Payroll Officer / Administrator

Smith Garb And Associates Cc; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Smith Garb And Associates Cc is seeking a Payroll Officer / Specialist to own the full payroll function in our East Rand operations. You will manage monthly payroll for about 70-80 employees, maintain master data, and prepare payroll journals and related entries.

You will also handle payroll-related provisions, reporting, and liaison with Finance and Operations to provide insight into employee costs. A strong grasp of payroll and financial accounting is essential.

Qualifications

• BCom Accounting degree required.
• 3-5 years' experience in a payroll environment.
• Strong understanding of payroll and financial accounting.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel.
• Experience with Sage 300, AS400 and/or Microsoft D365 FO.
• Attention to detail and accuracy; process- and controls-driven.
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Good time management and organisational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication; collaboration with Finance and Operations.
• Valid driver's licence.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the monthly payroll process for 70-80 employees.
• Maintain accurate payroll master data and related records.
• Process payroll and prepare payroll journals and entries.
• Manage payroll provisions, including leave and incentives.
• Prepare payroll-related balance sheet reconciliations and schedules.
• Monitor leave balances and flag concerns to management.
• Analyse employee costs, FTEs, hours and labour broker costs.
• Identify opportunities to optimise employee-related costs.
• Manage salary recharges between entities and assist budgeting.
• Ensure timely monthly, quarterly and year-end payroll reporting.
• Interface between Finance and Operations on payroll matters.

Skills

Payroll experience

Financial accounting

Excel skills

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Work under pressure

Time management

Communication

Collaboration

Driver's license

Education

BCom Accounting degree

Honours (adv) preferred

Tools

Sage 300

AS400

Microsoft D365 FO

Job description

Payroll Officer / Specialist - Logistics

Location: East Rand
Industry: Logistics

The Opportunity

An established organisation within the logistics sector is looking for an experienced Payroll Officer / Specialist to take ownership of the full payroll function.
This is a hands-on role suited to someone who understands that payroll is about far more than processing salaries. You’ll be responsible for maintaining accurate payroll data, managing payroll-related accounting and reporting, and providing reliable insight into employee costs to both Finance and Operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the monthly payroll process for approximately 70-80 employees.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date payroll master data.
• Process payroll and prepare payroll journals and related accounting entries.
• Manage payroll-related provisions, including leave and management incentives.
• Prepare payroll-related balance sheet reconciliations and risk/opportunity schedules.
• Monitor leave balances and highlight potential concerns to management.
• Analyse employee costs, FTEs, working hours and labour broker costs.
• Identify opportunities to improve and manage employee-related costs.
• Manage salary recharges between entities.
• Support payroll-related aspects of the budgeting process.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly, quarterly and year-end payroll reporting.
• Act as the key link between Finance and Operations on payroll-related matters.
• Ensure relevant financial and payroll processes are consistently followed across the business.
• Provide support to the General Ledger function when required.
• Assist with financial reporting to Country Management and the Finance Manager.
• Manage monthly task lists and ensure deadlines are consistently achieved.
• Provide support on ad hoc payroll and finance-related requirements.

Minimum Requirements

• BCom Accounting degree.
• 3-5 years' experience within a payroll environment.
• Strong understanding of payroll and financial accounting.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel.
• Experience with Sage 300, AS400 and/or Microsoft D365 FO.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Process- and controls-driven approach.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Good understanding of local and Group financial compliance.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work collaboratively with both Finance and Operations.
• Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable working with initiative.
• Valid driver's licence.

Advantageous

• Honours qualification.
• Experience working in a smaller finance environment, with exposure to both payroll and accounting functions.

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for someone who is detail-driven, analytical and commercially aware - someone who can take full ownership of payroll while understanding the financial impact behind the numbers. If you're ready to step into a role where your payroll expertise directly supports both Finance and the wider business, we'd like to hear from you.