Research & Knowledge Analyst

Playroll; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Playroll is seeking a Research and Knowledge Analyst in Joburg with a hybrid work setup. You will join a newly forming research capability and turn ambiguous global employer questions into clear, referenced guidance for internal knowledge bases.

You will handle ad hoc requests, maintain content accuracy, and define credible sources, working with Support, Operations, Legal/Compliance, Product, and other teams to ensure consistency and usefulness across the organization.

Qualifications

• Ability to produce clear, readable, structured documentation.
• Find reliable sources, compare versions and summarize without distortion.
• Comfort turning ambiguous requests into actionable parts.

Responsibilities

• Scope and complete ad hoc research requests from multiple stakeholders, managing intake and resolution via Monday.com.
• Produce clear, structured write-ups that translate complex requirements into practical guidance.
• Identify unknowns and edge cases, flag risk and escalate when needed.
• Maintain and update Playroll’s knowledge base to keep content accurate and current.
• Identify gaps and propose fixes to improve discoverability and usability.
• Define credible primary sources and document references; track versions and last reviewed dates.
• Collaborate with Support, Operations, Legal/Compliance, Product and others to align external messaging with operational reality.
• Support knowledge workflows and basic reporting on volumes and turnaround times.

Skills

Written communication

Google Sheets

Google Docs

Monday.com

Research fundamentals

Ambiguity management

Attention to detail

EOR domain

Education

Tertiary degree

Tools

Google Sheets

Google Docs

Monday.com

Job description

Research and Knowledge Analyst

Joburg (hybrid)

About the Role

As a Research & Knowledge Analyst at Playroll, you will be joining as the second critical hire in our newly forming research capability within the Community Operations function. Your core mission is to turn fast-moving, often ambiguous questions regarding global employment into clear, accurate, and usable answers, ensuring those answers stay current inside our internal knowledge base.

This is a high-impact junior role: you’ll handle ad hoc research requests across global Employer of Record topics (payroll, leave, benefits, termination, compliance), help us clear an existing knowledge backlog, and support our teams with crisp, referenced guidance. Because the function is still taking shape, the work will be varied, iterative, and occasionally ad hoc - perfect for someone who enjoys learning quickly and building structure as they go.

You will be Responsible For:

Ad Hoc Research & Response Support

• Scope and complete ad hoc research requests from Support, Operations, Legal/Compliance, and other stakeholders, managing the full intake and resolution workflow via Monday.com.
• Produce clear, structured write-ups that translate complex requirements into practical guidance.
• Identify unknowns and edge cases, flag risk appropriately, and upscale when interpretation requires senior review.

Knowledge Base Maintenance & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain and update Playroll’s knowledge base to ensure content is accurate, current, and consistent.
• Identify gaps, duplication, and outdated content; propose and implement fixes that improve discoverability and usability.

Research Quality, Sources & Governance

• Help define credible primary/authoritative sources (e.g., government portals, statutory guidance, regulator publications) and document references.
• Maintain a repeatable approach for source tracking, version control / “last reviewed” hygiene, and audit trails for critical topics.
• Support periodic quality checks and targeted refresh projects.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Enablement

• Work closely with Support/Community Ops, Payroll Ops, Legal/Compliance, Product, and other teams to align on “what we say” externally, “what we do” operationally, and “what we store” as institutional knowledge.
• Help ensure research outcomes are translated into operational reality (macros, SOPs, ticket guidance, onboarding docs).
• Support knowledge workflows, internal templates, and basic reporting (e.g., request volumes, turnaround times).

Education, Experience and Skills:

• A relevant tertiary degree
• Strong written communication skills: you can produce clean, readable, structured documentation.
• Tool Proficiency: Highly confident working in Google Workspace (specifically Sheets and Docs) to manage complex knowledge bases, and Monday.com for task management and ticketing.
• Research fundamentals: ability to find reliable sources, compare versions, and summarize without distortion.
• Navigating Ambiguity: Comfort working with ambiguous requests and breaking them into answerable parts.
• Attention to Detail & Organization: Excellent attention to detail, high accuracy standards, and the ability to manage multiple requests while keeping work visible and trackable.
• Domain Knowledge: Experience or a strong interest in one or more of the following: Employer of Record (EOR), global employment operations, HR tech, payroll, or compliance.

Our Values

Better Than Yesterday - We embrace challenges, question the status quo, and dedicate ourselves to continuous progress. The ultimate goal is to be better today than yesterday, with a plan to become even better tomorrow

One Playground - The Playground is our shared space to create, innovate and win, together. We are a global team with a global vision, breaking down barriers to work to a common goal.

Impact Over Input - Making an impact is everyone's role. Each of us are not just responsible for our actions but also for their outcomes.

Obsession For Excellence - Excellence is earned. We aim to achieve the extraordinary, and in our pursuit, we are relentless. We set ourselves high standards and deliver through accuracy, expertise and the highest standards of service.

About Playroll

Playroll was built to enable human connection and break down borders. We connect visionaries and builders to accelerate a borderless economy. We're working to find new and better ways to help businesses succeed, and we're looking for people to help shape tomorrow, today. Since we opened our doors in 2022 the world of distributed work has evolved quickly, and so have we. After enabling businesses of all sizes to hire talent, anywhere, as an Employer of Record solution - we saw businesses continue to struggle with disparate products and systems that don’t seamlessly work together.

We are driven by a constant pursuit of innovation, expanding our product suite to create integrated HR solutions. Our goal is to empower businesses to scale rapidly and effortlessly, embracing a truly borderless workforce. From fledgling startups to sprawling enterprises, we proudly partner with companies of all sizes. As our clients evolve, so do our solutions. And that's where you come in! We are seeking talented individuals who thrive in challenging and ever-changing environments. If you're passionate about solving complex problems and embracing hyper-growth, join our team and be a catalyst for meaningful change. Together, let's unlock the limitless potential that lies ahead!