Senior Payroll Operations Executive

Location: Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa | Work Mode: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time | Reports To: Senior Payroll Operations Manager

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Workpay is one of Africa's fastest-growing payroll solutions providers, helping global businesses hire, manage, and pay employees efficiently, legally, and compliantly across the continent. Our payroll, compliance, and workforce financial services platform simplifies payroll, compliance, benefits, and workforce administration, enabling organizations to focus on growth while ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.

Backed by leading global investors such as Visa, Norrsken22, Y Combinator, Acadian Ventures, Google for Startups, and Verod-Kepple, Workpay supports businesses operating in 30+ African countries. As we continue to expand our footprint across Africa and beyond, building the right team across markets is critical to sustaining our growth.

ROLE OVERVIEW

We are looking for a detail-oriented Senior Payroll Operations Executive with demonstrated multi-jurisdiction payroll experience and strong payroll-calculation, reconciliation, variance-analysis, and data-accuracy skills to manage end-to-end payroll operations for multiple clients in South Africa, and to support other African markets as needed. The successful candidate will ensure accurate payroll processing, timely statutory remittances, employee salary payments, and full compliance with South African labor and tax regulations.

The role requires prior experience using an HCMS/HRMS system (mandatory) and strong working relationships with South African statutory authorities. A recognized professional payroll certification is mandatory for this role (see Requirements). You will report directly to our Senior Global Payroll Operations Manager.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Manage full-cycle payroll processing for Payroll Outsourcing, EOR, and SaaS clients.
• Process salaries, allowances, bonuses, overtime, and deductions accurately.

• Ensure timely and accurate payment of employee salaries.

• Compute, file, and remit statutory obligations (PAYE, UIF, SDL, and other levies) within deadlines.
• Maintain strong liaison with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Department of Labour, and other regulatory bodies.
• Support payroll processing and compliance checks across other African jurisdictions as required, ensuring consistency in standards and reporting; configure, test, and maintain payroll workflows, rules, templates, and controls within HCMS/HRMS or payroll platforms.

• Conduct payroll reconciliations and variance analysis.

• Support internal and external payroll audits.

• Ensure payroll data accuracy within HCMS/HRMS platforms.

• Research regulatory updates and implement compliance changes.

• Prepare payroll reports and client summaries.

• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Mathematics, Economics, or related field.
• Minimum of 5–7 years' payroll experience, including demonstrated multi-jurisdiction/multi-country payroll experience across African markets (mandatory).

• Prior experience with South African payroll strongly preferred.

• Proven experience handling multi-client payroll or payroll outsourcing.

• Mandatory hands-on experience configuring, testing, and maintaining payroll workflows, rules, templates, and controls within HCMS/HRMS or payroll platforms.
• Strong knowledge of South African tax regulations, UIF/SDL processes, and labor laws.

• Experience dealing directly with statutory authorities.

• Professional payroll certification is mandatory: a SAPA (South African Payroll Association)-accredited designation — Certified Payroll Technician (CPT), Certified Payroll Administration Practitioner (CPAP), or Certified Payroll Practitioner (CPP) — or an equivalent recognized international certification (e.g., CIPP, APA).

• Advanced Excel skills.

• Strong numerical and analytical skills.

• Excellent communication and time management skills.

• High level of integrity and confidentiality.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Strong payroll calculation, reconciliation, and variance-analysis skills

• High attention to detail

• Compliance-driven mindset

• Comfort working across multiple countries and regulatory frameworks

• Strong research capability

• Ability to meet strict deadlines

• Professional stakeholder management

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive, incentive-based remuneration, health cover and stock options.
• Purpose driven work. We are building the rails for employment payments and compliance across Africa, helping drive economic growth and development.
• Career advancement through constant opportunities for learning and growth.
• Working in a flexible, vibrant team environment with a flexible remote work policy.

Workpay is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome applications from qualified candidates regardless of race, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.