Payroll Team Leader

Staff Unlimited Recruitment; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 550,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

Staff Unlimited Recruitment is seeking a Payroll Team Leader to oversee day-to-day payroll operations across the organisation. The role requires accuracy, strong leadership, and experience handling multi-entity payrolls in a controlled environment.

The successful candidate will manage a payroll team, ensure timely processing, and maintain compliance with SARS and labour regulations while continuously improving processes and reporting.

Qualifications

• Diploma or Degree in Payroll, HR, Finance, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years' payroll experience across multiple entities.
• Minimum 2 years' supervision of a payroll team.
• Strong knowledge of SA labour legislation and payroll taxes.
• Experience with reconciliations and month-end processes.
• Advanced Excel and large data handling skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee end-to-end payroll across the group.
• Manage daily payroll activities and meet deadlines.
• Lead, support and develop payroll team members.
• Review inputs, calculations and reports for accuracy.
• Perform reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.
• Maintain payroll records and supporting documentation.
• Ensure compliance with payroll legislation and SARS rules.
• Liaise with HR, Finance and operations to resolve issues.
• Escalate risks and control weaknesses promptly.
• Support audits with accurate documentation.
• Assist with system improvements and reporting requirements.
• Maintain positive relationships with employees and providers.

Skills

Payroll processing

Team leadership

Excel skills

SA Labour Law

Payroll reconciliation

Data analysis

Education

Degree in Payroll/HR/Finance

Diploma in Payroll

Tools

MS Excel

HRIS/Payroll software

Job description

Payroll Team Leader

My client is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Payroll Team Leader to oversee the day-to-day payroll operations across the organisation.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring accurate and timeous payroll processing, coordinating payroll activities across multiple entities, maintaining payroll controls, supporting compliance requirements, and leading a payroll team to deliver a high-quality service to employees and stakeholders.

This role is ideally suited to an experienced payroll professional who enjoys being involved in the operational detail while guiding and supporting a payroll team within a structured control environment.

Location: Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)
Employment Type: Permanent

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Diploma or Degree in Payroll, Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, or a related field (non negotiable)

• Minimum 5 years' payroll experience within a multi-company payroll environment (managing a minimum of 6 different payrolls)

• Minimum 2 years' experience supervising or leading a payroll team.

• Strong understanding of South African labour legislation, payroll taxation, employee benefits, and statutory reporting requirements.

• Experience with payroll reconciliations and month-end payroll processes.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

• Strong systems aptitude and ability to work with large payroll datasets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate and oversee the end-to-end payroll process across the group.

• Manage daily payroll activities and ensure payroll deadlines are consistently achieved.

• Lead, support and develop payroll team members.

• Review payroll inputs, calculations and exception reports for completeness and accuracy.

• Perform and review payroll reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.

• Ensure payroll records, supporting documentation and working papers are maintained accurately.

• Monitor compliance with payroll legislation, SARS requirements, employee benefit regulations and internal policies.

• Liaise with HR, Finance and operational management to resolve payroll-related matters.

• Escalate payroll risks, exceptions and control weaknesses timeously.

• Support internal and external audit requirements through the preparation of accurate supporting documentation.

• Assist with payroll process improvements, system enhancements and reporting requirements.

• Maintain positive relationships with employees, management, service providers and regulatory bodies.