Compensation and Benefits Manager Southern Africa

SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of 99,500 dedicated professionals. With over 145 years of service excellence, we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance, and sustainability.

Leading the payroll processes and ensure high qualitative management (less than 1% error)

Managing and leading the payroll team for Southern Africa. Experience in other Africa countries.Ensuring full compliance with legislation. Coordinate and collaborate with other departments for tax year end closings and other statutory regulatory requirements.

• Responsible for the accurate administration of the Payspace payroll system and salaries payrolls
• Manage and direct payroll operations by signing off the final payments to employees
• Lead and manage the payroll team
• Ensure the accurate and timeous administration of new employees or terminations as well as personal information changes
• Partner with Human Resources and Finance in ensuring all required deadlines are met and accuracy of information is maintained
• Ensure compliance of Tax and statutory requirements across all payrolls
• Liaise with the internal and external auditors and the finance department to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standard operating procedures, and financial deadlines
• Signing off expat payroll
• Authorize and oversee changes to payroll system parameters to ensure technical correctness, access, and correctness of payroll applications to meet business requirements
• Implement and advise on corrective measures in terms of identified financial risks to be applied to ensure compliance with relevant human resources, financial and payroll tax legislation, policies, and standard operating procedures
• Sign off and authorize third party payments in accordance with internal risk management controls
• Develop and manage payroll staff to ensure that they have the required skills and can perform and achieve their key job accountabilities and performance objectives
• Submission of Returns of Earnings (WCA reports) to the Department of Labor. Letters of Good Standing for all entities to be finalized by 30 April each year
• Recommend, develop, and implement sound payroll policies and procedures to ensure best practice and compliance with relevant legislation
• Ensure that the payroll functions align with business needs and can offer a quality service always
• Assistance with due diligence process as and when required for acquisitions
• Reconciliation of all payrolls to GL, including control accounts and provision accounts
• Good understanding of segregation of duties
• Knowledge of Risk benefits, approved, unapproved, board of management meetings, trustee meetings, fringe benefit tax etc.
• Responsible for all SARS queries and IRP5 e-filing and Easy File submissions
• Assist and validate the IRP5’s done by the payroll supervisor – Annual and Bi-Annual submissions
• Support management with annual salary review reports, budget costs
• Reporting on ICOFR – payroll cycle reports, Annual Incentive share schemes, expat costs, Corporate Sustainability reporting, Headcount reports, overhead tracking reports, Corporate Bonus calculations, etc.  
• Annual Mercer submissions
• Using mail merge, administer increase letters for corporate employees, MD directs, union, hourly paid employees, and normal employees
• Bargaining Council knowledge advantages
• Manage the performance and service delivery of the team, i.e., to take overall accountability for the performance of the team and the execution of duties in line with their delegated responsibilities

• Training in Payroll and cost accounting knowledge
• Bachelor’s Degree in commerce will be an advantage
• Grade 12 Certificate
• Global or Multinational payroll reporting experience and knowledge
• Minimum of over 3 years Payroll experience in Multinational/Global Management role
• Minimum of 5 years in Payroll Management
• Payspace payroll system advantageous
• Mercer submission
• Bargaining Council
• Keen understanding and application of relevant labor legislation

Competencies

• Strong Microsoft Excel, Word Skills
• Outlook
• SharePoint
• VLOOKUP – compulsory
• Pivot Tables