Payroll and People Operations Specialist

AFRY; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 60,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

AFRY is seeking a proactive Payroll and People Operations Specialist to support our Saudi Arabia business in Riyadh. You will deliver accurate payroll processing, benefits administration, and end-to-end HR operations for the employee lifecycle, while ensuring alignment with Saudi labor laws and company policies.

Collaborating with employees, managers, Finance, external payroll providers, and the EMEA People Operations team, you will drive timely payroll cycles, onboarding, visa and data

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Minimum 3 years in Payroll Administration or People Operations.
• Strong knowledge of Saudi labor law and GOSI.
• Experience with external payroll providers.
• Professional English and Arabic proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate monthly payroll processing with Mawarit and external providers.
• Collect, review and validate payroll inputs (hires, terminations, changes, bonuses, allowances, overtime, leave).
• Process leave transactions and maintain accurate leave balances.
• Coordinate monthly personnel expense reimbursements and payroll-related payments.
• Review payroll reports for accuracy before submission; resolve queries from employees and managers.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi labor law, payroll regulations and GOSI.
• Maintain payroll documentation and GOSI portal updates.
• Support visa administration and employee mobility needs.
• Assist with annual salary reviews and bonus administration.

Skills

Payroll Administration

People Operations

Saudi labor law

HRIS systems

Bilingual English/Arabic

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SAP SuccessFactors

Payroll systems

Job description

Payroll and People Operations Specialist

• Full-time
• Competence area: Business support
• Contract Type: Permanent

AFRY is an international engineering, design and advisory company. We support our clients to progress in sustainability and digitalisation.

We are 19,000 devoted experts within the fields of infrastructure, industry and energy, operating across the world to create sustainable solutions for future generations.

Making Future is about creating an impact and driving sustainable change

We are seeking a proactive, detail-oriented, and service-oriented Payroll and People Operations Specialist to support our growing business in Saudi Arabia. This role is responsible for delivering accurate and compliant payroll and HR operational services across the employee lifecycle while ensuring adherence to Saudi labor legislation, payroll regulations, and company policies.

You will work closely with employees, managers, Finance, external payroll providers, and the wider EMEA People Operations team to provide efficient, accurate, and compliant payroll and HR support.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Administration

• Coordinate and support monthly payroll processing for employees, including administration through external payroll providers such as Mawarit.
• Collect, review, and validate payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, allowances, overtime, leave data, and final settlements.
• Process employee leave transactions and maintain accurate leave balance calculations and records.
• Coordinate monthly personnel expense reimbursements and ensure timely payroll-related payments.
• Review payroll reports and ensure accuracy prior to approval and submission.
• Respond to payroll-related queries from employees and managers, resolving issues in a timely manner.
• Ensure compliance with local payroll legislation, statutory requirements, and GOSI regulations.
• Maintain payroll documentation and records, including employee updates within the GOSI portal.
• Coordinate employee medical insurance enrolments, amendments, and terminations with relevant providers.
• Support annual salary review and bonus administration processes.
• Monitor payroll deadlines and ensure all payroll activities are completed accurately and on time.
• Follow up on payroll-related invoices and partner with Finance and payroll vendors to resolve discrepancies and improve processes.

People Operations

• Manage employee lifecycle activities including onboarding, employment contracts, employee data changes, promotions, transfers, and offboarding.
• Coordinate employee transfers and onboarding activities with external partners, including Mawarit where applicable.
• Support visa administration, including exit/re-entry visa arrangements, Iqama renewals, and other employee mobility requirements.
• Maintain accurate employee records and HR systems.
• Support compliance with Saudi labor law and internal policies.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and operational excellence across HR processes.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for employees and managers on HR operational matters.
• Saudi Nationality is an essential requirementfor this position, we cannot accept other nationalities with right to work unfortunately.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in Payroll Administration, People Operations, or a similar HR role.
• Strong knowledge of Saudi labor law, payroll regulations, GOSI requirements, and employee administration processes.
• Experience working with external payroll providers and payroll systems.
• High attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Experience with HRIS platforms; SAP SuccessFactors experience is advantageous.
• Professional proficiency in both English and Arabic.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative and supportive international team where you'll play a key role in delivering payroll and HR operational services that directly support our employees and business success. You'll gain broad exposure across the organisation, partnering with employees, managers, Finance, and external providers while contributing to an excellent employee experience. As our business continues to grow, you'll have the opportunity to help shape processes, drive operational excellence, and make a meaningful impact through your expertise in payroll and people operations within a dynamic and evolving environment.

If you are passionate about delivering outstanding payroll services and people operations support while ensuring compliance and operational excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

AFRY is committed to creating aninclusive &diverseenvironment and we are actively looking for qualified candidates irrespective ofgender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability, or age. You will be part of a global and diverse company where our differences are our strengths. Join us to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable society.

At AFRY, we engineer change in everything we do. Change happens when brave ideas come together. When we collaborate, innovate technology, and embrace challenging points of view. That’s how we're making future. We are actively looking for qualified candidates to join our inclusive and diverse teams across the globe. Join us in accelerating the transition towards a sustainable future.