Group Payroll Manager

Maziv; Randburg; On-site; ZAR 650,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading group in payroll services is seeking a Group Payroll Manager to oversee and manage the payroll function within the organization. The ideal candidate will ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and align payroll processes to improve operational efficiency. Strong leadership, analytical skills, and experience with payroll software are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in payroll management and compliance.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret payroll data effectively.
• Proven team leadership capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Oversee payroll operations across the Maziv group.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and internal regulations.
• Manage audit requirements for payroll processes.

Skills

Payroll management

Compliance knowledge

Data analysis

Team leadership

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance or related field

Tools

Payroll software

Excel

Job description

Main Purpose

The Group Payroll Manager is responsible for managing and overseeing the payroll function within the Maziv group, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, internal policies, and best practice standards. This role will lead to the transition to a centralized payroll model, aligning processes, policies, and systems to achieve operational efficiency, improved reporting, and enhanced employee experience.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities (Key Performance Areas & Tasks)

Centralisation & Standardisation Roadmap

• Conduct a detailed review of payroll processes, systems, and compliance gaps in each company.
• Identify overlaps, inefficiencies, and inconsistencies in policies and procedures.
• Develop a unified payroll policy covering all companies.
• Evaluate payroll software options for group-wide integration.
• Implement a centralised payroll platform or integrate existing systems.
• Migrate data securely, ensuring historical accuracy and compliance.
• Establish a Group Payroll Centre of Excellence for processing and support.
• Define SLAs and escalation processes for payroll queries.
• Implement automation for repetitive tasks.
• Regularly review policies for legislative updates and business changes

Analytics & Reporting

• Develop payroll analytics dashboards for management and Exco.
• Provide monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll cost reports by company, department, and cost centre.
• Analyse overtime trends, headcount movements, and benefits usage.
• Support finance with payroll-related budgeting and forecasting.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure adherence to data protection laws (POPIA, GDPR where applicable).
• Manage audit requirements, both internal and external.
• Implement controls to prevent payroll fraud or errors.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop payroll staff across all entities.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and service excellence.
• Coordinate training for HR and finance teams on payroll processes and systems.

Payroll processing

• Manage the capturing of all payroll input data in line with payroll processes and timelines.
• Responsible for complete payroll accuracy and approval by Final Run date.
• Manage regulatory compliance.
• Responsible for ensuring new employees and data are correctly taken onto the payroll system and exiting employees are removed on the correct date.
• Manage the leave records and calculation of leave pay provision, ensuring completeness of capturing all leave types used and update provision after annual increases.
• Manage employee records including employment contracts, payroll data, earnings, deductions, payments and any other related information.
• Approval of payroll payments to staff, contractors, SARS and third parties prior to payment release.
• Management of integration of payroll into each Group entities’ general ledger.
• Management of monthly and annual preparation of all third-party payroll-related submissions.
• Management of reconciliation of all payroll-related general ledger accounts.
• Completion of monthly and annual SARS employee related returns on SARS e-filing.
• Ensure operational policies and procedures are updated and communicated to all staff, once approved by Exco.

Data Integrity

• Manage the maintenance of accurate complete and up-to-date payroll Masterfile information for all employees.
• Identify and implement continuous improvements to maintain and evolve compliance and data quality and deliver projects related to continuous improvement.
• Oversee data integrity assessments, data integrity investigations, change controls, and data integrity audits.
• Produce monthly spot-checking reports to ensure that data integrity is maintained.
• Report on data integrity monthly

Systems

• Management and maintenance of all system parameters in the payroll system.
• Oversight and approval of system integrations, upgrades and system implementations.

Compensation and benefits

• Maintain gross pay, pension, group life and other benefits and statutory requirements and ensure implemented reward and benefit policies are compliant with approved Group policies and statutory regulations.
• Facilitate accurate processing of annual pay increases and adjustments.
• Facilitate changes required for terminated employees to continue their benefits.
• Facilitate merit increase and performance bonus processes.
• Co-ordinate medicals as and when needed to ensure correct cover for the Group Life.
• Facilitate medical and death claims with Discovery Health and Discovery Life.
• Facilitate retirement process with staff member and relevant service providers.

Reporting

• Prepare data sheets for each cost centre / entity to prepare annual budgets.
• Provide monthly and annual reports to cost centre managers, executives and input for board reports.
• Facilitate the input of data from the payroll system to the ESG and financial database (Finnivo) for all centralised reporting.
• Prepare and report on variance analyses together with explanations.

Other

• Communicate with employees regarding payroll-related inquiries, discrepancies, or changes.
• Provide assistance and guidance to employees on matters related to payroll and benefits.
• Manage the internal and external audit process for payroll and related HR matters.
• Manage and respond to all payroll related SARS queries in a timely manner.
• Escalate all payroll risk matters.
• Participate in the HR wider team meetings to update on challenges, improvement initiatives and business changes impacting the payroll and remuneration services.
• Ad hoc projects and analysis.
• Risk management.