People Ops & Payroll Specialist

People Ops & Payroll Specialist

Applause is raising the bar for digital quality and employee experience. Recognized as a Top Workplace, Applause provides award-winning software testing and UX research solutions to top brands. Our fully managed services leverage a global team and the world's largest independent testing community. We improve digital experiences for global innovators like Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Starbucks, Vodafone, and BMW.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, smart, and motivated People Operations & Payroll Specialist to join our dynamic People team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone early in their HR career who is eager to learn, grow, and make an impact. You’ll work across the People Operations function with a particular focus on HRIS/ADP, payroll support, and administrative operations.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is highly organized, a self-starter, and loves problem-solving. You’ll have exposure to multiple areas of the People function, making this an ideal role to build a strong HR foundation.

What You’ll Do

HRIS & Data Management

• Support the administration and maintenance of our HRIS (ADP) including employee records, job data, and reporting.
• Ensure data accuracy and consistency across systems.
• Assist in optimizing workflows and processes within the HRIS platform.
• Assist with system implementations, upgrades and integrations.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports.

Payroll Support

• Partner with the Payroll team to help ensure timely and accurate payroll processing for U.S. and international employees.
• Assist with payroll audits, data entry, and reconciliations.
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations.

People Operations Administration

• Own and execute a variety of day-to-day administrative tasks across the People team.
• Support onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure a seamless employee experience.
• Assist with compliance tracking, employee verifications, and reporting.

Cross-Functional Support

• Collaborate with internal teams such as Finance, IT, and Legal to support employee-related processes.
• Jump in where needed to support broader People initiatives and projects.

Who You Are

• You have a strong sense of ownership and pride in your work - once you start something, you see it through to completion and follow up when necessary.
• You are highly organized, detail-oriented, and thrive on making systems and processes run smoothly.
• You are a self-starter who enjoys taking initiative and solving problems proactively.
• You’re energized by juggling multiple priorities and can maintain accuracy even during high-volume or time-sensitive periods.
• You can flex between structured tasks and ambiguous situations with ease.
• You’re comfortable handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• You are excited to be part of a collaborative, fast-paced, and people-first culture.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in People Operations, HR, or payroll (internships and early career experience welcome).
• Familiarity with HRIS systems (ADP experience strongly preferred).
• Basic understanding of payroll processes and compliance.
• Analytic mindset with strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and Google Slides, with the ability to create professional-level reports, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Why Applause?

We’re proud to cultivate an inspiring, engaging employee culture that’s consistently reflected in high employee retention rates and satisfaction. Our talented team – known as Applause Nation – is set up for success with the latest collaboration and learning tools, opportunities for career advancement, and more.

• We have a flexible work environment with top talent from across the globe
• Collaborate with an international team of 450+ passionate, talented co-workers
• Expand your portfolio with exciting, hands-on projects providing exposure to well-known, global brands
• Learn and grow through structured onboarding, in-house knowledge sessions and access to thousands of virtual courses available on demand
• Incorporate AI and other exciting technologies into your work, to help you prioritize and boost productivity
• Experience a supportive culture that emphasizes teamwork, innovation and transparency
• Share your voice! Contribute and integrate creative and innovative ideas across roles and departments

Applause Core Values:

As a global employee community, we strive to uphold the following core values, which are critical to business success and how we measure individual and team performance. Do you share our core values?

• Be Accountable: You love to take ownership, and hold yourself and others accountable to increase empowerment and success.
• Celebrate Authenticity: You love bringing your true self to work and creating genuine and trustful relationships within a diverse environment.
• In It Together: You have a team-first mindset and love collaborating with your peers.
• Create Value for Our Customers: You love delivering meaningful business impact and being a release partner for all aspects of digital quality.
• Crush Your Goals: You always strive for excellence and constantly seek ways to be better, more effective and more efficient.

Compensation:

Beyond Applause’s award-winning culture, our employee-centric benefits and competitive compensation strategy are designed to support your physical and mental well-being, promote work-life balance, and fuel your professional growth.

The salary range for this position is $50,000 - $65,000.

Accommodations:

Applause is a place where everyone belongs and where we believe everyone deserves the exceptional. We continue to celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable environment for our employees. If you believe you require a reasonable accommodation und.er any of the legally protected characteristics, please click here to complete an accommodation request. Please note, Applause will only review requests for applications that have been submitted. We will review your qualifications and follow up with you regarding your request if your qualifications meet our current needs.

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