their growth and bring fresh perspectives. That's why we're committed to equity, inclusion, and building a place where everyone feels empowered to grow. At SMG, it's not just about filling a role but building the future together. We're proud to be ranked the #1 Best Marketing and Media Agency and to have received World-Class accreditation from Best Companies.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in People Operations or HR Operations, ideally in a mid sized organisation
• Strong understanding of end to end payroll processes (UK essential; US desirable)
• Advanced Excel skills, including formulas, PivotTables and data cleaning
• Hands on experience using a HRIS for data management, workflow design and reporting (bonus points if that HRIS was Humaans!)
• Strong analytical ability to interpret people data, create dashboards and spot trends or anomalies
• Sound understanding of employment data compliance, confidentiality and GDPR
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills to manage cyclical tasks alongside project work
• Experience supporting or running benefits administration across multiple regions
• Clear, professional communication skills with a collaborative, solution focused mindset
• Demonstrated initiative in improving systems, data quality or workflow efficiency
• Experience documenting processes and creating standard operating procedures

Benefits

• 10% discretionary bonus
• £1,800 yearly wellbeing fund (on top of your salary!)
• Free Headspace subscription
• £500 yearly "Learning Fund" for learning
• 4 extra Wellbeing Days off per year
• Summer & Winter conferences + year-round celebrations