People Operations Specialist

Hello potential future Oatly employee. It’s us, the original oatmilk company that started in Sweden back 25 or so years ago and has since expanded to the U.S. where we’ve continued growing at a rate such that we need more brilliant minds to come work with us to keep the momentum going and the oatmilk flowing.

Sustainability, health, and transparency are the core values that guide everything we do. Basically, we exist to help people live a healthier life without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process, and to change the food system for the better. We drive that change through the power of oats and through a significant reduction in cow’s milk consumption. If any of this resonates with you, then maybe you’d like to work for Oatly, too. Now onto the formal stuff.

We are seeking a full-time People Operations Specialist to join our team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is a hybrid role that combines People Operations responsibilities with limited office administration support.

In this position, you will play a key role in ensuring an exceptional employee experience while supporting critical People Operations functions, including payroll, benefits administration, leave management, HR compliance, reporting, and HR systems administration. You will partner closely with employees, managers, and cross-functional teams to ensure accurate processes, seamless operations, and a high level of service across the organization.

In addition, approximately 10% of the role will focus on supporting our Philadelphia office, including tasks such as coordinating mail, communicating with building management and facilities, and greeting and assisting visitors.

The ideal candidate is passionate about People Operations, highly detail-oriented, and committed to delivering outstanding service. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy working with data and processes, and take pride in ensuring operational excellence across payroll, benefits, compliance, and employee support.

This is a hybrid onsite (3 days) / remote (2 days) role. Due to business needs, the qualified candidate will reside in or around the Philadelphia area.

Here are the things we want to hire you to do:

Payroll

• This role will be responsible for working with our people team and ADP, ensuring payroll is completed accurately, timely, and in compliance with local laws

• Lead payroll processing with the ability to make strategic recommendations on efficiencies and payroll compliance

• Process, review, and audit payroll and third-party providers to ensure compliance with in-house policies, tax laws, and statutory regulations

• Support financial closing activities (monthly, quarterly & annually) as assigned

• Monitor, evaluate, and manage changing legal, tax, and regulatory demands and their effects on processes and procedures

• Assist to ensure tax, audit, SOX compliance, accounting expectations and obligations are fulfilled accurately by required deadlines

• Leads and supports broad-based payroll-related projects and initiatives

• First point of contact for all payroll, ADP, and benefits-related questions to Oatly employees

Benefits

• Support benefits enrollment with help from the People team

• First point of contact to respond to questions as they relate to HR policies, which includes but is not limited to payroll, HR systems, and benefits; escalate as needed

• Partner with hiring manager and support the leave process for all employees

• Lead monthly benefit billing reconciliations, escalating issues to carriers and correct internal partners

• Support with Open Enrollment, primarily focused on benefits communications and questions

Compliance & Systems

• Perform regular audits of our people data (such as EEOC, I-9) and respond to reporting requests from regulatory agencies such as the Dept of Labor, Dept of Commerce, etc.

• Work with external auditors and internal colleagues to ensure SOX compliance

• Stay abreast of updates and new employment laws applicable to our employee population

• Ensure legal compliance by monitoring and implementing applicable human resources federal and state requirements and maintaining accurate records

• Ensure all state unemployment rates are up-to-date, and registration for new states and municipalities as the need arises

• Support annual HR compliance reports and audits as needed

• Build as needed and maintain documentation and guides of current and future Operations processes and standard operating procedures for a streamlined user experience

• Partner with other internal teams (e.g., Finance, IT, People Team ) to ensure data accuracy and to drive a positive employee experience throughout continuous improvement

• Assist with processing employee changes in our HRIS, such as changes to salary, managers, job information, promotions, and employee offboarding transactions; and ensuring we have complete and accurate data records on employees at all times

• Back up support the reporting and management of the ADP learning platform, Global harassment, and Docebo trainings for employees

• Other duties as assigned

Office Support

• Process, sort, and route incoming and outgoing mail; submit invoices to finance when received by mail

• Maintain and manage inventory of office and cleaning supplies; restock items such as pens, paper, coffee, snacks, trash bags, and other essentials as needed

• Greet and assist visitors to ensure a welcoming and professional environment

• Coordinate site meetings, team lunches, and dinners, including logistics and vendor communication.

• Partner with IT to troubleshoot office equipment such as AV equipment, video conferencing systems, and printer maintenance

• Be the main POC to the building manager, landlord, cleaning services, fire alarm servicing, and other vendors to maintain high standards of cleanliness and functionality

• Assist in other special projects as needed

Here are the things we think you need:

• Bachelor's degree required

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, with a strong background in People Operations, HR Generalist, and/or HR Operations roles

• Proven experience managing benefits vendors and external partners, including brokers, insurance carriers, retirement plan providers, and other benefits-related vendors

• Deep understanding of benefits administration and vendor relationship management is required

• Experience serving as a professional, employee-facing office representative with the ability to create a welcoming, positive, and service-oriented workplace environment. Strong office management and stakeholder management skills are highly preferred

• Demonstrated expertise in HR systems, process improvement, and workflow mapping, with a track record of identifying opportunities to streamline operations and enhance the employee experience

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel

• Minimum of 2 years of payroll processing experience using ADP or a similar platform

• Minimum of 2 years of experience working within Workday and/or comparable HRIS platforms

• Experience developing, documenting, and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and implementing automation solutions to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability

• Strong understanding of HR compliance, employee data management, payroll, benefits administration, reporting, and operational best practices

• Self-starter with an ownership mindset who is comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving results with minimal supervision

• Collaborative, responsive, and highly organized, with exceptional attention to detail and follow-through

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to build trust and provide excellent service to employees, leaders, and external partners

• Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive employee information

• Passion for creating a seamless employee experience while maintaining operational efficiency across People programs, systems, and processes. across People programs, systems, and processes
  

And here’s another list of qualities we think make a good Oatly team member:

• You feel connected to our mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency

• You are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for success – we believe strongly in building a culture of individual accountability and ownership and need partners that can embrace that mentality

• You are ready to make your mark in a smaller, growing brand, leveraging your experience to deliver amazing results and build an outstanding company

• You have an entrepreneurial spirit in that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and are energized by the process of building something lasting from the ground up

• You enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkers

Another bulleted list felt a bit too…bullet-y. So we wrote this long, awkward sentence to let you know all the ways we sweeten the deal when you work with us, like flexible vacation (take it when you need it), really great benefits (yes, pet insurance is in there), paid volunteer days off throughout the year (doing good is fun), free six packs of...(drumroll)…oatmilk. You’ll also get genuinely great coworkers who are rooting for each other and the company to thrive. Oh, one more short but very important sentence: We are nimble and agile (not chaotic) in how we work, and we’re grounded in a long company history dating way back to the last century.

The salary for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. Compensation may also include bonus, commission, or equity as applicable. Our good faith estimate for base salary is $95,000.

Our team is available to support you through the hiring process with reasonable accommodations to enable a barrier-free interview experience. We will maintain candidate privacy and confidentiality to enable an unbiased and equitable experience. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or special need, please get in touch with peopleconnect.NA@oatly.com.

Oatly is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.