People Operations Lead Western Europe & Italy - Milan

You’ve built experience, now use it where bold ideas meet real impact. At Opella, we’re challenging how self-care works for millions of people and need leaders and experts ready to shape what’s next. As our People Operations Lead for Western Europe & Italy, you’ll bring your expertise, curiosity and leadership to create exceptional employee experiences, drive operational excellence and help transform how people services are delivered across the region.

About the job

The People Operations Lead is responsible for leading payroll operations, employee lifecycle administration and people services governance across Western Europe and Italy. This role ensures the delivery of accurate, compliant and employee-focused services while driving continuous improvement, standardization and operational excellence.

• Working closely with local People & Culture teams, business leaders, global People Operations stakeholders and external service providers, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of people services and supporting Opella’s transformation journey.
• Lead payroll, time administration and benefits operations across multiple countries.
• Drive operational excellence and outstanding employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Partner with local and global stakeholders to simplify, harmonize and improve people processes.
• Build strong governance, controls and performance management across payroll and people services.
• Lead regional transformation initiatives supporting digitalization, automation and service improvement.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing service culture.

Main responsibilities

• Lead and oversee end-to-end payroll, time administration and benefits processes, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant delivery across countries in scope.
• Coordinate employee lifecycle services, including onboarding, contract administration, employee changes, mobility activities and offboarding processes.
• Act as the primary regional contact for payroll and HR service providers, managing performance, service quality and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor operational performance through service metrics, governance reviews and employee feedback, identifying opportunities to enhance service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with labor legislation, payroll regulations, tax requirements and internal policies across all relevant markets.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Compliance and Internal Control teams to manage operational risks and support audit activities.
• Lead process simplification, standardization and automation initiatives while supporting global transformation and Workday-related programs.

About you

• Proven experience managing multi-country payroll operations and employee lifecycle services in a complex international environment.
• Strong knowledge of payroll governance, labor compliance, employee administration and service delivery models.
• Experience partnering with outsourced payroll providers and managing external vendors against service and quality expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement, transformation and operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across local, regional and global teams.
• Analytical and solution-oriented mindset, with the ability to use data and service metrics to drive decisions and improvements.
• Fluent English communication skills; additional European languages are considered an advantage.

Location: Milan
Hybrid working policy: 2 days per week home based

Base Salary: starting with 62.000€ + bonus + benefits

This is more than the next step in your career, it’s a chance to lead change and help reinvent self-care for the world. If you’re ready to challenge, inspire and deliver impact that matters, we’re ready for you. We are challengers. We are Opella.

About Us

Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over The Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. We bring health into people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be for half a billion consumers worldwide and counting.

Our 100 loved brands, 11,000-strong global team, 13 manufacturing sites and 4 science and innovation centers help us deliver on this mission every day. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most trusted brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan.

As a globally certified B Corp company, we are committed to creating healthier people and a healthier planet. Learn more at

Opella values diversity in all its forms and is committed to fostering a workplace where everyone can belong and excel. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

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