S

Side

Localization, QA, audio, AI for games

HR & Admin Specialist

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/17/2026
$400k - $445k
Mid
Bachelor's
Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
In Person
People & HRHR Operations & Coordination

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.
  • At least 4 years of experience in human resources; experience in an administrative role is advantageous, and shared services or business process outsourcing experience is a plus.
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; strong Excel proficiency is preferred.
  • Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially.
  • Knowledge of human resources practices and employment law is a plus.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Responsibilities
  • Support the Human Resources department with human resources-related and administrative functions, including recruitment coordination, onboarding and offboarding, benefits administration, records management, and employee query assistance.
  • Assist with recruitment by posting job vacancies, screening resumes, and scheduling interviews in partnership with the Talent Acquisition team.
  • Assist with onboarding new hires, including requesting the creation of access credentials, and conduct orientation sessions.
  • Collect new-hire personnel documents and documents needed to open payroll accounts.
  • Prepare offboarding documentation, including clearance, quitclaim, and exit interview forms, and arrange the release of final pay.
  • Update and monitor employee leave balances.
  • Liaise on statutory benefits administration, including SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, as needed.
  • Maintain and organize personnel 201 files and update employment information for new hires, freelancers, and active employees.
  • Record and encode employees and freelancers in the company's ERP and deactivate their ERP credentials when needed.
  • Manage office facilities and supplies, including ordering office equipment and maintaining inventory.
  • Provide administrative support to the Operations, Human Resources, and Finance departments, including monitoring service invoices.
  • Monitor and manage the Human Resources inbox and respond to incoming queries in a timely manner.
  • Assist in organizing company events, team meetings, and training sessions.
Desired Qualifications
  • Strong proficiency in Excel.
  • Experience in a shared services or business process outsourcing setting.
  • Knowledge of human resources practices and employment law.

About the company

PTW provides a range of gaming and tech services, including co-development, live operations, localization, QA, audio production via its SIDE subsidiary, and AI dataset creation. It supports developers and tech firms with end-to-end services across a project lifecycle—localization adapts content for languages and cultures, QA tests across genres and platforms, live ops manages ongoing services, SIDE handles casting and post-production, and AI data work collects and evaluates data for AI systems. The company differentiates itself by offering integrated, end-to-end capabilities under one umbrella, backed by SIDE’s 25 years of audio expertise to enable continuous partnerships. Its goal is to help clients extend a game’s lifecycle, enter new markets, and deliver high-quality user experiences through dependable, tailored services.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Larkspur, California

Founded

1994

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • January 2026 Taipei opening created 75 jobs and over 100 projects finished in 2025.
  • Ghostpunch acquisition added co-development talent and future AI-based QA automation capabilities.
  • Vibe Avenue expanded Side's audio portfolio with sound design, composition, and soundtrack production.

What critics are saying

  • July 2025 layoffs hit Ghostpunch despite AI QA ambitions, damaging morale and retention.
  • February 2026 insurance litigation names Side, signaling unresolved operating or liability disputes.
  • Generative AI tools and cheaper outsourcing competitors threaten pricing across QA and localization.

What makes Side unique

  • March 2025 rebrand unified PTW, SIDE, Ghostpunch, and 1518 under Side.
  • Side spans QA, localization, audio, co-dev, art, player support, and datasets.
  • Side's 2026 Taipei studio and Ghostpunch acquisition deepen integrated global delivery.

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Benefits

  • Training Programs
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Commuter Benefits

