Payroll Manager

Ekco; East London; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave + public holidays

Birthday leave

Company pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

EkcOlympics

Pluralsight access

International progression

Job summary

Ekco is seeking a Payroll Manager to govern and oversee multi-country payroll operations. You will ensure accurate inputs, approvals, and timely delivery to third-party providers, while maintaining strict controls and data security.

The role requires deep knowledge of payroll processes, regulatory reporting, and collaboration with HR, Finance and IT to optimise payroll workflows. Strong attention to detail and stakeholder management are essential.

Qualifications

• Recognised payroll qualification (CPP/IPASS/CIPP) or equivalent.
• Experience with HiBob or similar payroll systems.
• Proven multi-country payroll management experience.
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax and statutory reporting.

Responsibilities

• Govern and oversee the end-to-end payroll timetable with deadlines.
• Validate payroll changes before submission to providers.
• Review provider outputs, investigate variances and obtain approvals.
• Ensure payroll tax filings and statutory submissions are timely.
• Maintain payroll records, audit trails and access controls.
• Serve as main internal contact for payroll queries from staff and management.
• Manage relationships with external payroll providers and service levels.
• Identify and implement improvements to payroll processes and data flows.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Education

CPP/IPASS/CIPP or equivalent

Tools

HiBob

Job description

About Ekco

Founded in 2016, Ekco has quickly become one of Europe’s fastest-growing cloud solution providers and your trusted security-first Managed Service Provider.

IT leaders choose Ekco to drive operational efficiency, scale smarter and stay ahead of risk – powered by local expertise, delivered at European scale.

We specialise in helping organisations advance their cloud maturity guiding transformation, strengthening security, and maximising the value of their technology investments.

In simple terms: we help organisations modernise with confidence securing their systems, optimising their cloud, and keeping them resilient in a rapidly changing world.

Today, we’re a thriving team of 1,000+ talented and supportive colleagues across the UK, Ireland, Benelux, South Africa, and Malaysia—and we’re continuing to grow.

At Ekco, How We Work Matters As Much As What We Deliver. Our People Live By Four Core Values That Shape Everything We Do

• On It: We take ownership, follow through, and get things done.
• All In : We collaborate, support each other, and commit fully to shared goals.
• Connected: We build trusted relationships with colleagues, clients, and partners.
• Hungry to Grow: We stay curious, keep learning, and push ourselves to the next level.

If these values resonate with you, you’ll feel right at home here.

The Role

We have grown rapidly in recent years through acquisition and are now seeking a highly organised, innovative and results-driven Payroll Manager to join the Finance team and lead the governance and oversight of the company's payroll operations.

Payroll calculations and statutory processing are performed by third-party payroll providers, while the Payroll Manager retains internal ownership of payroll inputs, controls, approvals, compliance oversight, provider performance and delivery.

The ideal candidate will have strong multi-country payroll knowledge, excellent organisational and communication skills, and a rigorous approach to accuracy and control. The Payroll Manager will ensure that complete and accurate payroll information is provided to external partners, payroll outputs are thoroughly reviewed and approved, and all payrolls are delivered accurately, securely and on time.

Responsibilities:

• Payroll Governance and Oversight:
• Own and coordinate the end-to-end payroll timetable, ensuring that complete, accurate and approved payroll inputs are submitted to third-party payroll providers by agreed deadlines.
• Validate payroll changes, including new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, benefits, deductions, leave and other employee data, before submission to payroll providers.
• Perform a detailed review of provider payroll outputs, exception reports and month-on-month movements, investigate variances and obtain the required internal approvals before payroll is finalised.
• Compliance and Legislation:
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of payroll tax, employment and statutory reporting requirements in each relevant jurisdiction and monitor provider compliance.
• Ensure third-party providers complete required payroll tax filings and statutory submissions accurately and on time, with appropriate evidence retained for audit purposes.
• Identify payroll compliance issues, coordinate corrective actions with providers and internal stakeholders, and escalation material risks promptly.
• Controls, Records and Reporting:
• Maintain accurate and complete payroll records, audit trails, approvals and access controls, including internal ownership of payroll portals and payroll documentation.
• Prepare and distribute payroll reports and management information to authorised stakeholders, ensuring confidentiality and appropriate data protection controls.
• Employee and Stakeholder Support:
• Act as the main internal point of contact for payroll queries from employees, management, HR and Finance, working with third-party providers to resolve issues promptly.
• Communicate payroll deadlines, policy changes and process requirements clearly to employees and relevant stakeholders.
• Third-Party Provider Management:
• Manage relationships with external payroll providers, including service delivery, agreed timelines, issue resolution, controls, data quality and performance against service levels.
• Hold providers accountable for accurate and timely processing, maintain clear escalation routes and support contract, service and system reviews where required.
• Process Improvement, Integration and Transformation:
• Identify and implement improvements to payroll processes, controls, automation and data flows to enhance accuracy, efficiency, security and scalability.
• Work collaboratively with HR, Finance, IT and external providers to streamline payroll-related procedures and strengthen system integrations.
• Support the integration of acquired businesses and lead payroll transformation projects, including readiness assessment and planning for any future transition of payroll activities in-house.

Requirements

• Recognised payroll qualification, such as Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), IPASS or CIPP, or equivalent jurisdictional certification.
• Experience with payroll technologies, including HiBob or similar systems, and with payroll transformation or insourcing projects.
• Proven experience managing multi-country payrolls delivered through third-party payroll providers.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processes, internal controls, payroll tax regulations, statutory reporting and compliance requirements.
• Experience reviewing payroll outputs, analysing variances, resolving exceptions and managing external provider performance.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple payroll calendars and deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail, accuracy and control awareness.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge providers and escalation risks where necessary.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential employee and payroll information with discretion.

Benefits / Perks

• Time Off: 25 days annual leave + public holidays
• Birthday Leave: One extra day off to celebrate
• Company Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for wellbeing support
• EkcOlympics: Global team activity challenges
• Unlimited access to Pluralsight for continuous development
• Real opportunities to grow, including international progression

Why Ekco

• Company of the year 2026 Tech Excellence Awards
• Microsoft’s 2023 Rising Star Security Partner of the Year
• First Irish Microsoft MSP to achieve all four Microsoft Security Specializations
• A culture rooted in diversity, equality, inclusion & belonging
• A commitment to internal mobility and career progressiion
• Flexible, family-friendly working at the heart of our culture
• Proud to be your trusted security-first Managed Service Provider chosen by IT leaders to drive operational efficiency, scale smarter and stay ahead of risk.