Senior Payroll Analyst

Estée Lauder Companies; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Estée Lauder Companies is seeking a Payroll specialist to partner with vendors and internal teams to deliver end-to-end payroll for a group of countries. You will input and validate data, reconcile outputs, and ensure accurate, timely payroll processing across markets.

In this role, you will support Tier 2 inquiries, handle pay-impacting transactions, and drive continuous improvements in payroll operations while adhering to local regulations and internal service standards.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of payroll experience, multi-country a plus.
• Technical knowledge of payroll processing.
• Knowledge of payroll systems and data flow.
• Experience with regional multi-language operations and regulatory environments preferred.
• Analytical and detail-oriented work approach.
• Experience with shared services teams preferred.
• Experience with case management or service management tools preferred.
• Strong MS Excel skills.
• Fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with HR Service Delivery and OneSource HR to resolve Tier 2 payroll inquiries and escalate Tier 3 to Payroll Vendor as needed.
• Partner cross-functionally to handle pay-impacting transactions including equity, mobility and benefits.
• Ensure compliance with local regulations and internal policies across markets.
• Execute core payroll activities such as adjustments, wage attachments, year-end filings and data reconciliation.
• Input payroll data manually and validate consolidated inputs prior to processing for regular and off-cycle payrolls.
• Coordinate with payroll vendors to process payroll accurately and timely across multi-national operations.
• Facilitate resolution of inbound/outbound integration files between payroll system and third parties.
• Review payroll output reports and distribute to stakeholders (bank file, GL file, tax remittance).
• Conduct reconciliation of general ledger balances and resolve adjustments.

Skills

Payroll processing

Analytical thinking

Time management

Communication

Excel

Collaboration

Multi-country work

Vendor collaboration

Tools

Payroll systems

Job description

Description

This role will partner with payroll vendors to facilitate end–to–end payroll processing for a specific group of countries in the region. The individual will work on a team focused on executing global payroll operations within the region. This role will be responsible for conducting payroll data inputs, reviewing data inputs prior to the processing of payroll and reconciling payroll outputs to ensure accurate and compliant payrolls across the assigned markets.

In addition to collaborating with payroll vendors to deliver accurate and timely payroll for the assigned markets, the individual will collaborate with the OneSource HR Services delivery teams to resolve escalated employee payroll inquiries. As a part of this responsibility, the individual will also be expected to meet defined standards of service and performance metrics to help Estée Lauder deliver a seamless employee payroll experience. Finally, this position will be responsible for serving as an agent of change to transform current payroll operations to achieve the target service delivery model.

• Collaborate with HR Service Delivery team, OneSource HR, to resolve Tier 2 employee payroll inquiries and escalate Tier 3 inquiries to Payroll Vendor as necessary
• Partner cross‑functionality to provide special handling of pay‑impacting transactions including equity, global mobility and benefits
• Adhere to policies, procedures and standards across assigned markets and within the local regulatory context
• Support delivery of core payroll activities such as executing prior period adjustments, evaluating wage attachments, reviewing year‑end filings, and reconciling payroll data
• Conduct manual data inputs to the payroll system and validate consolidated inputs including those entered manually or received automatically via integration prior to payroll processing for regular and off‑cycle payrolls
• Liaise with payroll vendors to process payroll accurately and timely across multi‑national operations Partner with regional representatives from other functions (e.g., HR, Finance, Treasury, IT) to validate accuracy of inputs and outputs to/from payroll
• Facilitate issue resolution of inbound/outbound integration files between the payroll system and third parties
• Review payroll output reports and distribute to key stakeholders as necessary (e.g., bank file, GL file, tax remittance)
• Conduct reconciliation of general ledger balances and resolution of any required adjustments
• Perform regular controls evaluations to monitor risks across all assigned markets
• Monitor payroll compliance within local regulations and requirements across assigned markets
• Deliver payroll services in accordance with internal service standards for assigned markets to enable operational excellence
• Partner with other members of the Pay Services Team to identify operational payroll improvements opportunities
• Work with Government authorities on audits and requests

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience with payroll, multiple countries a plus
• Technical experience with and knowledge of payroll processing
• Knowledge and experience with payroll systems and data flow
• Experience with regional multi‑language operations and regulatory environments preferred
• Ability to think analytically and perform detail‑oriented tasks
• Experience supporting shared services teams preferred
• Experience working with case management and/or other service management tools preferred
• Strong time management and organization skills
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Strong MS Office Excel skills
• Fluent English