Company News

VentureBeat
Mar 3rd, 2025
Game Services Firm Ptw Rebrands As Side

PTW, a 30-year-old game developer services firm, has rebranded as Side, bringing its various brands under one brand identity.PTW started out in 1994 as Pole To Win, but it has since accummulated more than 40 studios around the world with brands including 1518 Studios, Ghostpunch Games, PTW, and Side.Although the brand is familiar to the gaming industry as a leader in audio services, Side now takes on a new meaning, symbolizing the company’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions side-by-side with its global partners across a wider range of specialisms.“For years now, our company has operated as one team, with one vision driving how we do business – I’m proud that all our employees are now united under one banner,” said Deborah Kirkham, CEO of Side, in a statement. “The new brand symbolizes our commitment to delivering innovative, tailored solutions that drive our partners’ successes around the world.”Through the rebranding, Side will present its range of services through a collaborative lens, leveraging the strengths of each business unit cohesively to deliver best-in-class storytelling to customers and ultimately, players. At the core of the rebrand is the promise to infuse technology with human ingenuity across all Side solutions.Side emerges following a year of growth and expansion as the industry leader for game development services. This includes its recent acquisition of Ghostpunch Games, the establishment of its fifth North American studio in Charleston, North Carolina, and the expansion of its international presence with newly expanded studio operations in Braga, Portugal.With over 40 studios in 15 countries worldwide, Side’s industry-leading services include codev, art production, localization, audio production, quality assurance, localization QA, player support, community management and datasets.“We’re a client-driven company, through and through; being on your side of the game is in our DNA,” said Kaley Hurst, chief revenue officer at Side, in a statement. “This rebrand is the amalgamation of years of organic and inorganic growth, strategic planning for the future, and the realization that we are stronger together – in both brand and values.”Side will exhibit at Game Developers Conference (GDC) at Booth S1635 from March 19 to March 21 in San Francisco. In addition to the new branding, the company will showcase its full range of game development services.In 1994, Kozo Matsumoto, Mitsutaka Motoshige, and Tamiyoshi Tachibana formed Japan’s first video game quality assurance company: Pole To Win, or PTW

Game Developer
Aug 27th, 2024
PTW Acquires Ghostpunch Games for $13M

PTW has acquired Ghostpunch Games for $13 million. PTW CEO Deborah Kirkham highlighted the deal's potential to enhance development services and integrate AI-based QA automation and generative art technology. Ghostpunch's leadership will see changes, with Hugh Falk becoming site head at PTW's Ft. Lauderdale office and Alejandro Garcia-Tunon as director of co-development. Rick Daniels and Devon Browne will also take on new roles within PTW.

Business Wire
Aug 27th, 2024
PTW Announces Acquisition of Florida-based Development Studio Ghostpunch Games

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Today, PTW announced their intent to acquire the assets and business of Ghostpunch Games, an independent game development studio based in South Florida.

VentureBeat
Oct 16th, 2023
Ptw’S Side Will Acquire Sound And Music Studio Vibe Avenue For $1.46M

GamesBeat Next unites gaming industry leaders for exceptional content, networking, and deal-making opportunities. Join us on Oct 23-24 in San Francisco.  Register NowPTW‘s Side division has acquired Vibe Avenue, an award-winning interactive music and sound studio, for $1.46 million. The Montreal-based studio will be rebranded as Side Montreal and will bring sound design, music composition, and soundtrack production expertise to Side’s existing audio offerings. PTW, formerly known as Pole To Win, is a big game services firm based in Japan. It has 6,000 people.The deal, which was finalized today, marks an important milestone in PTW’s growth strategy. By acquiring Vibe Avenue, PTW aims to bring on board top-notch talent while expanding its service portfolio

Steel Media Ltd
Feb 22nd, 2023
Ptw Boosts Player Support With A Neural Network | Pocket Gamer.Biz | Pgbiz

Game service provider PTW has announced the launch of neural machine translation service RESOLVE.RESOLVE helps player support teams manage unexpected gaps or volume spikes, creating timely resolutions of player issues and inquiries regardless of language, helping teams maximise productivity while maintaining service levels.“As part of our mission to build technology-driven solutions to problems throughout our industry, we created a platform that addresses many of the player support pain points our clients have repeatedly voiced,” said PTW CEO Deborah Kirkham. “With RESOLVE, we now offer flexible, cost-efficient machine translation for multilingual player support, with features that check all the boxes - it’s a game changing solution.”Player support is a vital aspect of the games industry, but one that can face significant challenges. With many mobile games attracting worldwide and multicultural player bases, gamemakers, especially smaller and independent ones, may struggle to offer effective customer support. PTW hopes that RESOLVE can help alleviate this issue, increasing customer satisfaction and helping developers identify and resolve any issues faced by players.RESOLVE can also be used on either an interim or permanent bases, giving game makers the tools necessary to leverage their own resources to scale hiring as needed in low volume situations.The importance of customer satisfaction“RESOLVE was developed from the ground up by our engineering and localization experts, who are innately familiar with the challenges our clients face - this solution is not only scalable, but it’s efficient and can bring immediate cost savings,” said PTW senior director of player support Neil Long.Customer support, despite its importance to the structure of many games companies, is often overlooked in favour of departments more directly involved with game development. PTW hopes that RESOLVE can help companies cut down on the cost of offering this service while still improving efficiency, allowing them to devote more money to development.We discussed the importance of customer support on the official Pocketgamer.biz podcast earlier this month