Payroll Operations Specialist

Who We Are 

As a Payroll Operations Specialist – APAC at Justworks, you will play a key role in ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing across the region. You will collaborate closely with local payroll vendors and internal partners to ensure smooth execution, promptly resolve discrepancies, and deliver a seamless payroll experience to employees across multiple APAC countries.

This role requires precise coordination with vendors and a strong understanding of payroll operational fundamentals to ensure compliance with local requirements. You will support customer-facing teams by addressing payroll-related inquiries and maintaining a consistent and reliable payroll cycle throughout the region.

While APAC will be your primary focus, you will also help support emerging regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and International Contractor Payments (ICP) as their operational footprint expands. As volumes grow, these areas are expected to evolve into fully scoped regions creating opportunities for increased ownership over time.

You are detail-oriented, organized, and able to execute multiple payroll cycles in parallel. Beyond the day-to-day work, you bring a problem-solving mindset to refine workflows, increase automation, and build scalable payroll solutions across APAC and future growth regions.

Who You Are

As a Payroll Operations Specialist – APAC on the International team, you will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and compliance of payroll across multiple APAC markets by acting as a key point of coordination between internal stakeholders and external payroll providers.

You will proactively identify discrepancies, collaborate with local vendors to resolve issues efficiently, and ensure compliance with employment regulations, tax requirements, and local payroll practices. Strong communication and vendor-management skills will be essential as you address challenges and ensure a smooth, high-quality payroll experience for employees.

You thrive working independently and excel in a fast-growing environment where you can continuously improve processes, ensure consistency, and help scale payroll operations as new regions develop.

Your Success Profile

What You Will Work On 

• Execute end-to-end payroll operations across APAC, including processing and reviewing payroll, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring compliance with country-specific regulations.
• Monitor payroll disbursements, triage and resolve incoming payroll-related requests efficiently and accurately.
• Implement and refine payroll workflows to support APAC growth and regulatory complexity.
• Identify process gaps and inefficiencies, driving operational improvements and automation.
• Act as a payroll subject matter expert for APAC, supporting cross-functional teams such as Customer Success, Finance, and Legal.
• Maintain up-to-date payroll operations resources, policies, and documentation for APAC countries.
• Conduct reconciliation processes in partnership with Finance and Accounting to ensure payroll accuracy.
• Provide secondary support to Middle East, Africa, and ICP payroll operations as volume expands and transitions to dedicated ownership.
• Perform other related duties as assigned to ensure smooth and compliant payroll operations across global regions.

How You Will Do Your Work 

As a Payroll Operations Specialist – APAC, the how is as important as the what. This role requires:

• Detail-orientation – maintaining accuracy and productivity while assessing both cause and effect.
• Adaptability – adjusting your approach as business needs, systems, and regional requirements evolve.
• Good judgment – analyzing problems, managing risks, and driving effective solutions with ownership.
• Clear communication – articulating information clearly and listening actively to gain alignment.
• Systems thinking – understanding interdependencies across processes, teams, and tools to drive integrated solutions.

In addition, all Justworkers focus on aligning their behaviors to our core values known as COGIS. It stands for: 

• Camaraderie – You work collaboratively toward a higher purpose, actively listening and supporting teammates.
• Openness – You share information, consider diverse perspectives, and welcome feedback.
• Grit – You commit and persevere through challenges with a positive attitude.
• Integrity – You follow through on commitments, act with honesty, and lead by example.
• Simplicity – You focus on making complex things as simple as possible.

Qualifications

• 0-2 years of experience in a finance, payroll, or related administrative role. A bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field is preferred.
• 1 plus year of experience in Microsoft Excel, with knowledge of database management systems as a plus (MySQL, SQL).
• Familiarity with business process management activities, such as process mapping, improvement, and implementation.
• Strong aptitude for quickly learning new payroll systems and adapting to evolving international regulations.
• Highly detail-oriented, with a strong ability to identify errors and implement preventative measures.
• Ability to remain flexible and pragmatic under pressure, thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Proactive, self-starter mentality with a willingness to take ownership of tasks and figure things out independently.
• Curious and resourceful, with a drive to continuously improve processes and build expertise in payroll operations.
• Comfortable working with large datasets, reconciling discrepancies, and analyzing trends to optimize payroll accuracy.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and work with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

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