Head of Global Payroll
Syspro · South Africa, South Africa ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- C level
- Category
- Finance
The Head of Global Payroll owns payroll operations across the USA, South Africa, UK, Canada, and Ireland. This role sets the standard for accuracy, compliance, and control across five distinct regulatory environments. It suits a True Pro who has run multi-country payroll under pressure and knows the difference between a payroll that runs and a payroll that runs right.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end payroll delivery for the USA, South Africa, UK, Canada, and Ireland, including monthly and off-cycle processing, reconciliation, and sign-off.
- Ensure full statutory compliance in each country: IRS and state requirements in the USA, SARS and UIF in South Africa, HMRC, PAYE, and pension auto-enrolment in the UK, CRA, CPP, and EI in Canada, and Revenue, PAYE, and PRSI in Ireland.
- Lead year-end and tax-year-end filings, audits, and statutory reporting across all five jurisdictions.
- Manage relationships with payroll vendors, providers, and in-country partners — including Deel, Syspro's global payroll provider — holding them to service and accuracy standards.
- Apply consistent payroll controls to support audit readiness and mitigate risk across all five countries.
- Oversee accurate calculation, deduction, and remittance of pension contributions across all five countries.
- Partner with Finance, HR, and Legal on compensation changes and benefits administration.
- Work closely with the People team each month, processing their submitted changes, answering queries in a timely manner, and closing the loop quickly on any issues.
- Set clear standards for accuracy and turnaround.
- Drive standardization and automation across payroll processes to reduce risk and manual effort.
- Act as the escalation point for complex payroll queries and represent payroll in leadership and audit reviews.
- Report payroll costs, risks, and compliance status to finance leadership.
Requirements
Minimum Level of Education- A degree in finance, accounting, human resources, or a related field.
- A recognized payroll qualification or certification, such as CPP (USA), SAPA membership or a payroll certificate (South Africa), CIPP (UK), PCP or NPI accreditation (Canada), or IPASS (Ireland).
- Experience working with Syspro or a comparable ERP system.
- Substantial experience leading payroll operations across multiple countries, with direct, hands-on experience in the USA, South Africa, and UK specifically. Experience with Canada and Ireland payroll is an advantage.
- Working knowledge of payroll compliance requirements in each region: IRS, FLSA, and state tax rules (USA); SARS, PAYE, and UIF (South Africa); HMRC, PAYE, National Insurance, and pension auto-enrolment (UK); CRA, CPP, and EI (Canada); and Revenue, PAYE, and PRSI (Ireland).
- Experience managing payroll through an ERP or dedicated payroll system, including data integrity and control processes.
- A track record of managing payroll through audits, statutory filings, and year-end close.
- Experience working with outsourced or platform-based global payroll providers, such as Deel.
- Experience working with outsourced or platform-based global payroll providers, such as Deel.
- Excellent numerical and analytical skills, essential to the role.
- High attention to detail and a low tolerance for payroll errors.
- Clear communication across cultures, regions, and time zones.
- Strong organizational skills, able to manage competing deadlines across five payroll calendars.
- Sound judgment on compliance risk and when to escalate.
- Strong grasp of complex regional payroll issues, such as Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and other statutory leave pay in the UK, and multi-state tax withholding and wage garnishment rules in the USA.
- Identifies process inefficiencies and uses initiative to find better ways of working.
- Risk management and internal controls awareness across payroll processes.
- Strong numerical skills, with the accuracy and attention to detail payroll demands.
Benefits
- 25 annual leave days
- 30 days paid sick leave over 3-year cycle
- Hybrid working environment (3 office days as determined by the function/ manager)
- Pension 10%
- Medical aid
- Life insurance
- Income continuation protection
- Funeral Benefit
- Provident Fund Admin Fee
- Global Education Protection
- Bonus/ commission programmes
- Maternity: 6 months at half pay
- Paternity: 2 weeks full pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Free Barista Coffee Daily
- Gym Facilities
- Free Daily Lunch
- Free Fruit on a Tuesday & Thursday