Opella. Hiring! Full Time People Operations Lead - ASEA in Federal Territory - Ricebowl

The People Operations Lead - ASEA is responsible for leading zone payroll, time-to-pay, in-country end-to-end employee lifecycle, and People Services operations across ASEA. The role partners closely with Country P&C teams, Global PPLS, external payroll providers, and business stakeholders to ensure accurate, compliant, and efficient service delivery while driving governance, process standardization, continuous improvement, and a consistent employee experience across markets.

Our Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience in Payroll, HR Operations, Shared Services, Employee Services, or related functions.
• Proven experience managing multi-country payroll and in-country end-to-end employee lifecycle operations within ASEA zone.
• Strong experience with vendor governance, outsourced payroll providers, service reviews, and escalation management.
• Demonstrated track record in HR transformation, process improvement, standardization, automation, and digitalization initiatives.
• Experience with payroll compliance, controls, audits, and risk management.
• Exposure to Workday or similar HRIS platforms preferred.
• Deep knowledge of payroll operations, in-country end-to-end employee lifecycle processes, labour compliance, and statutory requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across a complex matrix organization without direct authority.
• Experience establishing and managing governance frameworks, service performance metrics, and operational KPIs.
• Data-driven approach to operational performance, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Strong problem-solving, governance, and vendor management capabilities.
• Ability to balance local market requirements with global standards while delivering a positive employee experience.

Key Hiring Priorities:

• Multi-country payroll and employee operations leadership.
• HR transformation, process simplification, and digitalization experience.
• Strong governance, compliance, stakeholder influence, and vendor management capabilities.

Skills / Competencies

• Strong prioritization, organization and time management.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proactive ownership and decisive problem-solving.
• Resilience under pressure and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Adaptability and cross-cultural collaboration.
• Employee-centric mindset and service excellence.

Language Requirements

• Must-have: English proficiency.
• Good-to-have: Korean proficiency; an added advantage when supporting Korean employees

Key Challenges

• Ensuring 100% accurate and timely payroll delivery with zero failures.
• Managing a complex operating model involving local teams and outsourced providers.
• Standardizing processes while accommodating local market requirements.
• Driving collaboration across People Operations, ELC and Country P&C teams.
• Resolving urgent employee issues while maintaining service quality.

What Success Looks Like

• 100% accurate and timely in-country payroll delivery.
• Consistent, high-quality People Operations services across ASEA.
• Standardized and streamlined processes while meeting local requirements.
• Strong collaboration with outsourced providers and zone stakeholders.
• Improved operational efficiency and a seamless employee experience.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Payroll / People Operations professional from an MNC environment.
• Strong hands-on payroll expertise with multi-country exposure.
• Experienced in managing outsourced payroll models and service delivery.
• Proactive, assertive and results-driven, with strong ownership and stakeholder management skills.
• Payroll migration, setup or vendor transition experience is an advantage.