Ops Spec: HR and Payroll

Business unit, Department, Reporting

Core Description

The Payroll Consultant will manage and execute end-to-end payroll operations across South Africa and multiple African countries, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency in line with local labour laws, tax regulations, and company policies. The role involves providing expert payroll advisory, supporting multi-country payroll integrations, and ensuring best practices in payroll governance and reporting.

Key Deliverables / Primary Functions

Payroll Management & Processing

• Manage the processing of payroll for South Africa and various African countries, ensuring timely and accurate payment of salaries.
• Validate payroll data including new hires, terminations, transfers, allowances, bonuses, deductions, statutory contributions and any customer configured components.
• Coordinate with customer to ensure accurate and compliant payroll execution.
• Perform aggregated complex data analyses to ensure that any existing gaps or variances in the payroll process are closed.
• Provide assistance to direct reports in the case of escalated payroll issues and provide effective resolutions to remedy and close out outstanding payroll query cases.
• Implement robust payroll controls to prevent errors and ensure compliance.

Compliance & Legislation

• Ensure full compliance with country-specific payroll laws, tax regulations, and statutory requirements (PAYE, UIF, SDL, social security, pensions, etc.).
• Keep updated and upskilled with legislative changes in African countries and adjust payroll processes accordingly.
• Prepare annual and monthly statutory returns in line with deadlines for each jurisdiction.
• Manage and report any issues to leadership to avert any payroll risks, regulatory compliance matters and/or data confidentiality breaches associated with payroll processing.

Systems & Reporting

• Administer all payroll functions using the payroll software (e.g., PaySpace and/or SAP) for multi-country payroll processing.
• Assist in payroll system configuration, testing, and enhancements.
• Generate payroll reports for Finance, HR, and management; ensure reconciliation with accounting systems.
• Complete monthly payroll checklists, SLA metrics, SOC and audit reports, maintain payroll compliance controls, and ensure all payroll-related documentation and reporting are securely stored in a designated SharePoint environment upon payroll completion.

Advisory & Stakeholder Support

• Provide expert payroll advice to customers and Senior Management when required.
• Act as a liaison with payroll service providers and statutory bodies on matters related to the payroll, if required.

Process Improvement & Projects

• Drive payroll process optimisation and standardisation across African operations.
• Implement best practices for payroll governance and compliance.
• Train and mentor payroll team members to build multi-country payroll expertise.

Core Functional Skills & Capabilities

Core Behavioural Competencies

Minimum Qualifications

Additional Education -Preferred /Advantage

Experience

• Minimum: 3+ years’ payroll processing experience in a payroll outsourcing environment, with at least 2 years in a senior/specialist or consulting payroll role.
• 3+ years’ experience in PaySpace Payroll System.
• Demonstrated experience in multi-country payroll management across Africa, including South Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a range of multiple customers simultaneously.
• Strong knowledge of African payroll legislation, tax regimes, and compliance requirements.

Certifications

Professional Memberships in Relevant Industry

Level of Engagement & Span of Control

Engagement will all levels within the organisation, internal and external to the business.

Special Requirements / Employment Condition

Workplace / Physical Requirements