People Operations and Payroll Specialist

Clever Advertising • Malta, MT

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for an People Operations and Payroll Specialist to join our People Team in Porto. This is a hands on role that combines employee relations, payroll and HR operations with something we believe will increasingly shape the future of our function: AI, automation and HR technology. We are looking for someone with solid HR foundations who is equally curious about how things could be done differently. Someone who can confidently manage the day to day realities of People operations, while looking for smarter, simpler and more accurate ways of working.

The People Team supports our people and managers throughout the entire employee lifecycle, bringing together employee relations, HR operations, payroll, talent, development and People projects. We are now taking the next step in how our function operates. AI, automation and HRIS optimisation are becoming an integral part of our People strategy. Our goal is to reduce repetitive administrative work, improve the quality of our data, simplify processes and ultimately create a better experience for both employees and managers. As an Employee Relations Specialist, you will be directly involved in this transformation. You will not only manage key HR processes, but also help us challenge and improve the way those processes work.

Requirements

• 2 to 5 years of experience in HR Operations, Employee Relations, HR Administration or a similar role
• Hands on experience in payroll and employee lifecycle management
• Good working knowledge of Portuguese or Maltese employment law
• Confidence working with HRIS and payroll platforms
• Comfortable using Excel for data reconciliation, validation and reporting
• Genuinely curious about AI, automation and HR technology
• Willingness to experiment, learn and turn technology into practical improvements
• Strong attention to detail
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to take ownership of your work
• Communicate clearly and confidently with employees and managers at different levels
• Comfortable handling sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and sound judgement

Nice To Haves

• Previous professional experience with tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot is an advantage
• Experience in an international or multi-entity and multi-country environment would be an advantage

Responsibilities

• Manage employee lifecycle administration, from contracts, amendments and promotions to role changes, absences, leave and terminations, ensuring that our processes are accurate, consistent and compliant with Portuguese employment legislation.
• Be a trusted point of contact for employees and managers, providing clear and practical guidance on employee relations and day to day HR matters.
• Prepare and validate monthly payroll inputs, including absences, bonuses, commissions and other variable compensation, working closely with Finance and our external payroll partners to ensure everything is processed accurately and on time.
• Contribute to the development and optimisation of our HRIS, helping us improve workflows, data quality, reporting and the overall user experience.
• Identify repetitive or manual processes that could be simplified or automated and actively use generative AI tools such as Gemini and Claude to support documentation, analysis, reporting, SOP creation and process improvement.
• Experiment, question existing ways of working and explore how AI, automation and HRIS can work together to make our People processes faster, more accurate and more scalable, always applying appropriate human judgement and maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and data protection.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Health & Dental Insurance
• Happiness Department & E.A.P. (Holistic wellbeing support, including unlimited online psychology sessions with our in house therapist)
• Birthday Leave
• Professional Development (Tailored development plans and internal mobility opportunities)
• Hybrid Work Options (Enjoy the flexibility to work from home up to two days a week)
• Continuous Learning Culture (Access to Clever Academy, language classes and ongoing learning opportunities)
• Room to Experiment with AI (Explore how tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot can help us rethink and improve the way HR works)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed